Worcester Business Journal Special Editions

46 Worcester Business Journal Upstanders are company culture champions! I f you see something, say some- thing and do something! Too many times in my early years, I did not have the courage to stand up for myself, let alone others. Now, as an adult and a seasoned professional with a confident voice, I am able to stand up, and I have the oppor- tunity to show others how to do the same. Where would our organizations, communities, humanity be without the voices of upstanders? Upstanders move through the world with integrity and courage, and recog- nize when someone is being harmed (physically or psychologically), and take action to help, and to change the course of the people who committed the wrong. It is easy to meet a disrespectful person with reciprocated disrespect, but re- spectful intervention, civility, and setting a good example with our own behav- iors, especially at work, is can move the needle on creating and maintaining a positive workplace culture. In the words of the recently departed John Robert Lewis, civil rights leader, and politician who served in Congress for Georgia, "If you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, you have a moral obligation to do something about it" As a business leader, not only do you have a moral obligation to do something about these transgressions at work, but it is imper- ative for your culture. Without a strong culture, your organization will weaken, and ultimately die. If you hear a racist joke at the compa- ny party and you recognize it as racist, in the break room, while smooshing on the golf course, or even before the board meeting, shut it down! If you see unfair slights, bullying behavior, mistreatment of others, shut it down. e reality is retaliation from your colleagues, boss or employer, might take place when you act as an upstander, but this is not the worst-case scenario. e worst-case scenario is continuing work in an orga- nization allowing, knowingly, for folks to be mistreated. e worst-case scenario is having to go into work every day to do what has become a job, the same job that used to be your passion. e worst-case scenario is having to look at yourself in the mirror each morning before heading to the office, no longer seeing who you are and what you stand for, but instead the shell of that person, who each day back at the office, shows up with com- promised integrity and a dying passion. Upstanders are oen supporters and advocates for people and commu- nities sharing a different background or identity than their own, whom are unheard, underrepresented, mistreated or oppressed. Situations requiring an upstander can range from one-off com- ments reflecting an unconscious bias, to deliberate marginalization, racism, sexism or harassment. Here are actions leaders can take as proactive upstanders: • Look for inequities. • Do a thorough self-examina- tion. Look at what privileges and advantages you might have compared to others due to their race, class, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation. • Listen! Try to understand what colleagues may have overlooked. Really hear what others are saying and realize all perspectives are valid. • Work with human resources or other reporting hierarchy regarding discrimination. Advocate for company policies, such as salary transparency, to help narrow gender and racial pay gaps. • Welcome feedback from the bottom of the organization, to the top. Highly hierarchical structures, where input is discouraged, militate against reporting. • Make it easy to report inappropri- ate conduct. A quick, clear, safe and accessible system offering an option for anonymity is ideal. • Do something when you receive complaints. ey are a gi to build your culture, when responded to, and treat whistleblowers like heroes not villains. Creating an inclusive environment where all employees feel comfortable is vital to culture. It improves the quality of workplace interactions and decisions and encourages all employees to respect- fully and responsibly police one another as a collective. is increases productivi- ty, innovation, and morale. Bonnie J. Walker is the interim director of equity and inclusion at Worcester Academy, plying this arena in education in Mass. for 16 years. Contact her at bonnie.walker@worcesteracademy.org. W Almost 60 million Latinos live in the United States, making up 18% of the population. It's estimated according to the U.S. Department of Labor one in every three new employees by 2025 will be Latino or of Hispanic heritage. All this comes with their own set of challenges in the workforce. Hispanics workers earn 74% of what the typical white workers earn; Hispanic women experience a much larger gap than white women, earning just 54 cents for every dollar earned by white men; and upward social and work mobility is three times more difficult than other demographic groups. Even with these stats, employers in struggle to capture the Hispanic talent. Here are ways they can reverse that trend. 10) Mentorship. Being able to identify and mentor your Hispanic workforce will translate into better retention and opportunities. 9) Evaluate your senior management. Representation cultivates aspiration. When we don't feel represented in the organization, we lose motivation. 8) Eliminate bias in the evaluation and promotion opportunities. As an organization, always promote equal pay for equal work and be conscious of decision making based on bias. 7) Invest in your team. Recruit and hire for retention and have strong plans to develop your team. 6) Acknowledged our power. Hispanics account for $2.3 trillion economic activity, according to a 2019 report by the Congress Joint Economic Committee. If the U.S. Latino GDP were its own country, it would rank as the eighth largest GDP in the world. 5) Recognize our value as a competent workforce. Even those with a college degree will have to work a third or half longer to make what a white man or woman earn in a year. 4) Help with hurdles to employment and financial security. Expand your outreach to high schools, colleges and universities to promote mentorship and paid work opportunities. 3) Build a strong and positive reputation within the Hispanic community. We do business with companies we trust, but more importantly we do business with companies representing our values and understanding our needs. 2) Deploy robust Spanish-language digital content. This will help you attract more business and will increase engagement. 1) Don't worry about getting it right. It's not just about getting it right on the first try, it's all about trying and interacting with your Hispanic employees to get solid feedback. 1 0 T H I NG S I know about... ...How business can capture Hispanic talent By Johan Romero Luna Romero Luna is assistant vice president & area manager for Workers Credit Union in Worcester. Reach him at JRomeroLuna@wcu.com. W Achieving racial equity requires little steps, and some big ones A t the end of September, the historic Worcester performance venue Mechanics Hall decided it will add the first portraits of Black Americans to its Great Hall gallery, a move falling about 20 years aer the first portraits of women were placed on the walls of the 163-year-old facility. ese new portraits of abolitionist Frederick Douglass and William Brown, the first Black member of the Worcester County Mechanics Association, are a visible gesture recognizing the racial injustice and diversity & inclusion problems plaguing our country right now. While the country, and our regional leaders have talked a lot this year about this critical issue, it's rewarding to see tangible – if small – steps in the right direction. Racism and prejudice against groups of people are not just the scourge of today's society, but have plagued humanity for nearly all of its existence. With the increased awareness and momentum of the Black Lives Matter movement, Central Massachusetts organizations of all sizes are committing to a variety of diversity & inclusion efforts. While small changes need to be recognized and encouraged, we all recognize it will take a sustained effort over a much longer period of time to make a lasting impact. A few months ago WBJ wrote a letter reflecting our position on the killing of Minneapolis resident George Floyd and the movement for racial justice that followed. e objective we hope our community can achieve is to take advantage of the talent of all its members, offering opportunities to all, and overcoming any prejudice along the way. It's a big goal requiring big ideas, and in many cases a lot of hard yards in evaluating the culture and any hidden biases existing in the workplace. For companies, particularly small businesses, who share these values but may not have the resources to focus on the many steps it will take to get there, a lot of wisdom can be gleaned from our larger organizations, who have created structures and processes to address diversity and inclusion. Change is messy, and improvement doesn't come in a straight upward line; it's an exercise in fits and starts, setbacks and achievements. Mechanics Hall's portrait decision may be largely symbolic, but symbolism counts. As Staff Writer Monica Busch points out in her story "Teaching racial justice" on page 10, Clark University spent the summer trying to address issues with racial inequity, but was criticized by its Black Student Union for not doing enough. Clark and Mechanics Hall are making moves showing their values are aligned with their actions, and the cover that wraps around this issue with the logos of the sponsors of our Diversity & Inclusion section, along with a number of columns from those sponsors in this edition, shows a strong level of support for change from our corporate community. at is an encouraging sign we hope others will follow. W WITH BONNIE J. WALKER Outside the Box

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