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Tag: Workplace Diversity

  • Need Workers? Employers Are Realizing The Untapped Talent of These People.

    Need Workers? Employers Are Realizing The Untapped Talent of These People.

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    If you give any leader the opportunity to increase their talent pool of potential employees by 15% — with all these new hires belonging to an underrepresented minority — they’d jump at the chance, especially given tight labor markets and CEO desires to increase headcount. Yet too few leaders realize that, according to the U.S. government, people with disabilities are the largest minority group in this country, with 50 million — 15% of the population — living with disabilities.

    Sure, many executives feel concerned by the extra investments involved in providing accommodations for people with disabilities. Yet these accommodations might not involve anything besides full-time remote work, according to a new study by the Economic Innovation Group think tank. The study found that the employment rate for people with disabilities did not simply reach the pre-pandemic level by mid-2022, but rose far past it, to the highest rate in over a decade. Remote work, combined with a tight labor market, explains this high rate, according to the researcher’s analysis.

    Related: 5 Ways Employees With Disabilities Help Maximize a Company’s Growth

    A bit of history: Employment rates among people with disabilities dropped, along with the rest of the labor market, early in the pandemic. However, they recovered quickly. People with disabilities aged 25 to 54, the prime working age, are 3.5 percentage points more likely to be employed in Q2 2022 than they were pre-pandemic. What about non-disabled individuals? They are still 1.1 percentage points less likely to be employed!

    That means the labor market recovery for those with disabilities was substantially faster than for those without disabilities. We know that both those with disabilities and those without faced a similar conditions of a tight labor market. Given that, remote work appears to offer the major differentiator that enabled those with disabilities an opportunity to join the workforce.

    These statistics align with expert statements. For example, according to Thomas Foley, executive director of the National Disability Institute (NDI), workers with disabilities had been asking to work remotely for decades before the pandemic and had consistently heard companies say “no.” During the pandemic, he said that when “we all realized that … many of us could work remotely … that was disproportionately positive for people with disabilities.”

    Related: How Entrepreneurs Can Find Great Talent Despite a Labor Shortage

    The benefits of remote work for people with disabilities are particularly relevant due to the impact of long Covid. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that about 19% of those who had Covid-19 developed long Covid. Recent Census Bureau data indicates that 16 million working-age Americans suffer from it, with economic costs reaching $3.7 trillion according to a recent estimate.

    Certainly, many of these so-called long-haulers experience relatively mild symptoms — such as loss of a sense of smell — which, while troublesome, are not disabling. But others experience symptoms serious enough that they have become disabled.

    According to a recent study from the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, about a quarter of those with long Covid changed their employment status or working hours. That means long Covid was serious enough to interfere with work for 4 million people. For many, this interference was serious enough to qualify them as disabled.

    Indeed, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York found in a just-released study that the number of disabled persons in the U.S. grew by 1.7 million. That growth stemmed mainly from long Covid conditions such as fatigue and brain fog, meaning difficulties with concentration or memory, with 1.3 million people reporting an increase in brain fog since mid-2020.

    Many had to drop out of the labor force due to the intensity of their long Covid. Yet about 900,000 newly disabled people have been able to continue working. Without remote work, they might not have.

    In fact, the author of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York study notes that long Covid can be considered a disability under the Americans with Disability Act, depending on the specifics of the condition. That means the law can require private employers with fifteen or more staff, as well as government agencies, to make reasonable accommodations for those with long Covid. The author notes that “telework and flexible scheduling are two accommodations that can be particularly beneficial for workers dealing with fatigue and brain fog.”

    Related: The Labor Shortage Is Only Getting Worse. What’s Causing It and How Can I Avoid Losing Staff?

    But companies shouldn’t need to worry about legal regulations. It simply makes dollars and sense to expand their talent pool by 15% of an underrepresented minority. After all, extensive research shows that improving diversity boosts both decision-making and financial performance.

    Companies that are offering more flexible work options have already gained significant benefits in terms of diverse hires. In its efforts to adapt to the post-pandemic environment, Meta Platforms, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, decided to offer permanent fully remote work options to its current employees and new job applicants. And according to Meta chief diversity and inclusion officer Maxine Williams, the candidates who accepted job offers for remote positions were “substantially more likely” to come from diverse communities: people with disabilities, Black, Hispanic, Alaskan Native, Native American, veterans, and women. The numbers bear out these claims: people with disabilities increased from 4.7% to 6.2% of Meta’s employees.

    Having consulted for 21 companies to help them transition to hybrid work arrangements, I can confirm that Meta’s numbers aren’t a fluke. The more my clients proved willing to offer remote work, the more disabled staff they recruited — and retained. That includes more obvious employees, such as those with long Covid symptoms and mobility challenges. But it also includes employees with invisible disabilities, such as immunocompromised people who feel reluctant to put themselves at risk of getting Covid-19 by coming into the office.

    Unfortunately, many leaders fail to see the benefits of remote work for underrepresented groups, such as those with disabilities. Some even claim the opposite: thus, JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon claimed that returning to the office will aid diversity. What explains this poor executive decision-making?

    One part of the answer comes from a mental blindspot called the in-group bias. Our minds tend to favor and pay attention to the concerns of those we perceive to be part of our in-group. Dimon and other executives who lack disabilities don’t perceive people with disabilities to be part of their in-group. They thus are blind to the concerns of those with disabilities, which leads to the kind of jaw-dropping statements made by Dimon that returning to the office will aid diversity.

