Why are employers still prioritizing the white male experience at work?
Employers and society at large have made vocal pronouncements about the importance of diversity and authenticity. Yet underrepresented groups are still struggling to feel heard.
For minorities, adhering to Westernized norms often means changing an essential part of their identities: Their names. A survey by hiring platform Greenhouse found that 20% of job applicants will change their name to avoid being discriminated against based on their race, age or gender. While unintended, employers may still be perpetuating damaging stereotypes that prevent talent from being themselves — which also prevents the entire workplace from progressing.
“A lot of companies went, we welcome you, we’re going to celebrate you and there are not going to be any conflicts,” says Shahrukh Zahir, founder of Right Fit Advisors, a staffing and hiring firm. “But for some people, they have a “why fix it” mentality — if this hasn’t affected us, why should we worry about it? The way for companies to evolve starts with corporate responsibility and getting out of their bubble.”
Read more about this trend and what employers and employees can do to ensure authenticity and diversity in their hiring practices: 20% of applicants will change their names on resumes to avoid discrimination
The consequences of a homogenous workforce can have an impact on the outside world, too. In the tech industry, for example, just 8% of workers and 3% of executives are Black, and that influences the types of technology that becomes available to the general public. Facial recognition tech has struggled to recognize Black faces, while biased AI chatbots have removed “non-white” sounding names or certain area codes when screening applicants. It’s critical to address these discrepancies at the core: By getting more Black talent hired from the start.
“This is a very white, male-dominated industry, and a very cliquish industry,” says David Lee, a tech expert who has been working in the cybersecurity field for over a decade. “Bringing different voices and perspectives into the room means that more ideas are presented about how to solve a problem. The key here is intent — companies should want to create a more diverse workforce.”
Read for more solutions to closing the Black talent gap in tech: The tech industry is still failing Black workers. Here’s why
At the end of the day, employees just want to feel seen and appreciated. It may sound easy, yet essential workers are still feeling undervalued at work, and are ready to walk, despite their contributions during the pandemic and beyond. Today, 50% feel their organization treats them as expendable and 40% feel they are viewed as inferior by their in-office colleagues, according to a report by O.C. Tanner.
“If there’s a silver lining from the pandemic, it’s that celebrating and recognizing these workers’ efforts can make a huge difference,” says Gary Beckstrand, VP at O.C. Tanner. “But unfortunately, we were quick to go back to the way things were.”
Read more about the disconnect essential employers are feeling four years since the start of COVID: Essential workers still feel undervalued. Why hasn’t more changed?
Sometimes underrepresented groups are able to advance to the top — it just takes a lot of grit and persistence, says Pat Wadors, chief people officer at UKG. Wadors has now spent decades in HR leadership positions at companies including LinkedIn and Yahoo, and has been named one of the 50 most powerful women in technology. Overseeing a 15,000-person workforce at UKG, she shared what she’s learned over her long career, and how other women can break through the glass ceiling.
“[Back then], women were not heads of HR, and I was like, ‘I’m going to run it,”’ she says. “[Today], I get to share our learnings and my lessons and mistakes and learn from others. That’s why I’m here.”
Read more about Wadors’ career and her message to other women in the industry: How UKG’s chief people officer broke the glass ceiling to build the career of her dreams
