Illustration of a womxn of colour sitting behind a laptop. © Recipes for Wellbeing

Including and empowering women of colour at work

I raise up my voice—not so I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard…we cannot succeed when half of us are held back. ―Malala Yousafzai

👥 Serves: 11-25 people, 2-10 people, 26-40 people, 41+ people

🎚 Difficulty: Hard

⏳ Total time: Ongoing

🥣 Ingredients: Intersectionality

🤓 Wholebeing Domains: Community, Liberatory Learning

💪 Wholebeing Skills: Accountability, Allyship, Challenging, Championing, Diversity, Equity, Fairness, Inclusion, Liberation

Including and empowering women of colour at work

📝 Description

A practical toolkit for employers to support and empower women of colour.

The barriers facing women of colour in employment are both numerous and structural. The following recipe has been adapted from the great work carried out by the European Network Against Racism, that has put together an insightful and practical toolkit to support and empower women of colour in the workplace. In particular, this recipe outlines a framework for employers looking to move toward an intersectional approach in their diversity work.

What is an intersectional approach to diversity management?

As ENAR explains, ‘intersectionality’ is a tool which brings us to a deeper understanding of the realities of discrimination and inequality insofar as it calls for an acknowledgment of (a) interconnected and overlapping forms of oppression and (b) the need to address racist and sexist structures to achieve true equality and inclusion.

Principles for an intersectional approach to diversity management

Diversity is not one-dimensional: It is important to move beyond the rigidity of categories such as ‘ethnicity’ and ‘gender’ to understand and address the position of the most marginalised within these groups.
The intersectional approach addresses structures, not identity: Instead of asking ‘how can I employ more minorities?’, this approach is concerned with ‘what about this organisation that places barriers for minority groups?’
Foregrounding the experience of marginalised groups: The understanding of discrimination is grounded in the autonomy and expertise of those most affected.
The intersectional approach concerns outcomes not opportunities: Instead of focusing on treating like alike (i.e. equal opportunities), this approach calls for the achievement of substantive equality.
Measuring intersectionality: It is important to collect data and assess the structural change within the organisation.

Guide for employers: inclusion, transformation, empowerment of women of colour

With the aforementioned principles in mind, this recipe provides practical suggestions and tools to eradicate the barriers facing women of colour in the workplace. It takes place in three stages, briefly outlined below. For full details on the process, please read ENAR’s toolkit to support and empower women of colour in the workplace.

👣 Steps

Step 1 – Understand the issues at the intersections

The first step toward an intersectional approach to diversity management is gathering a firm understanding of the dynamics within the organisation. This understanding may come from numerous sources, such as attitudinal measures and more concrete quantitative data.

A. Conduct consultations with affected groups: One key way to understand the most pressing issues within the workplace is through consultation with employees. This could take various forms, from staff surveys, to the development of staff diversity committees, or women of colour consultation groups.

B. Carry out an intersectional audit: Employers should aim to support substantial change in organisational diversity practice with quantitative data as far as possible; this will help the employer examine the extent of the issues, which employees are affected, and chart the ongoing position of minorities in the organisation.

Which data to collect?

Issues and indicators: overall representation in the organisation; representation in management and leadership; representation in junior roles; type of contract: temporary/permanent, full-time/part-time; pay; other systems of rewards: bonuses, benefits; recruitment stage: applications, interviews, relative success rates; promotions; discrimination or harassment complaints; warnings and sanctions.
Intersectional data: race/ethnicity; religion; sexual orientation; gender identity; disability status; age; educational background; class/socio-economic status; immigration status.

The data gathered is then analysed in conjunction with the indicators above to assess the position of intersectional employee groups against certain indicators.

C. Reflection on internal structures: It is important to assess the information collected to decide whether the disparities highlighted in the audit may be attributed to the structures, culture or practices of the organisation, and if so, determine the extent to which the organisation will make it a priority to address them. It is vital to include employee steering groups and members of under-represented groups in this process.

Step 2 – Transform the organisation

After gaining a fuller understanding of the issues facing women of colour and other groups at the intersections, stage two is making the necessary changes in organisational structures, policies and culture toward a more equal organisation.

A. Develop an intersectional diversity strategy: This will portray the commitment of leadership, invite collaboration and provide for accountability of management to its staff. The content of the strategy should directly address the main issues prevalent in the organisation.

B. Take steps to eradicate structural inequalities and disparities in the organisation: Measures should be tailored to each organisation according to the main issues highlighted.

Dismantling discriminatory policies: Employers should review their internal processes, regulations and employees restrictions. Potential areas for review include uniform policies, sanctions on late arrivals, which may unjustly disadvantage certain groups (e.g. Muslim women and religious dress restrictions; minorities with caring responsibilities) when viewed through an intersectional lens.
Employee support measures: Employers should consider putting in place internal processes and structures for employees to raise grievances about wrongful treatment, discrimination or harassment, such as ‘employee points of contact’ or ‘safety officers’. These positions should be clearly communicated and should benefit from some degree of independence and confidentiality.
Implementing positive action measures at all levels: Employers should review recruitment procedures to reach out to under-represented groups This includes widening outreach programmes with a focus on specific target groups. Employers should also think creatively about the framing of their recruitment criteria and modify to increase the likelihood that qualified members of under-represented groups will score well.
Access to progression opportunities: Employers should create additional pathways to progression which sit outside formal promotion procedures. Often, this must include opportunities for women of colour to enter the organisation, through paid internships and other access schemes.
Intersectional equal pay and value allocation: Employers must be transparent about the enduring issues with equal pay. They can put in place alternative rewards systems to counteract women of colour being overlooked for their extra work. Managers should ask themselves how they place value on the contributions of their team.

C. Transforming the workplace culture: Transforming and building an open and equal workplace culture is just as important as the development of initiatives for progression.

Revising codes of conduct: Employers must address this by setting new standards. This should include zero tolerance for all forms of harassment, discrimination for all colleagues, but also address more subtle forms of disrespect. One way to do this is a revision of the organisation’s code of conduct.
Structures of accountability: Employers should ensure a clear process of accountability for harmful conduct. Inaction from leadership is endorsement of such conduct and only contributes to the hostile workplace environment.

D. Reassess past diversity policies from an intersectional perspective: Organisations should look deeper into previous initiatives designed for the inclusion of minorities and consider who were the main beneficiaries.

Step 3 – Empowerment of women of colour

The last stage highlights how employers can facilitate empowerment for their employees, and ensure that under-represented groups themselves lead transformation.

A. Make resources available to those dealing with oppression at work: Employers can make resources available to employees to challenge these barriers as individuals.

Support structures: Employers should aspire to provide access to internal or external support from trained individuals.
Information tools and guides: Employers should proactively research existing informational resources for minorities dealing with discrimination in the workplace.

B. Support employees to access empowerment programmes: Employers should also strive to make resources available for employees to pursue development opportunities outside the organisation.

C. Encourage and support networks and affinity groups: One aspect of empowerment can include the opportunity to exchange, vent and feel understood with people who share your experience. Affinity groups provide a ‘safe space’ for employees to raise issues they may not feel comfortable addressing in broader spaces for fear of having their experiences undermined. Affinity groups are a place of affirmation and access point for support from peers.