After many of my most recent workshops, I have had person after person reach out to me with the same anxiety: “The company I work at isn’t truly prioritizing DEI,” they tell me. For some, this means their organization is all talk and no walk. For others, it means their company states outright that they are uninterested in pursuing DEI. Regardless, all who reach out to me confess the following: “I’m a minority at this organization. I feel like they aren’t making an effort to include me. What should I do?”
There is no single, straightforward, simple answer to this question. I wish there was! But fortunately, there are steps that those in this challenging situation can take to make the burden easier to bear. Let’s walk through them:
1. Self-Care
I know the internet has glorified the virtues of self-care time and time again, but self-care receives this high praise for a reason! Nothing is more important in this situation than tending to our well-being. Grappling with an organization’s lack of inclusivity can be physically and emotionally draining, and self-care provides us with the opportunity to manage our stress and maintain a positive outlook. Remember: self-care looks different for everyone, so we must find the avenue that works best for us as individuals.
2. Seek Support
Support can come in many forms. I encourage those of us dealing with an organization that is unwilling to fully engage with DEI to find individuals both within and outside of the company who can provide empathy and understanding. These people might include colleagues from similar backgrounds to us, our mentors, or even members of external support groups, all of whom may be able to offer advice or share their own experiences. Ultimately, they can provide a sense of belonging for those of us in this challenging situation—a reminder that we are not alone.
Beyond people who more directly share our experiences, I also encourage us to seek support through allies and alliances. Reach out to people in the organization who do support DEI, even if the larger administration does not. One might be able to find mentors or sponsors who can offer guidance and advocate on their behalf within the company. At the end of the day, having colleagues at our side who share our beliefs allows them to support and amplify our voices, again providing the emotional security that we are never as isolated as we may feel.
3. Know Your Rights
On the one hand, knowing one’s rights goes without saying. On the other hand, the some systems may make things difficult! I encourage all of us, but especially those stuck in organizations that lack dedication to DEI, to educate ourselves about our rights as an employee. We should familiarize ourselves with local labor laws and any company policies related to discrimination and harassment. From there, we will be more equipped to take action as needed in the face of violations. In that same vein, I also recommend keeping records of any instances of bias, exclusion, or abuse that we see or experience; important details to note would be dates, times, locations, and details of the incidents, including participants and witnesses. Having this information is essential if we find ourselves needing to report the situation at a later date.
4. Engage in Dialogue
As simple as this advice may seem, I would be remiss if I did not mention it. If one feels comfortable doing so, I encourage the initiation of conversations with colleagues or supervisors to raise awareness about the importance of DEI and creating a sense of belonging. In these conversations, we might share personal stories, experiences, and the positive impact that diverse perspectives can have on the organization at hand as well as more broadly. The goal of engaging in dialogue is to facilitate open and honest discussion on DEI—simple but crucial!
5. Find Other Opportunities
I hate to admit this, but deep down, we all know it is true: some organizations are not going to change. I know, I know! It’s terrible! More optimistically, we might say that some organizations will be very slow to change, only doing so when they see enthusiasm for DEI at the highest echelons of their business. When push comes to shove in these circumstances, I see two viable options. The first is to invest in developing our professional skills and expertise, allowing us to firmly posit ourselves as a valuable asset to the organizations. The ideal result? We can increase our influence and opportunities for advancement, thus bringing support for DEI along with us.
If we find ourselves in a business adamantly against DEI, however, where our advancement opportunities are unfairly limited or the exclusionary atmosphere becomes intolerable, the second viable option is this: explore external opportunities with organizations that actively value and promote diversity and inclusion. Simply put, we must ask ourselves whether or not our current business offers an environment that we can safely remain at work in. If the answer is no, there’s no shame in moving onward and upward!
At the end of the day, we must prioritize our well-being, and that means working in an environment that respects and values us. Who knows? If enough employees leave organizations that refuse to create an inclusive environment, maybe those companies will start to get the hint: DEI is of the utmost importance!
Dima Ghawi is the founder of a global talent development company with a primary mission for advancing individuals in leadership. Through keynote speeches, training programs and executive coaching, Dima has empowered thousands of professionals across the globe to expand their leadership potential. In addition, she provides guidance to business executives to develop diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies and to implement a multi-year plan for advancing quality leaders from within the organization.
Reach her at DimaGhawi.com and BreakingVases.com.