    In-group bias is one of many dangerous judgment errors known as cognitive biases. These mental blindspots impact decision-making in all life areas, ranging from the future of work to mental fitness.

    Another relevant cognitive bias is the empathy gap. This term refers to our difficulty empathizing with those who aren’t part of our in-group. The lack of empathy combines with the blindness from the in-group bias, causing executives to ignore the feelings of disabled employees and prospective hires.

    Omission bias also plays a role. This dangerous judgment error causes us to perceive failure to act as less problematic than acting. Consequently, executives perceive a failure to support the needs and interests of those with disabilities as a minor matter.

    The failure to empower people with disabilities will prove costly to the bottom lines of companies that don’t offer remote work options to those who would benefit from such accommodations. They are limiting their talent pool by 15%. Moreover, they’re harming their ability to recruit and retain diverse candidates. And as their lawyers and HR departments will tell them, they are putting themselves in legal jeopardy for violating the ADA.

    By contrast, companies like Meta that offer remote work opportunities are seizing a competitive advantage by recruiting these underrepresented candidates and expanding their talent pool by 15%. They’re lowering costs of labor while increasing diversity. The future belongs to the savvy companies that offer the flexibility that disabled people need.

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    Gleb Tsipursky

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  • Solidarity Without Sameness: The Key To Working Together

    Solidarity Without Sameness: The Key To Working Together

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) policies are more than just feeling good about ourselves. Diversity drives innovation, and companies that innovate in today’s fast-paced environment are the ones that come out on top. Socially-responsible companies are attracting more demanding consumers. But the more diversity we bring to a team, the more potential for crossed interests and differing opinions about what social responsibility implies, which can quickly escalate into conflict.

    This is where building solidarity comes in.

    Solidarity is not thinking and behaving exactly the same. It’s rallying support as a team, welcoming and respecting open communication even when opinions are different, and agreeing to the course of action that best considers the company and its people. Fostering solidarity, not sameness, is the key to unlocking the benefits of a diverse team.

    Related: Solving Organizational Diversity Is Still an Issue: The Cost Is Steep, But the Rewards Are High

    Welcome the benefits of embracing diversity as a team

    Everyone has differences, and the more diverse backgrounds, upbringings and histories we bring onto a team, the more opportunities for differences to exist. But from boards and management teams to organizing a charity fundraiser event, embracing group diversity brings more perspectives, ideas and alternatives that spur innovation and improve productivity. Diverse teams focus more on facts and process them more carefully, resulting in smarter decisions.

    A 2015 McKinsey report found that embracing diversity also improves the bottom line. Companies in the top quartile of ethnic and racial diversity in management were 35% more likely to have higher financial returns over the industry average; companies in the top quartile for gender diversity were 15% more likely. Diverse teams that work well together outpace the competition.

    Companies seek to advance diversity at all levels. Still, for those diverse minds to work well together as a team, they need solidarity — “unity, association, reciprocation, a good community or social interest, gratuity, justice and respect for human dignity.” With a culture of solidarity, companies can more successfully implement DEI and ESG initiatives that reduce social and economic inequality within the organization, improving efficiency, productivity and the company’s reputation.

    Related: How Diversity Helped Bring My Company Together

    Align everyone around individual responsibilities

    Building and encouraging team solidarity requires an established set of values around personal responsibility to contribute to the effort. Sincere acknowledgment and mutual support build a culture of community, which can foster solidarity, but solidarity cannot be forced. It is a co-responsibility for the moral well-being of all others as equal partners on a common mission. Each person with their individual and collective interests needs to embrace solidarity around acknowledging and respecting our differences while arriving at decisions that best serve the collective “we.”

    People pick up on culture fast through the example of their leadership, so leaders should demonstrate acknowledgment and support of diversity to build that sense of solidarity in their teams. There are many worlds of thought with which I disagree, but I work hard to respect them and be understanding of the background from which they originate. So much of our foundational backgrounds embed themselves into who we are today. While I can’t even begin to fully understand every person’s background or how they got to where they are, I can at least respect the fact that it played a part in creating them, even when we disagree.

    We can also build a community culture by recognizing the dynamic interdependence between all team members, emphasizing the need for dialogue, compassion, and understanding across a team. Start by making sure everyone feels they belong.

    We just had our annual meeting, where everyone — those stationed outside Minneapolis and some even outside the country — comes home to the “mothership” to celebrate everything in Clearfield. We start by discussing the upcoming year, host lots of learning during the day and hold parties every evening. Especially in this new hybrid world, bringing everyone together is critical to maintaining their sense of solidarity.

    Related: How to Promote Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Your Workplace

    See everyone’s potential equally

    When I became a grandma, I developed a new perspective to understand inclusion in the face of diversity better: Look at people as babies. My six-month-old grandson is slightly over 19 pounds, while my 15-month-old is approaching 20 pounds. The older one is small for his age, while the younger one is big. To look at them, they seem totally different. And yet, I look at them as very much the same. They are both my grandsons, with the same potential for growth despite their differences. When we look at babies, whether grandchildren, children, or someone else’s children, we so quickly look at them and see their potential. Each one is equally capable of becoming the next future star performer. If we can see the potential in babies, why can’t we still see it when they grow up to become adults?

