Can We Please Manage Implicit Biases So That All Coworkers Feel Safe
One morning, I got to work and met one of my colleagues at the entrance to the building, heading out on a field tour. All others had their safety vest on, and he did not. I asked him where is his vest. He said it was in the office. I told him he should get it just to be safe. He could borrow mine. His response was for me to “shut the f uck up!” I replied, “Wow, we are in 2022 in America, and a white guy is telling a black guy to shut the fuck up.” He doubled down that I should know my place. I said, “Goodness, I don’t know my place in the US caste system. How dare I tell him to put on a safety vest like everyone else.”
He then ignored me and started a conversation with someone else. Now, this guy and I banter sometimes. I believe he is aware that I don’t tolerate that behavior. He may have attempted to say his position as if it was a joke, but as my mother used to say, many serious things are said in jest. If I said that to any of my colleagues in any other job, I believe I would be fired on the spot soon after. Reimagining work also includes training in race sensitivity so that more vulnerable groups can feel safe from this kind of abuse.
Flexibility is Key
That same morning, I was inflating my car tires with a portable air pump when my neighbor came by from her walk to marvel at my tiny air pump. The temperature had suddenly fallen, which lowered my tire pressure. She quit a job at an old Georgia company because it refused to stray from its old white patriarchial mode, where she realized that despite many years of service, the managers would never promote her. They also refused to offer flexible work hours and workweek. She now works for a company that allows her to work remotely.
Consequently, she has time for a morning walk for exercise instead of commuting. Highlighting how progressive her company was, she mentioned one of her male colleagues is on paternity leave for six months. Paternity leave is ordinary in Europe but strange to hear in an American company. She wanted to work for a company that matched her values.
Curious, she asked how long it took me to get to work. I told her I spent about 45 minutes to an hour in excessive traffic with frantic drivers and an occasional highway shootout commuting each way per day. One of my staff nearly had an accident the day before while driving to work. Her work could be done remotely. However, due to the work culture in the organization, she comes in so she does not cause problems.
I have had cars hit me from the rear end and drive off and near misses on an overcrowded highway with many people driving desperately unsafely to get to that time-based inflexible job. The opportunity cost of not offering remote work equates to 13–30% less productivity than a typical workforce.
Workers in such studies reported they could better focus on work due to fewer distractions, such as colleagues’ music, breakroom chat, unannounced office/cubicle visits, loud conversations, and even singing in the hallway. I once had a colleague who would have her own evangelical church worship in the office library, complete with prayers and worship in tongues.
In addition to the extra time gained from not commuting, honest workers give more time beyond working hours to complete their tasks. They take less sick leave because they will complete work rather than take a day off if they are only slightly unwell. Besides, it would be lovely to get away from my white-believing colleagues to feel safe.
Company Benefits from Treating People Like People
A management software tracks performance for managers who worry they can’t supervise unless they see their employees in the office. Happier employees, those who can work remotely or have an option, are less likely to leave. The turnover rate decreases when employees are more satisfied. It creates access to a talent pool of a global workforce. Plus, companies save fixed costs of massive real estate rentals, utilities, and furniture for office space and parking.
Many people live alone, and the workplace is a space for them to be with people, including friends. Some people want to return to the office because of poor conditions at home, living in a toxic relationship with the people in their house, not having enough space or privacy to actually work, or just wanting to be in the office where they can be with co-workers and friends.
Others may not want to work from home or the office. They may prefer shared workspaces, a park, or somewhere away from home with new surroundings. Two friends went to Jamaica as digital nomads to work for three months during the pandemic. As I write this, I have another in Atlanta working for three months after working in New York for another three months. Her company is in Savannah, Georgia.
Motivating Employees
New employees want to be treated as people. Gen X’s (those born between 1965 and 1976) value bonuses, stock options, and workplace flexibility. They also want to be recognized for their work informally, quickly, and publicly. A big world contribution viewpoint is vital for their satisfaction. Millennials (born between 1977 and 1994) want stock options and flexible schedules.
They value regular, informal feedback and communicate via company social media and chat. Gen Z (expects a job to provide some social reward, meaningful work, and responsibility that utilizes their skills and challenges them. They also expect regular feedback in person and with an audience.
Meanwhile, we still have many companies led by baby boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964). They prefer monetary rewards, value their retirement pension, and want peers to recognize their successes. They feel valued by job titles, large corner offices, parking spaces with their position on a sign, and company car, and thrive in a patriarchal leadership system.
They take pride in being workaholics, and loyalty to the company is paramount. They prefer face-to-face communication, so they will always call you for a meeting to give a short instruction. They expect to see staff in the office with little acceptance of remote work flexibility. Often, the job gives them self-value. I recall one thumping his chest while he said to subordinate staff, “I am the Manager, so you must listen to me!”
Praxis Labs is an immersive tool to help people learn about equity and inclusion in the workplace.
Training that Matters
Apart from understanding the workforce mix types in your company, there is also the need to be conscious of the patriarchal system. My neighbor was a black woman who left a multinational company. It became clear to her that her work would never be valued in such an old company.
She expressed that her bosses would not promote her nor recognize her output as they would her white male counterparts. So she left. Her bosses need the training to understand their impact on all their staff and, ultimately, on the company. Everyone, top to bottom, needs sensitivity training.
My colleague who requested me to stay in my place also needs training on history and its impact on him and his outlook on life. Such training would have helped him to at least pause and give a professional response. He will unlikely believe he did anything wrong without the training and exposure. Despite this belief, I will try to talk to him about his actions.
I found an exciting company that offers a solution to this type of training called Praxis Labs. Another interesting company in this space is Quake Lab. I will ask our training manager if we could include this as part of mandatory training. I like my colleague who jested that I should shut up. I believe he may be a “good guy.” That’s important to most white people, even when they are abusing someone. I understand the weighted history that makes him think that manner of communication with me is acceptable. I can’t be angry with him, but I do pity him. Like many others, he misses out on relationships with great people because of his implicit bias. Besides, now, I know he is dangerous because of his beliefs.
