One of the most disturbing ripples of the COVID-19 pandemic has been a surge in unprovoked violence against Asian Americans on streets across the country, an epidemic of violence that shows no signs of abating.

A recent survey tracking stereotypes and attitudes toward Asian Americans found that more than two years after onset of the pandemic, more Americans are at least partially Asian Americans for the rise of COVID-19 than in previous years. According to the Social Tracking of Asian Americans in the U.S. (STAATUS) Index, these attitudes have been accompanies by an alarming surge in attacks against Asian Americans: up nearly 340% in the past year.

We see the clear consequences when fears of “the other” are exploited and a blind eye is turned to racism, bigotry, and discrimination.

In the face of this grim uptick in violence, many of us are left to ask – what can be done to protect our Asian American neighbors, friends, and co-workers?

Violence doesn’t emerge in a vacuum. It’s the natural end result when discrimination is allowed to go unchecked. Changing hearts and minds is a long-time generational challenge, and there will be many who are too far gone down the path of prejudice to come back.

But there are steps each of us can take in our workplaces to build inclusive environments, promote reconciliation, and advance equity. For those of us in senior corporate leadership roles, we have an especially urgent responsibility to take urgent action and speak out.

I lead BiasSync, which helps organizations across sectors to more effectively assess and manage unconscious bias in the work environment in order to create more fair, inclusive, and high-performing teams. Our experts have found that organizations that track low on metrics of gender and racial diversity tend to see lower morale, profitability, and innovation. Therefore, clearly speaking out against discrimination isn’t only the right thing to do, it’s the smart and strategic thing to do for the bottom line.  We know firsthand that it’s no small measure to stamp out bias and prejudice, especially when most of us are pre-conditioned to resist the idea that we may have work to do ourselves to combat our internal compulsions toward bias.

Some steps to consider taking today to support your Asian American employees and promote greater inclusivity in the workplace.

Recognize that positive bias can lead to harmful behaviors as well. According to the STAATUS Index, many still see Asian Americans in “model minority” terms, viewing them as intelligent, smart, and hard-working. What could be wrong with that? While positive bias might sound well-intentioned, it only serves to further the perception that Asian Americans are the “other” and further underscores their perception as perpetual foreigners. Resist stereotyping Asian Americans into any category simply based on their ethnicity rather than their individual character, personality, and unique characteristics.

Take a hard look at your recruiting, hiring, and development policies. Make sure that you’re walking the walk by ensuring that Asian Americans have equal access to opportunities, including extending outreach to Asian Americans and other ethnic minorities throughout your recruiting process. Make sure that all candidates are asked the same set of questions with a consistent criteria applied to evaluating candidates rather than murkier notions of “cultural fit” that can often weigh against people of color.

Use technology to level the playing field. Leverage HR software and automation tools – as well as emerging tools like BiasSync’s offerings – to ensure that applicants are screened objectively rather than falling victim to bias, intentional or not.

Set and strictly enforce zero tolerance policies against racism. Making DE&I a priority must not only include sponsoring events and discussions to demystify the Asian American experience; it must also include adding teeth to your HR policies and enforcing the principles behind the policies. Far too many Asian Americans and other ethnic minorities routinely report experiencing racism at work. Make sure that you have circulated and clearly communicated a policy of zero tolerance for such conduct in your workplace, including casual racism “jokes”, and behavior around the watercooler that has too often gotten a pass in past decades.

Our offices aren’t refuges from the world around us. But we can take meaningful steps forward at work to model inclusivity and stamp out discrimination from gestating into violence. What steps have you taken in your workplace?

The post Enough Is Enough appeared first on Michele Ruiz.

Not only have more organizations embraced more flexible and remote ways of working in response to the pandemic; we have also seen a higher demand than ever for robust efforts focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion that go light years beyond the lip service that too many organizations settled on for too many years.

DE&I has moved out of the silos and into the center of the conversation, especially for Gen Z and Millennials, who are increasingly “voting with their feet” by seeking out employers who demonstrate a meaningful commitment to building pipelines of diverse leaders and ensuring that all voices are included at the table.

One area of focus for corporate leaders seeking to achieve greater diversity is through their suppliers and professional services contracting.

It may sound like an easy win to deliberately choose more diverse partners to work with.It certainly may be a more easily achievable task than re-orienting a company culture around true equity and inclusion. But it can be a significant challenge in its own right to diversify your corporate supplier efforts. I’ve seen it firsthand as a woman and minority entrepreneur and an advisor to leading companies on supplier diversity.

Here are some steps you can take to ensure that your efforts to achieve greater supplier diversity aren’t in vain.

• You can’t just talk the talk. You run into significant reputational risks if your company boasts of having a supplier diversity program but lacks robust policies and practices internally to effectively implement it. I’ve seen it many times; a company names a person to be the liaison on supplier diversity and sends them out into the world to meet suppliers stressing their diversity bona fides, such as minority, women, and veteran-owned businesses. But when the would-be partner is sent to the company portal to register, they find themselves essentially in a black hole with little support. It’s a structural challenge with these portals; in my years of owning multiple businesses, I have never been approached for even one opportunity or contract because I was found in a portal. My success has almost always depended on building relationships; that’s what an effective diversity liaison needs to do.
• Be sure you’re walking the walk before you brag about the strength of your diversity focus. Many companies find themselves scrambling – in preparation for a keynote address or an annual report – to quickly identify some wins they can put on the point regarding DE&I. But you open yourself up to far more reputational risk if you tout a robust supplier diversity program if it doesn’t have real teeth in it – and if you aren’t addressing racial and other inequities in a meaningful way.
• Kick the tires to consider whether your program is really diverse. It’s not enough to award contracts to diverse partners if you’re not carefully thinking about your policies. Have you looked at your company’s payment terms – think “net 90” – and considered if you may actually be borrowing on the backs of a small business while requiring them to execute on a contract in a much swifter timeline than they can expect to be paid? That’s an untenable situation for many small firms. Luckily, more corporations are making welcome moves to expedite payment terms for diverse suppliers, including Toyota – viewed as the gold standard in expediting payment with net 15 and net 30 payment terms.

The take-away is to consider what obstacles and biases within your corporate processes – whether in payment terms, insurance policies, or other matters –may make it difficult for small firms to do business with you.

What steps has your company taken to diversify your supplier efforts? And what potential obstacles may be holding you back from greater engagement and partnership with diverse firms and teams doing amazing work?

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