There are many good bases for hiring a particular job candidate, but race alone is not one of them. Although well-intentioned, affirmative action in hiring can lead to failure for Black employees and others from marginalized groups. In their workplaces, they continue to experience:
- Discrimination
- Exclusion
- Harassment
- Microaggressions
- Retaliation
The Case for Diversity in Hiring
In law, we have a concept we call res ipsa loquitor. The thing speaks for itself. For example, white men comprise 30% of the United States population, yet they hold 62% of all elected offices and 74% of CEO roles in American corporations. This debunks the myth of meritocracy.
If you believe, for example, that the United States workforce is a meritocracy, then you are saying you believe white men are simply better than everyone else. ~ Asker Saeed
When recruiting, it is important to consider that more diverse workplaces are reportedly:
- High-performing, innovative, and agile
- Twice as likely to meet or exceed financial goals
- Eight times as likely to achieve better business outcomes
Why Diversity Isn’t Enough
Hiring quotas can lead to discrimination and disparate impact. We want you to hiring people from underrepresented communities, but not without considering the same issues you do with all job candidates:
- Their ability to perform the essential functions of the job you need done
- Whether reasonable and equitable accommodations need to be made
- How you will include them fully in the workplace and make expectations clear
- How you will train them to perform the job and meet the expectations
Why Equity and Inclusion are Important
Despite diversity initiatives, employers have consistently failed to ensure employees from underrepresented populations are provided the tools they need to succeed. This is why you now hear about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Even hiring managers who were sensitive to the lack of racial diversity often hired with race in mind, assuming that is where the work ended. It did not.
When we welcome folks into the room, we are responsible for the environment they walk into. ~ Dr. Sally Izquierdo, CUNY Queens College
What Employers Are Expected to Do
I am often asked, “What am I expected to do?” Below are what some would deem the bare minimum:
- Know your employees’ (preferred) names. If you find their names particularly difficult, ask them to tell you how they got their names. Sometimes, a story will help you remember. You can also ask them to help you sound it out. If your name is difficult, too, you can bond over that. There are a number of ways to help you remember. Make the effort.
- Invite feedback. Humbly admit you have growth areas. We all do. Accept that none of us is unbiased. Create a culture that encourages learning.
- Make expectations clear. Ideally, co-create them with your employees. Determine where they will need to most training and assistance. Then, provide it.
- Step back and let people be heard. You don’t know what you don’t know. We all have blind spots, and there’s always room for improvement, even when you’re at the top of your profession.
- Be brave. You will have uncomfortable conversations. You will make mistakes. Don’t make them a big deal. Clean them up and keep going.
Not sure you are hiring fairly?
How Can You Reduce Discrimination Against the Ways Employment Candidates Speak?