There you are, logged into your work computer after a long weekend and it hits you: an email or instant message from a racist who uses vile words and hides behind a pseudonym. It happens, and for many Black employees in America today, it happens so often that it’s become “a core part of the Black experience…”
But it was supposed to be better than this. Didn’t the company establish diversity programs and workshops on inclusion? Yes, it did. The truth is, however, they don’t help. In fact, those well-intended workplace efforts actually “perpetuate and maintain racial divides,” argues Adia Harvey Wingfield, Ph.D., a professor of sociology at Washington University and author of “Gray Areas: How the Way We Work Perpetuates Racism & What We Can Do to Fix It” (Amistad, October 2023).
Part of the problem is that today’s workplace thrives on “cultural, social, and relational aspects,” Winfield writes. These are built into most workplaces, but they ignore Black experiences.
There are four classes of culture at work and, for various reasons, any or all of them can “make it hard for Black workers to fit in…” by subtly forcing them to hide their true selves. Social aspects in the workplace deal with connections, mentors, and relationships. It’s not what you know, but who, and networking – something with which Black workers sometimes struggle – is key. And relational aspects relate to “soft skills” and leadership abilities, although most top-echelon positions in corporate America are filled by white men.
So what can a supervisor or CEO do to make the workplace less racist?
End mandatory diversity training, Wingfield says, and hire diversity managers instead. Admit and anticipate racial issues. Don’t let employees or customers get away with bigotry against your workers. Start a mentoring program in your workplace and strive to promote workers of color to top positions.
With these, and other ideas, Wingfield says, “We can do better.”
Reading “Gray Areas” may be a bit of a struggle for some. For an African American reader, Wingfield, shares the lives and words of several people at various kinds of workplaces, but the case studies mostly repeat what you probably already know. It’ll get your dander up, but it won’t tell you much. On the other hand, CEOs and supervisors need to absorb the information in the book to glean understanding from the various viewpoints and experiences and to uncover that which they may not see.
Aside from end-of-chapter bullet-points, advice is pretty well buried in “Gray Areas.” To be sure, golden nuggets do exist. For example, if you’re an individual who observes people closely, you likely will find it interesting to see how different folks deal with difficulties at work. On that point, however, readers may come away wishing that Wingfield’s subjects could have networked among themselves.
Should you decide to tackle this book and its information, taking extra time to think and absorb will help immensely. Do that, let yourself cogitate, and “Gray Areas” could be everything you’ve wanted.