    As leaders, seeing equal potential in everyone allows us to respect what their differences can bring to the team — as team members, seeing our peers full of potential will enable them to achieve their best for the benefit of the rest of the company. Look at someone and think about whose baby they were. Imagine someone caring for them, praying for them and trying to open doors for them; someone who saw them brimming with potential. Encourage others to imagine the same and help instill diverse teams with a greater sense of oneness and unity.

    As former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon put it, “A world of peace and solidarity can only be accomplished by acknowledging and celebrating [sic] our diversity.” Diversity and inclusion are more than just inviting people in: We need everyone aligned around creating an environment where people feel comfortable being their authentic selves and bringing those diverse perspectives to the table. Leaders need to build it into their team culture, but it also comes down to individual employees to take on their responsibility. Once someone takes charge, solidarity can quickly start to spread.

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    Cheri Beranek

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  • Is Remote Work the Future? It’s Time For The Agile Workplace.

    Is Remote Work the Future? It’s Time For The Agile Workplace.

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    As the pandemic subsides, many executives and employees are transitioning to the new normal. Companies that transitioned to a remote environment are now opening their offices again and trying to determine how they will operate. Some businesses, like Airbnb, Salesforce, Meta and Google, have stated they will allow people to remain remote if they choose to, as employers believe it improves their chances at retention and employees have proven they can get the work done.

    Others, like Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase and Netflix, are pushing to have all employees back in the office five days a week in the belief that there is no substitute for in-office collaboration and interactions. Other companies are trying to land in the middle. Adobe, Apple, and Citi use a hybrid approach in which employees are generally expected in the office 2-3 days a week.

    Several factors suggest the winning strategy won’t be forcing one approach but adapting to the needs and desires of the workforce. A more agile strategy toward workplace design, culture and operating models will be required to succeed. To understand why, consider the business realities and opportunities behind a more agile approach.

    Related: Remote Work Is Here to Stay. It’s Time to Update the Way You Lead.

    Why an agile strategy will win

    Gallup published a study of more than 8,000 remote-capable workers to learn what they prefer, what they see as the future and what they plan to do if their company changes directions.

    Fifty-six percent said their job can be done entirely remotely today, and only 20% said they believe fully on-site will remain a valid strategy, down from 60% in 2019. Only 6% said they want to work entirely on-site. That means 94% of employees surveyed want a more flexible strategy. With more than 70 million workers in the U.S. estimated to be in remote-capable roles, that’s a significant number looking for a more flexible strategy.

    After two years of the “great work experiment,” in which vast portions of the workforce were forced to work from home, we have a lot of information and data. Here’s what we’ve learned:

    • Workers are more productive at home: a Stanford University study found that working from home full-time was equivalent to adding a full day of productivity per week.
    • Workers are more likely to stay at their employer: the same study indicated turnover decreased by 50% as employees felt more loyal and refreshed because they could be more comfortable at home and spend more time with friends and family.
    • It limits wage inflation: a July 2022 study by the National Bureau of Economic Research showed those organizations that expanded work-from-home and remote work opportunities moderated wage inflation by 1% of wages over 12 months on average. The annual Survey of Business Uncertainty found that 55.4% of companies have been able to “restrain wage growth” by employing a flexible work strategy.
    • It allows companies to tap into a more global, more diverse workplace: remote teams give employers access to worldwide talent and potentially be “open” to the public around the clock ― the “follow the sun” model, in which work continues in various regions night and day. Groups that have traditionally “fallen” out of the workforce, like women who have kids, can work from home part-time or full-time more easily.
    • Employers save money on rent and other facilities costs. A study by Global Workplace Analytics estimates facilities savings could equal $10,000 per year per employee.

    So what does an agile work strategy mean and look like?

    An agile workplace strategy means an organization is not wedded to traditional 20th-century operating models or organizational structures and is willing and able to adapt flexibly to meet the needs and preferences of its talent. The new models include:

    • Fully Distributed Organizations: rather than trying to employ all technology workers in traditional markets (Silicon Valley, Seattle, Los Angeles, etc.), companies will establish hubs all over the world. Top talent can be obtained and retained in lower-cost markets like Eastern Europe, India or Southeast Asia, or even small non-traditional cities in the U.S. like Boise, Idaho.
    • Full Remote Organizations: these organizations have removed the requirement to be in an office entirely for nearly every role and now employ a global “work where you are” strategy. Companies like GitLab, with 1,500 employees in more than 65 countries, have gone even further — they have no company-owned offices at all. Dropbox is “virtual first” now and retains 16 studios worldwide, but employees aren’t required to come in or be near a location.

    How do you make this work strategy work? Four quick tips:

    • Change your organization’s operating model and structure to allow this environment. For example, Google provides “distributed work playbooks” for leaders, managers, employees and buddies (to help new hires) to help drive how to make the environment work for everyone.
    • Set clear expectations: practical goal setting, feedback processes, and regular and effective check-ins and 1:1s between managers and employees to ensure things don’t fall through the cracks with a remote, global or hybrid workplace.
    • Gather the right tools: effective project management software like Asana, shared document approaches like Google Docs/Sheets/Slides, shared drives like One Drive, and effective real-time collaboration tools like Slack and Zoom for working seamlessly in a (usually) single-sign-on environment.
    • Make it an organizational imperative to forge connections, bonds and friendships at work: in an Agile work environment, people will need to find ways to connect as informal in-person mechanisms will be more limited.

    Related: 4 Things for Employers to Consider About the Future of Work

    Conclusion

    How to deploy an agile work strategy is complex, nuanced and challenging, but it will be required to win in the future. The organizations that begin the journey now will be more ready to survive the challenges ahead and capitalize on the opportunities the future will provide.

