Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | June 22, 2020 | Worcester Business Journal 13 LOANS: Whether you're looking for a Commercial Real Estate Loan, Term Loan or a Business Line of Credit, IC can help you move forward. Call Bruce at 978-353-1331 Bruce Mathieu Senior Vice President Business Development Officer Intelligent BUSINESS Solutions Start here! Info: ICCreditUnion.org or businessbanking@iccreditunion.com Federally Insured by NCUA Like, Friend or Follow Us jarring event, to see somebody murdered in that way," he said. Other Central Mass. business leaders followed suit. Chris O'Connell, the white CEO of Milford laboratory equipment manufacturer Waters Corp., said in a statement he was outraged by Floyd's killing. New efforts at Waters, he said, include appointing a senior diversity and inclusion officer, mandatory training on the issue, and open-office hours in which executives will talk to employees about inclusion. At Marlborough medical device maker Boston Scientific Corp., Chairman and CEO Mike Mahoney, who is white, said the company's leadership team would expand employee conversations about the issue and urged workers to speak up if they experience or witness intolerance or bias. Ernie Herrman, the white president and CEO of TJX Cos. in Framingham, said the retailer's diverse employee base makes it stronger, but it's striving to do better. TJX said 57% of its workers are people of color, and 34% of managers. Jack Roche, the white president and CEO of the Hanover Insurance Group in Worcester, said the company would listen and learn. BJ's Wholesale Club, the Westborough retailer, issued an unsigned statement in early June on Twitter calling Floyd's death senseless and heartbreaking and attesting the company is "against racism and discrimination in all forms." It isn't clear how much local businesses are contributing in tangible ways to racial equality efforts, unlike other causes. Local businesses have touted donations made to coronavirus- related causes this year, and many are highlighting June as Pride Month by using rainbow images in their social media, including Hanover and Waters. Announcements of donations or Black Lives Matter imagery have not followed in nearly the same number, although the Worcester Railers Hockey Club announced $10,000 in donations to causes fighting for racial equality. Guidance for business leaders Two black college business professors, writing in the Harvard Business Review, said businesses have to take meaningful action against racism. e writers, Laura Morgan Roberts at the University of Virginia and Ella Washington at Georgetown University, urged businesses to acknowledge harm black coworkers have endured, to affirm workers' rights to safety, and think critically about how they can use their power to bring change. "Employees value words of understanding and encouragement," they wrote in HBR, "but leaders' and organizations' actions have a more lasting impact." Roberts and Washington advised against potential missteps, including staying silent and overgeneralizing about others' experiences. Melton urged leaders to amplify black voices in their organizations to be an effective ally. Others cited potential inconsistencies between a company's statements and the daily experiences of its employees, or whether statements ring hollow based on its actions. "ere's an element of fakery about some of these statements that I think people will dismiss," Cohan said. Dickson, who as the head of UMass Memorial made headlines last year for backing a proposal to expand Medicare to all, had a few words of advice for leaders worried about saying the wrong thing. "Listening is always safe," he said. Shifting public sentiment Since the Black Lives Matter movement was founded in 2013, the public sentiment toward police brutality has shifted, and businesses have generally become more outspoken about racial equality and other societal issues. Source: The Washington Post/George Mason University Schar School of Policy and Government (June 2-7, 2020 survey) W QUESTION ASKED IN 2014 Do you think the recent killings of unarmed African American men by police in Ferguson, Mo., and New York City are isolated incidents or a sign of broader problems in the treatment of black Americans by police? QUESTION ASKED IN 2020 Do you think the killing of George Floyd was an isolated incident or a sign of broader problems in the treatment of black Americans by police? DO YOU SUPPORT OR OPPOSE PROTESTS FOLLOWING FLOYD'S KILLING? Broader problem Isolated incident Broader problem Isolated incident Oppose Support 51 % 43 % 69 % 29 % 74 % 25 % More outspoken workforces The incoming generation of employees have generally been more likely to support speaking out on the job. Source: Weber Shandwick survey (2019) Have you spoken up to support or criticize your employer's actions over a controversial issue that affects society? Do you believe employees can make a difference by speaking out on controversial issues that affect society? YES YES 77% Millennials 65% Baby Boomers 71% Overall 48% Millennials 27% Baby Boomers 38% Overall

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