Discussions/Homework Week of 7/26

Response #1

My research on how to make workplaces more equitable and inclusive of Black workers led me to an enlightening report, Being Black in Corporate America, An Intersectional Exploration from non-profit think tank Coqual (formerly CTI). Researchers Pooja Jain-Link, et. al, take us on a tour of the “Black experience” at work. They explore statistics on Black representation in Corporate America. The dismally low percentages (8% overall and .08% for Fortune 500 CEOs) do not correlate with college graduation rates of Black Americans, which leads to the false perception that there are a short supply of qualified Black people available to fill corporate positions. We are shown how the few Black professionals that have been hired, perceive their lack of prospects for advancement into upper management, despite being more than qualified and even more ambitious. The report also notes Black folks’ perceptions on having little access to senior leaders. The data backs up their suspicions. 65% of Black professionals report being very ambitious vs 53% of white professionals. The researchers also provide us with an examination of Black workers’ experiences compared to other underrepresented groups. Consequently, the report uncovers the higher rates in which Black people encounter microaggressions and racial prejudice compared to others (4 times as likely), as well as lower rates of allyship, particularly from white women. The data that was reported suggests that to counter this, many Black employees (particularly men) leave within two years or start their own businesses.

This report is an important addition to my conversation on Black equity and inclusion because it establishes a baseline for issues Black workers feel need to be addressed in Corporate America. It helps quantify, and in some cases legitimize through data, what many Black employees knew anecdotally was happening at their own workplace but were never sure to what extent it was happening to their cohorts in other locations. One of the most valuable aspects of this report is its analysis of what makes Black employees want to stay at a company along with meaningful solutions for transforming workplaces into inclusive and equitable spaces.

Response #3

Although it is true that open office plans disproportionately impact women, as stated in Katharine Schwab’s Fast Company article, Readers respond: Open offices are terrible for women, I would argue that Black employees are equally affected. I currently work in one of those fishbowl set-ups and I hate it. Our department used to be in another building where I had my own office. People frequently commented (sometimes snidely) about how nice it must be for me to have my own space. I came and went at my leisure with no commentary from my boss. I often went to long lunches with vendors who were trying to schmooze me for business. This practice was sanctioned by my company. Other times I traveled off-site to oversee a project. It was understood that I would not always be at my desk. Then my company decided to save money and merged our department into the main building. Our new space is a gigantic room where another person is literally seated in front of my desk and facing me. Another two people are to my right. I was one of the lucky ones because due to my seniority I got an aisle seat! Despite that “privilege”, I noticed a change. Every time I left my desk for even a short time, my boss (who has since moved on) wanted to know where I was. Sometimes she’d loudly ask my co-workers if they knew where I’d gone. If she saw me leaving, she wanted to know exactly when I’d be back. When the entire team was scheduled to go to a meeting, she singled me out publicly to inform me that there was a meeting I needed to get to. As a matter of fact, she began requiring me to email her all of my meetings for the day, every day. Conversely, when the young white women on my team went to lunch together (not for business), they would sometimes be gone for two hours, yet my boss never uttered a peep. I asked my colleagues if they had to provide our boss with their daily meeting schedule. They did not. There is only one other Black person in the same room as me. I’ve noticed that people have a habit of loudly saying things like “Where’s David?” “He’s still not back?” Meanwhile, an Asian woman and white men on his team were frequently gone, and nothing was said. When I changed my hairstyle, the whole office would start a discussion about it. When the news of yet another Black person being murdered by police surfaced, we had to sit in an open space and mask our grief for eight hours. There is no private place to go to process such abhorrent events. Even if there was such a place, our whereabouts were monitored. David and I stand out in the room, and when we’re not there, that stands out too. I imagine this could be the same experience for other Black employees.