Just Work summary

So, how can you react quickly the next time you hear someone spouting some harmful stereotype? 

First, some simple definitions are in order. When we can describe a problem, it’s much easier to find a solution. Bias is “not meaning it,” usually reflecting some unconscious stereotype that the person doesn’t really believe if they stop to think. Prejudice is “meaning it,” reflecting a consciously held belief. And bullying is simply “being mean.”

Bart routinely misgendered his colleague, Avery. He kept referring to her using pronouns “he” and “him,” even though he knew Avery used “she” and “her.” After pointing this out several times, she became understandably angry.

Instead of getting defensive, Bart acknowledged his bias and took concrete steps to combat it. He asked his whole team to jump in when he messed up so that Avery wasn’t in the position of always having to correct him. Then he went further: together with the management team, he developed a training program for the whole company designed to support every colleague in expressing their true selves at work. Bart was able to tackle his personal bias and turn it into a growth opportunity for the whole company.

Aileen Lee, a partner at a venture capital firm, attended an important meeting along with two partners who were men. When the senior executives they were meeting took a seat at the conference table, they chose to sit opposite Lee’s male partners, so that she was facing an empty chair. They then directed all their comments to her partners, rather than to her, even though she was the person in the room who had the expertise.

Then one of her colleagues said, “I think Aileen and I should switch places.” Lee moved to his seat facing the executives. Instantly, the dynamic in the room changed. She was automatically included in the conversation. By using an “I” statement, her colleague made everyone aware of the way that unconscious bias was causing them to exclude her. 

What would you do if you were the CEO of a company and you noticed one of your staff members being abusive to their colleague? Although many of us would like to think we’d take steps to prevent that sort of thing from happening at our own company, the truth is that many leaders fail to respond in a way that prevents it from happening again

How can leaders tackle bias, prejudice and bullying in the workplace? Many CEOs enroll their staff in a workshop and call it a day. Or they outsource the problem to HR. But this won’t work. Leaders need to do three things. 

When you layer power on top of bias, prejudice and bullying things go from bad to worse. The result is illegal behavior: discrimination, harassment, and physical violations. 

When a person has enough power to put their biases or prejudices into practice, especially when they have unilateral decision-making power over pay, hiring, promotion, or firing, the result is discrimination. 

Imagine a CEO reporting to shareholders that the company isn’t doing that well in sales that year. But instead of investigating why and outlining a strategy to improve performance, they just shrug their shoulders and say they don’t know what to do about that problem. The shareholders would revolt!

How do you quantify your bias so you can improve the diversity on your team?  You have data on hiring, pay, promotion. You can cut that data by gender, by race, and by other important factors. Look for trends. Are women on average getting hired less often? Are your Black employees not getting promoted as quickly as your White employees? Work to understand those trends. Ask why they are happening.

Unchecked power creates the conditions for harassment. When people have too much power, they’re more likely to engage in bullying that crosses a line and becomes harassment. Managers who have too much power over their employees are prone to abuse it.

If one person has unilateral decision-making power to hire, promote or fire you, you’re naturally reluctant to speak up when that person bullies or harasses you. Therefore, it’s easier for that person to get away with that kind of behavior, and more likely to happen. 

A culture of consent is not complicated. It is the responsibility of the toucher to be aware of how the other person feels about being touched.  If the other person doesn’t want to be touched, don’t touch. If you’re not sure, don’t touch. Unwanted touching is grounds for dismissal. Dating in your chain of command, even when consensual, is also grounds for dismissal. The power dynamic can make it hard to express consent.

During Covid many people were working remotely. As we start working in person again, we have a real opportunity to reinforce a culture of consent around the handshake. Some people are comfortable shaking hands again. Others want to change to a wave or an elbow bump. If we can train ourselves not to stick our hand out simply assuming the other person wants to touch it, but rather greet each other with a question about what is comfortable, we can reinforce a culture of consent.

When we learn to recognize how the dynamics of bias, prejudice, bullying, discrimination, harassment, and physical violations operate in similar ways for different people, we can unite in interrupting them and make the workplace – and, indeed, the world – more just. This growing understanding of our interconnectedness is reason for optimism.

In a commencement address to Wellesley’s class of 2018, Tracy K. Smith, the 22nd poet laureate of the United States, offered a beautiful reminder that to achieve our ideals, we need to bring love and joy to  the work. She said: