What Companies Can Do Now to Address Racial Unrest

The recent cries of racial injustices and demands for social justice can be felt across every industry. Many companies are at a loss of what to do especially if they have been guilty of not acknowledging the unique lived experiences of their Black employees. Here are just a few things that organizations can do to address racial unrest.

Look Inward First - One of the mistakes that organizations did back in June was outwardly declare their support for Black lives without a history of their care for Black lives. While these declarations were being made on social media platforms, Black employees were confused. Many Black employees have made complaints about anti-Black and racist practices that they’ve experienced only to have those calls for reform ignored or brushed under the rug. Some also experienced retaliation that were left unchecked. If your organization was one of those that leaped to show support, you now have some work to do to show your support to those that should matter to you, your Black employees who give of themselves to make your organization better.

Ask Yourself the Hard Questions - This includes asking yourself how you have addressed or ignored racial unrest happening right in your organization. This requires collecting data about your organization. What is your attrition rate for Black employees? What roles do Black employees inhabit within your organization? How do you amplify the voices of Black employees? What support do you provide Black employees? How do you address racist behaviors within your organization?

Get a Pulse - How are your Black employees feeling? What support do they need? Have you looked into how your audience/customers perceive and feel about the brand especially in today’s climate. Getting a sense will help you to determine which direction you need to move. It will also help to see what gaps exist to brainstorm solutions.

Act - Doing nothing says a lot about an organization. Apologize to the employees and communities that your organization’s practices and processes have marginalized and implement changes. Be sure to have a timeline for the list of actions that you plan to implement. Create an atmosphere that allows for marginalized communities to hold the organization accountable without threat of retaliation. Note that a plan that does not actively include how the organization plans to specifically include Black people in Board positions, in executive/C-suite positions, and critique hiring and promotion practices that are rooted in anti-Black and White supremacist ideology is not enough.

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