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    Jesse Meschuk

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  • Why You Have to Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is With DEI

    Why You Have to Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is With DEI

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    As the old adage goes, “what gets measured gets done.” Historically, the challenge with diversity, equity and inclusion work (DEI) is that it’s perceived as a “nice-to-have” versus a “must-have” with few concrete goals to measure progress. In fact, McKinsey research found that organizations often overburden those marginalized groups to lead the DEI work without additional compensation.

    That trend is changing with more companies tying compensation to DEI work. According to the Society for Human Resource Management, between September 2017-18, 51 companies in the S&P 500 included a diversity metric in their compensation program. Between February 2020-21, that number had nearly doubled to 99 companies.

    By rewarding DEI work, these organizations are seeing results. When people know that it’s tied to their compensation and performance goals, people see it as a part of their job rather than a hobby outside of work hours. With goals, employees are more likely to prioritize the time spent on education and activities to drive awareness and systemic change.

    Related: 5 Reasons Leaders Fail to Transform DEI Rhetoric into Action

    Why set DEI goals

    Goals are essential for human motivation. The Psychological Bulletin found that 90% of the studies showed that more challenging goals lead to higher performance. Research has shown that people are two to three times more likely to stick to their goals if they make a specific plan for when, where and how they will perform the behavior. The human brain is wired for goals.

    Without accountability, goals do not work. It is essential to frame DEI goalsetting as important as any other goal-setting process in business, but there might be initial pushback, as there often is with organizational change. Watch out for these opportunities to advocate for DEI goal setting:

    • DEI is not a zero-sum game. By focusing on diversity goals, we grow opportunities for innovation and decision-making in business results.
    • The majority group is a part of the solution, not the problem. Decision makers must prioritize DEI for their decisions to support diversity.
    • DEI is not political. These are human issues that impact people in the workplace.

    The initial pushback can create drama. The more the leadership team emphasizes the importance of diversity and inclusion and how it ties to the organization’s overall strategy, the more people buy in. People often need a starting point for goal setting.

    Related: 4 Trackable Metrics to Move the Needle on Diversity and Inclusion Goals

    How to set DEI goals

    You might be thinking that this sounds hard. Decades of workplace inequity will not be solved overnight. Yet with specific goals, people understand expectations and modify their behaviors to be more inclusive. Setting goals requires specificity, numeric measurement, aspiration, relevance and a deadline.

    • Specific: It should be easy to know when the goal has been completed.
    • Measurable: There is a number or percentage tied to the goal.
    • Aspirational: By definition, goals are not being met today it should be challenging based on the present state.
    • Relevant: The individual can influence the outcome of the goal.
    • Time-bound: Without a deadline, things don’t get done.

    By making DEI goals SMART, employees understand expectations and are held accountable. Without goals or with vague goals, employees are left to wonder why it is important or how to show progress. DEI goal setting often comes with pushback (as with any change).

    Here are some starter goals to consider:

    • Number of hours on diversity education and training
    • Participation in Employee Resource Group (ERG) activities
    • Activities to support removing bias from recruiting, hiring, promotion, pay and performance decisions
    • Inclusive behavior 360 data from team members
    • Leadership roles in DEI and ERG teams
    • Participation in community events for DEI
    • Teaching time with others about DEI
    • Recognition from others of allyship

    Related: Want Your Employees To Stay? Be Accountable To Your DEI Goals

    As with any goal, thinking about how it fits into what people are already doing makes it easier to accomplish. James Clear, author of Atomic Habits summarizes it best: “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”

    Bottom line — weave DEI into daily tasks and embed it into how people live already personally and professionally. Break the daunting goal into baby steps with incremental activities throughout the year to support it.

    Here are some themes to keep in mind to get your organization ready for DEI goals:

    • It’s a journey, not a destination: Set reasonable targets and goals to close gaps in talent, pay and education.
    • Make it a part of the performance: Establish KPIs for employees to work on DEI, otherwise, it is simply a “nice-to-have” vs. a “must-have.”
    • Engage senior leadership in a consistent, intentional set of actions over the year: This should be a part of every employee meeting and key activity.
    • Measure progress: Look beyond representation numbers and dig in holistically about attitudes/perceptions.
    • Take education to the next level: Go beyond awareness to tangible activities employees can take action on like addressing bias in systems and accountability.

    DEI goals should be a part of a bigger DEI picture. Providing tools and systems to help people hold themselves accountable is pivotal. By focusing on DEI goals, organizations increase their chances of long-term success with DEI — and by investing and prioritizing it now, they will remain relevant for future customers and employees.

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    Julie Kratz

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  • 3 Rules for Wearing a Halloween Costume to Work

    3 Rules for Wearing a Halloween Costume to Work

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    With Halloween just around the corner, many organizations will be hosting office gatherings, costume contests and opportunities to bring your children in for trick or treating. This might be the first time your company is celebrating the holiday in person since the onset of the pandemic, and you might feel pressure to get creative with your costume. But remember: Some costumes unfortunately might be seen by your coworkers as insensitive or offensive, or even racist, misogynistic or highly inappropriate.

