In today's diverse professional landscape, understanding and respecting cultural nuances is crucial for successful business interactions. This is especially true when engaging with the African American and Black community, which has a rich history and unique cultural perspectives. By being mindful of etiquette and fostering an inclusive environment, leaders and colleagues can build stronger relationships, enhance collaboration, and promote equity in the workplace.
The Current Landscape
The African American and Black community is currently facing significant challenges. People were already struggling with the disproportionate loss of loved ones due to COVID-19, a painful reminder of racial health disparities. The community is also facing unprecedented job loss - the unemployment rate for African American and Black households increased during March 2020 from 6.7% to 16.7%.
Then, they were confronted with several public instances of racial discrimination, including a white woman calling the police on an African American man who simply asked her to follow the Central Park rules of having a dog on a leash, and the deaths of George Floyd and Rayshard Brooks at the hands of police officers.
This was months after two other events where African Americans were killed. Ahmaud Arbery was gunned down in the street by white civilians while out for a jog, and Breonna Taylor was killed in her own home after the police went to the wrong address.
Many leaders feel ill-prepared to have meaningful conversations at work about racism and discrimination. They don’t know how to talk about race and may have actively avoided it. Yet data show that avoiding these conversations heightens employees’ feelings of alienation and lowers employee engagement.
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According to a study by the Center for Talent Innovation, Black employees who feel like they cannot talk about racial bias at work are 13 times more likely to be disengaged than those who feel they can talk about racial bias.
Key Etiquette Considerations
1. Research and Training
Colleagues who are interested in learning more about the African American and Black experience, including the country’s history of racism and discrimination, should spend time researching relevant topics. For example, the National Museum for African American History and Culture has a portal, Talking About Race. Additionally, allies should look for opportunities to do appropriate training on topics, such as how to identify personal biases and how to have courageous conversations.
2. Creating a Safe Environment
A key component of a supportive work environment is psychological safety. Employees will be more willing to participate in challenging conversations around race if the workplace culture provides settings where they can speak openly without fear of backlash or other forms of negative repercussions. Employees who feel supported at work are also more likely to be engaged.
3. Initiating Conversations
Leaders should not be so worried about saying the wrong thing that they never engage with African American and Black employees. It is okay to be uncomfortable. According to the Center for Talent Innovation’s study, Being Black in Corporate America, Black men are two-and-a-half times more likely to be satisfied with their job and intend to stay if the company has moderated forums to discuss race.
4. Active Listening
Leaders and colleagues who want to serve as allies need to give their African American and Black peers the space to share their thoughts and emotions without interruption. African Americans and Black people have been dealing with race issues for most of their lives. The issues are not new to them and allies can learn a lot from hearing about their experiences.
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5. Avoiding Defensiveness
Many people feel personally attacked when topics such as racism and white privilege are broached. There is a natural tendency to indicate that you are not racist, and while that may be true, the purpose of the conversation is to better understand how the Black person feels. Defensiveness could limit the openness of the conversation and curtail progress toward eradicating racism.
6. Asking Questions Authentically
Be authentic and ask questions with genuine curiosity. People enjoy having conversations about their heritage and their cultures. Employees who feel more connected at work also feel a higher level of dignity, which is an important driver in employee wellbeing and productivity and the company’s overall business performance.
According to Willis Towers Watson’s 2019 Global Benefits Attitude Study, African American employees are less likely than their white peers to feel dignity at work. They are less likely to feel that they can be authentic at work, that they are connected to others and that they can handle workplace stress.
Leaders can enhance the dignity that African American and Black employees feel at work, improve engagement, cultivate a culture of belonging and reduce the chance of departure by having open and honest conversations about race in the workplace.
There is something each and every one of us can do to eradicate racism.
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Additional Considerations
Understanding "Race" and "Color" Discrimination
Title VII prohibits employer actions that discriminate, by motivation or impact, against persons because of race. Title VII does not contain a definition of “race,” nor has the Commission adopted one. For the collection of federal data on race and ethnicity, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has provided the following five racial categories: American Indian or Alaska Native; Asian; Black or African American; Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; and White; and one ethnicity category, Hispanic or Latino.
OMB has made clear that these categories are “social-political constructs . . . and should not be interpreted as being genetic, biological, or anthropological in nature.”
Title VII prohibits employment discrimination because of “color” as a basis separately listed in the statute. The statute does not define “color.” The courts and the Commission read “color” to have its commonly understood meaning - pigmentation, complexion, or skin shade or tone. Thus, color discrimination occurs when a person is discriminated against based on the lightness, darkness, or other color characteristic of the person. Even though race and color clearly overlap, they are not synonymous.
Thus, color discrimination can occur between persons of different races or ethnicities, or between persons of the same race or ethnicity.
Confronting Racial Bias in the Workplace: What Employers and Employees Must Do
Cultural Characteristics and Perceptions
Title VII prohibits employment discrimination against a person because of cultural characteristics often linked to race or ethnicity, such as a person’s name, cultural dress and grooming practices, or accent or manner of speech. For example, an employment decision based on a person having a so-called “Black accent,” or “sounding White,” violates Title VII if the accent or manner of speech does not materially interfere with the ability to perform job duties.
Discrimination against an individual based on a perception of his or her race violates Title VII even if that perception is wrong.
Association and Subgroups
It is unlawful to discriminate against a White person because he or she is married to an African American or has a multiracial child, or because he or she maintains friendships or otherwise associates with persons of a certain race.
Title VII prohibits discrimination against a subgroup of persons in a racial group because they have certain attributes in addition to their race. Thus, for example, it would violate Title VII for an employer to reject Black women with preschool age children, while not rejecting other women with preschool age children.
"Reverse" Discrimination
Title VII prohibits race discrimination against all persons, including Caucasians. A plaintiff may prove a claim of discrimination through direct or circumstantial evidence. Some courts, however, take the position that if a White person relies on circumstantial evidence to establish a reverse discrimination claim, he or she must meet a heightened standard of proof. The Commission, in contrast, applies the same standard of proof to all race discrimination claims, regardless of the victim’s race or the type of evidence used.
In either case, the ultimate burden of persuasion remains always on the plaintiff.
Table: Key Considerations for Inclusive Business Meetings
| Area | Consideration |
|---|---|
| Language | Avoid slang or jargon that may be unfamiliar. |
| Communication Style | Be direct but respectful. |
| Topics to Avoid | Sensitive topics like stereotypes, personal questions, or assumptions about background. |
| Listening | Actively listen and show genuine interest. |
| Respect | Value diverse perspectives and experiences. |
