Here Are 5 Ways Anti-Racism Protests Will Change Your Business

This is a true turning point for racial equity in business. Big corporations, who were once untouchable, are now facing scrutiny due to their track record of failing to support black workers. Both consumers and employees are fighting back by using their voices and social media platforms to bring awareness to companies who perpetuate racist cultures. Consumers are boycotting companies who have remained neutral during the protests while employees are exposing their employers for their discriminatory practices.

As protests grow louder, people are putting pressure on companies and calling them out for their role in keeping racism alive in the workplace. Empty corporate promises are no longer enough. People are demanding meaningful action and want to know what they’re doing to create an anti-racist workplace. Aisha Adams, educator and diversity and inclusion expert, said “with 33 million Americans out of work, the death of Breonna Taylor by police and the last straw of George Floyd’s murder, Black Lives Matter is no longer a hot topic, but a movement that has new momentum with a growing base of supporters.”

Here are five ways anti-racism protests are changing the way businesses operate.

Stronger Anti-Racist Workplace Policies

Companies will need to revisit and establish stronger anti-racist policies that cover how and who they hire, promote and develop as well as their disciplinary measures. Diversity and inclusion efforts will become a priority with employers becoming more sensitive to discrimination and racism.

Team Blind conducted a survey at some of the top workplaces such as Amazon, Uber, Google and Facebook that revealed

• only 34% of workers strongly agree with their company’s stance and actions regarding George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement
• only 18% of Black or African American respondents are represented in upper management and the C-suite of their organization
• only 18% of Hispanic or Latino respondents are represented in upper management and the C-suite of their organization
• Only 4% of Black or African American professionals strongly agree/agree with their company’s stance/actions regarding George Floyd and the BlackLivesMatter movement

To back up their Black Lives Matter statement, companies will need to make internal changes such as zero tolerance racism policies that they fully stand behind. Furthermore, companies will need to revisit current partnerships and sever ties with those who don’t support an anti-racist workplace.

Diversity Efforts Become A Top Priority 

According to Catalyst, only 19.5% of board seats in Fortune 100 companies were held by minorities. What’s more disappointing is there are only four black CEOs that run the largest Fortune 500 companies in the United States, none of which are women. A recent HR Executive article shared, companies with a diverse leadership team

• are 33% more profitable
• 70% more likely to capture new markets
• more innovative and generate 19% more revenue than companies who lack leadership diversity

Companies who lack diversity will be forced to invest in training, consultants or the necessary measures to create a more equitable and diversified workplace. Ultimately, this starts at the top. Kimberly Porter, CEO of Microcredit Summit, said “ensuring you have a diverse leadership team has to begin with an understanding of the importance of diversity and making sure your company is promoting equality across every level.”

Racial Discrimination Will Be Taken More Seriously

Unfortunately, it took the death of George Floyd to ignite a worldwide movement that brought awareness to the racial discrimination that exists today. Companies are being put under the microscope due to allowing racism to occur and not giving black workers the same opportunities as non-blacks.

While some companies, such as the NFL, are apologizing, Adams said “apologies won’t create social change nor does it change a company’s culture.” Companies need to take action by changing their policies, practices and showing a real effort for change.

Leadership will need to be more mindful in creating a safe space that empowers employees to speak up if there is racial discrimination occurring within the company. Jessica Lambrecht, founder of The Rise Journey, said “this is a time for leaders to listen to the individuals and managers raising concerns. This can take the form of organizing a task force or resource group empowered to examine concerns, collaborate and create solutions, and most importantly implement changes.”

Commitment To Undoing Unconscious Bias

Creating an inclusive workplace means identifying where unconscious bias exists. While not everyone intends to discriminate, many do unintentionally. A common example of unconscious bias is when hiring managers prefer candidates most similar to them or one’s they’d see themselves hanging out with outside of work.

Undoing unconscious bias requires training, self-awareness and learning where it exists. Allan Borch, founder of Dotcom Dollar, explained how unconscious bias is present in different scenarios within the workplace. He said “when a female opinion is not taken seriously in a meeting made up mostly of men. When a deserving employee doesn’t get that promotion because his manager thinks his name is funny. Or when a team leader who slacks off gets all the perks because he “knows how to impress” and went to the same university as the operations manager.” For this reason, leadership will need to take a good hard look at their current leadership positions and honestly assess whether they’re truly merit-based.

More Transparency To Consumers And The Community

Businesses will be held more accountable for their actions, stances and practices. Additionally, employers will be expected to prove everyone is getting paid fairly and there are no wage gaps based on gender or race. Angel Mills, M.S.E.d, founder of Angel Mills Brand Strategy, shared, “larger corporations will be held accountable in having to release reports annually detailing the racial and gender information about their employees at every level of the company.”

Lambrecht shared “Organizations are realizing that in today’s modern online life, superficial statements accompanied by conflicting actions and policies are more likely to be exposed, leading to a discrediting (or worse) of the leader and/or the organization.”

Companies will be forced to revisit their current practices that perpetuate inequality and make changes that create an equitable workplace. Employees and consumers, now more than ever, are committed to investing in and working with companies who are committed to social issues. Therefore, they’re choosing companies who are transparent about their internal happenings such as the data surrounding how diverse their workplace is. While COVID shifted the market back into the employers favor, the consumers and the community still hold the power for which they choose to invest in and work.