    Related: Your Halloween Candy Will Be Smaller This Year (And Not Just Because of Inflation)

    Here are three things to keep in mind to ensure everyone can feel included and enjoy Halloween:

    Don’t glorify those who have caused harm

    Halloween costumes are not an opportunity to glorify those who have caused others harm. The popular Netflix series Dahmer-Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story centers around the serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. He targeted and killed mostly Black, Asian Latino men. The series sparked renewed interest in Dahmer, manifesting in the sale of Dahmer Halloween costumes. Some online retailers, including eBay, have now shut down the sale of these costumes.

    Even if they are currently trending on Twitter or are infamous figures, dressing up as any of these individuals can be incredibly hurtful to colleagues: Osama bin Laden, Vladimir Putin, Adolf Hitler, Jeffrey Epstein or others who inflicted pain. Finally, do not use inspiration from mass shootings, Covid-19, natural disasters or movements like #MeToo to come up with “creative” or “funny” costumes. This again has the potential to cause hurt and harm to your colleagues.

    Related: A Milwaukee Bar Once Frequented By Jeffrey Dahmer Slams ‘Senseless’ New Patrons Looking for ‘Dahmer Drinks’

    Don’t embrace cultural appropriation

    Halloween costumes are also not an opportunity to appropriate someone else’s culture. Dressing up as a member of a culture that isn’t your own in a costume that’s “funny” or an exaggeration is offensive and hurtful. This can include dressing up as a geisha or Native American or in an Arab sheik costume, a grass skirt with a coconut top or a poncho with a sombrero. Don’t appropriate particular symbols or pieces of clothing that hold significant meaning for those from historically marginalized groups. It’s not a costume for them; it’s part of their community, culture and everyday way of life.

    Finally, blackface is highly inappropriate, hurtful and racist. Blackface is a racist practice dating back to minstrel shows in the 1820s. White performers would pretend to be Black, darkening their skin, pretending to have oversized lips, and wearing wigs and exaggerated costumes. They would ridicule and mock Black people, often depicting them as being ignorant or lazy. Once you understand this history, you now know it’s never appropriate to wear blackface for a Halloween costume.

    Related: ‘Best October Decor in Town’: Yard of ‘Scary Things’ for Halloween Goes Viral

    Do discuss intent versus impact

    If someone does show up to work with an inappropriate Halloween costume, don’t wait for human resources to intervene. Be the person who intervenes on behalf of your team. Pull the person aside and talk to them about intent versus impact. Here’s an example of what you could say:

    “I wanted to share that some of our colleagues are hurt by what you are wearing. I am sure this wasn’t your intent, and I wanted to share why this costume is so upsetting for them.”

    Or, you can say:

    “I am sure when you chose this costume you intended to be creative. Unfortunately for some of our colleagues, this costume isn’t funny. It’s very painful for them, and here’s why.”

    Encourage your colleague to apologize to those they harmed. Ask your colleague to share what they learned and why they now understand the costume was harmful. An apology is a key to helping rebuild trust among colleagues.

    Remember that Halloween can be another wonderful opportunity to bond with colleagues. And when in doubt about your costume selection, don’t be afraid to ask someone else’s opinion. To be on the safe side, stick to dressing up as a piece of fruit, or as a Halloween classic like a pumpkin or a witch. More important than the costume is the opportunity to connect and make sure everyone feels included and able to fully enjoy the festivities.

    Related: Locals Say Living in Salem During Halloween Has Become a “Nightmare”

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    Mita Mallick

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  • Emmett Till images have multigenerational impact on artists

    Emmett Till images have multigenerational impact on artists

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    Devin Allen admits that he occasionally behaved like a knucklehead, growing up in Baltimore. But he was not so irreverent as a tenth grader that he could see an image of Emmett Till’s open casket and not find it arresting.

    The story of the 14-year-old Black boy who was lynched in Mississippi became widely known because his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, asked a press photographer to document Emmett’s funeral. The horrifying 1955 photographs depicted tangible evidence of how violent racial hatred was plaguing the U.S., catalyzing the civil rights movement.

    “Back then, I was like, ‘Wow, that happened so long ago. It would never happen now,’” Allen said, recalling the first time a high school history teacher showed him the images.

    Yet, roughly 10 years later, Allen himself would capture searing images of protests and civil unrest in Baltimore after the 2015 death of Freddie Gray, a Black man who died in police custody. Allen’s reverberant black-and-white image depicting a protester running from a line of charging police officers made the cover of Time magazine that year and is in the Smithsonian collection.

    Allen’s photographs highlighting the effects of police brutality on Baltimore’s Black community are part of the new “Impact of Images” campaign, inspired by the power of photographs like the ones of Emmett printed nearly 70 years ago in Jet magazine. The exhibit, curated by Lead With Love, is in collaboration with the studio and production company behind the biopic “Till,” which goes into wide release Friday.

    The collection includes the celebrated work of Black photographers and photojournalists from the civil rights and post-civil rights era, such as Gordon Parks, Kwame Brathwaite and Ernest Withers, alongside work from photographers of the Black Lives Matter generation. It will open to the public Saturday at Atlanta’s ZuCot Gallery, a Black-owned gallery.

    “When I became a photographer, I started understanding,” Allen said. “I’m nothing but a conduit, doing something that has been passed down from generation to generation. We are truthful revealers. We are storytellers. We are light bringers.”

    Another featured photographer, Noémie Tshinanga, took up photography as a young teenager. Much of her professional work is about showing Black people when they are not in pain, grief or anguish.

    “It doesn’t matter who you are, whether you’re a notable figure or someone walking down the street like, your existence is enough,” the Brooklyn-based photographer said. “That is the importance of showing that flip side of just us being.”

    The collection includes Tshinanga’s regal portrait of the late, pioneering Black actress Cicely Tyson. There’s also a photograph of a Black man on a beach, eyes shut and head tilted as though he is taking in a healing breath of sea breeze.

    Tshinanga first saw the image of Emmett’s open casket as a teenager. Like Allen, she didn’t fully grasp its continued relevance until one of her generation’s versions was splashed across social media in 2014.

    “I remember Mike Brown’s photo and just like everyone trying to figure out what was happening and just kind of processing that,” she said, referring to an image of the lifeless body of Michael Brown, left for hours in the middle of the street after the Black 18-year-old was fatally shot by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri.

    “And so once that image was ingrained in my head, it made me understand Emmett Till’s image,” she said.

    In the late summer of 1955, Till-Mobley put her son on a train from Chicago to visit family in her native Mississippi. She warned Emmett he was bound for a place where his safety depended on his ability to mute his outgoing, uncompromising nature around white people.

    In the overnight hours of Aug. 28, Emmett was taken from his uncle’s home at gunpoint by two vengeful white men. Emmett’s alleged crime? Flirting with the wife of one of his killers.

    Three days later, a fisherman on the Tallahatchie River discovered the teenager’s bloated corpse. An eye was detached, an ear was missing and his head was shot and bashed in.

    “They would not be able to visualize what had happened, unless they were allowed to see the result of what had happened. They had to see what I had seen,” Till-Mobley said in a 2003 memoir. “The whole nation had to bear witness.”

    Till-Mobley handpicked Jet photographer David Jackson, a Black man who had spent much of his career documenting the horrors of Jim Crow segregation in the South, to take the controversial images of her son’s body at a funeral home in Chicago.

    The vast majority of U.S. news outlets worried that they would drive away readers and advertisers if they printed graphic images of the teenager’s body — but not publishers in the Black press. John H. Johnson, the late founder of Jet and Ebony, dared to show what happened to Emmett.

    “(Johnson) said, ‘If his mother asked me to do it, I was gonna do it no matter what,’” said Margena Christian, a senior lecturer at the University of Illinois at Chicago and former editor and writer at Jet and Ebony. She worked for a decade with Johnson, who would occasionally recount the thought process behind Jet’s coverage.

    Jet discontinued its print edition in 2014, but president Daylon Goff said the now-digital brand continues to promote its legacy as the outlet that fearlessly told Emmett’s story.

    The images of the teenager’s open casket are a turning point in the plot of “Till,” the first-ever feature-length retelling of the atrocity and Till-Mobley’s pursuit of justice. In her research for the film, director Chinonye Chukwu learned that Till-Mobley was “very intentional” in how she shared the story of her son’s murder with the world.

    “It was no accident that she chose a Black photographer for the photo,” Chukwu told The Associated Press. “She knew what she was doing and she knew the importance of us telling our own story.”

    Reggie Cunningham, another featured “Impact of Images” photographer, began taking photos during the Ferguson uprising over Brown’s death. While many photos showed pain and confrontations between residents and police, his images included depictions of joy and a sense of community in the predominantly Black suburb of St. Louis.

    Years later, after his wife and another prominent voice from the Ferguson protests, Brittany Packnett-Cunningham, gave birth prematurely to their son, he documented their bond. Those black-and-white photos are part of the image collection.

    “It was about how much she loves him and the joy that she brings him in her motherhood,” Cunningham said. “That is the story that I really wanted to tell.”

    These are the images he wants his son accustomed to seeing as he grows up, Cunningham said: “In my work, I seek to tell these stories and spread awareness of the full expanse of Blackness, in an effort to create an affinity for our experience.”

    Brothers and ZuCot Gallery managing partners Onaje and Omari Henderson said people coming to see the exhibit won’t feel like they are “going into a repast after a funeral.” Instead, they said, visitors will see a showcase of resiliency.

    The collection — which can be viewed every Saturday and by appointment on weekdays until Nov. 13 — also includes personal photos from the Till family, stills from the movie, and images from Ebony and Jet.

    In addition to the exhibit in Atlanta, a mural bearing the likenesses of Emmett and Mamie Till-Mobley is up at The Beehive, a Black-owned space in South Los Angeles. New Orleans-based artist Brandan “BMike” Odums, whose artwork was recently featured on the cover of actor Will Smith’s autobiography, dedicated the mural alongside artist Whitney Alix last weekend.

    Before completing the mural, Odums told the AP Till-Mobley’s courage in telling her son’s story through arresting photographs anchors him in his mission as an artist.

    “That’s what the power of our images, the power of our voice does,” he said. “It ripples into spaces and rooms where people might not be ready to have the conversation. But the ripples go far and wide.”

    ———

    Aaron Morrison is a New York City-based member of the AP’s Race and Ethnicity team. Follow him on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/aaronlmorrison.

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  • How Leaders Can Support Neurodiverse Talent in The Workplace

    How Leaders Can Support Neurodiverse Talent in The Workplace

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    When we think of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), we often think of race, gender, sexual orientation and physical disability. But what about mental and cognitive diversity? These days, more and more people are coming out as neurodiverse. An estimated 15-20% of people worldwide are neurodivergent and that could include folks in your workplace.

    While neurodiversity qualifies as part of the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA), what a neurodivergent person may need in order to feel welcomed, safe and productive at work may differ from what’s available. What can we do as entrepreneurs and business owners to support neurodiverse folks in the workplace and include them in our DEI plans? As a diversity and inclusion practitioner for more than 20 years, I’ll share the answers to these questions — and more — in this article.

    What is neurodiversity?

    According to the Cleveland Clinic, “the term ‘neurodivergent’ describes people whose brain differences affect how their brain works. That means they have different strengths and challenges from people whose brains don’t have those differences. The possible differences include medical disorders, learning disabilities and other conditions.”

    In a nutshell, neurodiversity is a different functioning of the brain that can affect someone’s social skills, ability to focus and a host of other issues. Folks who are neurodivergent may also have:

    We’ve all worked with folks with ADHD, autism and other conditions for a while now, but we may not have known how to create environments that allowed them to produce their best work or showcase their best selves. That’s where including them in our DEI plans can be useful. But first, we should talk about how neurodiversity can show up in the workplace and ways we can create a more inclusive environment for neurodiverse individuals.

    Related: 5 Steps to Building a Supportive and Inclusive Workplace for Neurodiverse Employees

    How neurodiversity shows up in the workplace

    One reason neurodiversity may be overlooked in DEI is that people don’t know what it actually looks like in real life. If we can’t identify neurodiversity in the office, how can we expect to adapt our policies, practices and culture?

    Here are three scenarios describing how neurodiversity may look in the workplace.

    • Employee #1 may be mildly autistic but doesn’t show typical symptoms at work. But at home, they may be antisocial which may impact their work relationships.
    • Employee #2 may be neurodivergent and struggle with job interviews. However, once on the job, their skillset shines and they perform outstanding work.
    • Employee #3 may struggle with focusing in noisy environments, but having quiet rooms to work in can support them in producing their best work.

    Each employee in these scenarios adapted differently to their environment and found their own way to thrive in the workplace. However, neurodivergent folks shouldn’t have to do all of the work to adapt. Here are a few ways your organization can take the weight off of their shoulders and help them thrive in the workplace.

    4 ways to support neurodivergent individuals at work

    Keep in mind that each individual is different, as illustrated in the examples above. There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to supporting employees, whether they’re neurodivergent or not. However, there are a few ways you can keep a listening ear open and become more attentive to the needs of neurodivergent workers.

    1. Find a manager or employee to be their success partner and ally

    If there’s a manager or someone who works side-by-side with a neurodivergent individual, make it a point to train that person on how to practice active listening and compassionate communication. I usually suggest hosting team talks for situations where listening and receiving feedback are helpful in solving inclusivity issues. However, for individuals, it can feel isolating and “outing” to have group conversations about inclusion and be the “only one” with a particular identity at the table.

    For individuals, it’s better to have one-on-one conversations with someone they trust who can offer a listening ear. A manager is an ideal candidate to be a successful partner or ally because managers are charged with listening to their employees’ needs and have the simultaneous authority to access leadership and request inclusive policy and practice changes. This is an example of when compassionate listening meets action.

    Related: Here’s How to Have the Most Powerful DEI Conversations

    2. Design different physical spaces that accommodate various employee preferences

    One way your business can be mindful of neurodiversity is to create dynamic spaces in the office that meet various work needs. Workspaces can be quite important to neurodivergent individuals. Some may prefer to be alone in a closed-door office while others may prefer a certain style of furniture, wall colors or a pleasant aroma.

    Creating physical workspaces that meet the needs of group meetings, individual working and pleasant places to rest can stimulate and calm certain individuals in the workplace. The best part is, that having different spaces will help not only neurodivergent individuals but neurotypical employees, too. Building dynamic spaces can help all employees find their best working environment and feel comfortable completing their tasks.

    The goal is to create spaces that support, not inhibit, workers with different working styles to do their best work. Creating dynamic physical spaces can be an investment in your employees’ wellbeing as well as their inclusion and comfort.

    3. Avoid labeling neurodivergent people as “different” or othering them

    One mistake we make as employees and business owners is wanting to categorize individuals and put them into boxes. I shared earlier that neurodiversity can sometimes overlap with ADHD, autism and Tourette’s syndrome. While that’s true, it’s important not to “out” or label neurodivergent people as different or as having “different needs.”

    As leaders, we have to walk a fine line between supplying workers with what they need to do their jobs while making sure they don’t feel exposed or embarrassed by making personal requests for their work and wellbeing.

    Be sure to train managers and fellow employees who work with neurodivergent people on how to be sensitive to their needs and embrace their requests without othering them. As mentioned earlier, while one change to the physical or cultural environment may benefit a particular neurodivergent person, it may also be appreciated by other employees.

    Related: How to Talk About Disability Diversity in the Workplace

    4. Encourage other employees to value the different working styles of others

    The challenges organizations face when adapting to neurodiversity in the workplace may actually begin with fellow employees. Not everyone may be as intentional as leadership when creating an inclusive workplace. Some employees may not understand why a certain individual chooses to be alone in their office while company functions are occurring or why an individual is so sensitive to the noise of the coffee maker in the background.

    Instead of leadership overlooking employees judging or looking down upon individuals who are neurodivergent, host a training or workshop that can help them spot the behaviors of neurodivergent individuals and find ways to be compassionate and respectful in those scenarios.

    A warm, inclusive and compassionate work culture can make or break a neurodivergent individual’s ability to work and thrive. Sometimes having allies and success partners amongst fellow employees can be an invaluable support system to a neurodivergent person — even when leadership hasn’t quite caught on yet.

    Final thoughts

    As you think through your DEI plans and strategies, you may be thinking of how your organization can support racial, ethnic, gender and sexual orientation minorities. However, don’t forget about those with mental and cognitive disabilities that may not be as apparent. These individuals are in need of the same respect and inclusion.

    Create an environment where employees and team members with physical and mental disabilities can feel supported. This can include physical spaces that smell, feel or sound a certain way. Or it can be training managers and employees on what allyship looks like for neurodivergent individuals. No matter how you do it, keep folks with mental disabilities in your DEI plans this year and beyond.

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    Nika White

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  • How to Honor Indigenous Peoples’ Day at Work

    How to Honor Indigenous Peoples’ Day at Work

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    As we approach Indigenous Peoples’ Day on Monday, October 10, it’s an opportune time for leaders to reflect on how to champion inclusion and support Indigenous colleagues. There has been increasing pressure on companies to drive change with their diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in recent years. But oftentimes Indigenous peoples are left out of this conversation. Although other historically marginalized groups have made progress in our workplaces, Indigenous peoples are still underrepresented.

    According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Indigenous peoples make up 2% of the U.S. population. And yet according to a recent Great Place to Work Survey, Indigenous peoples make up only 0.45% of the employees at the U.S. organizations surveyed. Our workplaces have much more work to do to ensure Indigenous peoples are included, feel seen, valued and feel that they belong.

    As leaders, here are five ways to work to honor Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

    1. Educate yourself

    Growing up, I celebrated Columbus Day to commemorate the day Christopher Columbus landed in the Americas. As a child, I even learned the rhyme, “In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue,” leaving Spain with his three ships, the Niña, the Pinta and the Santa María. We celebrated him as a heroic explorer who discovered America.

    Over the decades, this holiday has come under much scrutiny for celebrating a man who led violence against and oppression of another group of individuals: Indigenous people. In many cities and states, Columbus Day has been replaced by Indigenous Peoples’ Day. President Joe Biden last year recognized it as a day to honor “our diverse history and the Indigenous peoples who contribute to shaping this nation.” It’s an important day to honor the past and the present of Indigenous peoples throughout the U.S. while recognizing the impact of colonialism.

    2. Understand what the term Indigenous peoples means

    Let’s start by understanding what the term Indigenous peoples means. According to the World Bank, “Indigenous peoples are distinct social and cultural groups that share collective ancestral ties to the lands and natural resources where they live, occupy or from which they have been displaced.” Understanding and then using accurate terms can help avoid stereotyping Indigenous peoples.

    In the United States, American Indian, Native American or Native are acceptable and often used interchangeably, as noted by the National Museum of the American Indian. The museum further clarifies that the term Native is often used “to describe Indigenous peoples from the United States (Native Americans, Native Hawaiians, Alaska Natives), but it can also serve as a specific descriptor (e.g. Native people, Native lands, Native traditions).” Never make assumptions, and always ask colleagues how they identify and what terms they prefer to use.

    3. Avoid language that perpetuates stereotypes

    Native American culture is often misunderstood and appropriated. Many of us unknowingly use hurtful terms that perpetuate stereotypes in our everyday language. When we say things like “low man on the totem pole,” “Indian Princess” or “sitting Indian-style,” it continues to propagate the myth that Indigenous peoples are a monolithic culture. Indian-giver is another offensive term I have heard used often, along with having a pow-wow instead of a meeting, and using the term “spirit animal” when wanting to say you feel connected to someone.

    So start by researching to understand the origin of these and other words that continue to stereotype Indigenous peoples. Although it might not be your intent, using these terms can cause hurt and anger. Do the work to understand why this language is hurtful, and do not use terms you are unsure about.

    Related: Health-Food Business Taps Into its Native American Roots

    4. Understand the gender wage gap and how it impacts Indigenous women

    Much has been reported on the gender pay gap. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, women earn 82 cents for every dollar men earn. Unfortunately, this aggregated statistic masks the significant impact the gender pay gap has on women of color. It has a particularly devastating impact on Indigenous women.

    In the U.S., Native American women are paid $0.60 for every dollar white men earn. During the Covid-19 pandemic, three out of 10 Native American women were working on the frontlines as essential workers, helping our nation through this crisis. And yet the wide pay gap can cost a Native American woman up to $1 million over the course of a 40-year career. As leaders, it’s our job to make sure all of our employees are paid fairly and equitably, including Native American women working for or with us.

    5. Ask your Indigenous employees how you can support them

    As leaders, we often live in problem-solving mode. We have been trained to try and solve any and every problem we see arise. Instead, let’s stop and listen to understand what the needs of our Indigenous employees are before we come up with solutions without their input. How do they feel about working here? What can you and your organization be doing to better support them? How can you help invest and advance in their career?

    “Unless you are a member of the marginalized group, it’s almost impossible to know what it’s like to be in their world. Resist the temptation to fix things, and instead listen to their stories,” explains Tony Bond of Great Place to Work.

    Remember that Indigenous Peoples’ Day is not just a one-time, check the box exercise to simply post on social media to acknowledge the day. This day is an important reminder about the work we must continue to do to be more inclusive leaders. We must continue to educate ourselves as allies and continue to show support to Indigenous colleagues in our workplaces.

    Related: Celebrate Native American Heritage Month by Meeting These 7 Fantastic Female Business Leaders

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    Mita Mallick

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