George Floyd's Anniversary - How do I show my allyship to black colleagues?
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George Floyd’s Anniversary – How do I show my allyship to black colleagues?

Ellen Edenbrow, Inclusion & Diversity Consultant, discusses how individuals can become better Black allies, understand privilege, and make positive change for Black colleagues to experience true workplace inclusion.

*Trigger warning - Discusses the death of Black individuals and images of mourning family, friends and community*

The shift in focus

It’s been three years since the murder of George Floyd, which means it’s the third time we’ve written a blog to commemorate his death. We do this because, as I&D professionals, we saw a shift in focus, attention, and investment into the topic of I&D because of his murder. Communication teams, leadership, I&D experts, and many more were called upon overnight to react, but have black professionals seen and felt any changes?  

I, of course, don’t want to take the focus away from George Floyd, but his murder, unfortunately, isn’t a unique case. In the USA in 2020, 9,913 black people were murdered (Statista Research Department), with black males twice as likely to be the victim of gun-related deaths as white males. Other high-profile deaths in 2020 were Michael Brown and Breonna Taylor.  

Firstly, I want to acknowledge I’m writing this as a white person and, therefore, will be quoting articles and data to reflect the experience of black professionals in 2023.  

Three years on – what has changed? 

We may be seeing and experiencing more conversations around I&D, including topics about black colleague experiences as well as black populations in society. This talking, though doesn’t necessarily mean that we’ve seen a reduction in discriminatory experiences or systematic changes. 

In November 2022, data in the UK showed us that employment varies depending on a colleague’s race: 

  • 76% of white people were employed, compared with 67% of people from all other ethnic groups combined (Gov.uk) 
  • 67% of black people were employed and for those identifying as mixed race, 64% were employed (Gov.uk) 

As a result of this data, UNISON which represents 185,000 black workers in the UK this year, launched the ‘Year of Black Workers 2023’. The official statistics on employment prove why UNISON has launched this campaign, but also how they experience this employment is important; 

  • 54% of black women say they are often the ‘onlys’, in that they are the only black person or one of the only black people in the room at work 
  • 75% of black Americans had encountered racial bias at work  
  • 87% of black females stated they’d felt both race & gender based animosity. 
  • 73% of minority participants in a study had experienced microaggressions within the past six months. 
  • 56-81% had experienced 10 or more instances in the past six months as well as witnessing others experience them on at least a weekly basis.  

On a positive note, we have seen the ethnicity pay gap between White and non-white colleagues has narrowed to its smallest level since 2012 in England and Wales. Yet surprisingly the highest pay gap is in London (23.8%) and the smallest in Wales (1.4%). 

Black Allyship: Let’s self-reflect

Privilege 

As consultants, we all have different examples and stories to explain privilege, I like talking about doors and microphones. Stay with me; it’ll make sense.  

Ask yourself:  

  • What doors are open to me at work? Literally, which meetings are you in? What projects are you involved in, both internally and externally? 
  • In which setting do I hold a microphone to get my voice heard? 
  • In which settings do people listen, engage and then action my voice after hearing it through that microphone?  

Picture those spaces. Are black people and colleagues in those spaces? Are their voices heard? 

If not, what can you do to change that? 

By using your privilege, you can: 

  • Invite people into that space 
  • Can you raise I&D in relation to the work? Ask if this has been considered. If not, why not?  
  • We shouldn’t always expect a black colleague to know the answers, can we advocate for them 

Allyship & privilege: Making change for Black colleagues  

Many organisations jump to the assumption of focusing on training and policies to make the workplace more inclusive, and of course, they are still important areas. I&D runs through everything, sometimes, it’s a little less obvious to notice.  

Tip: As an ally, you must engage with black colleagues, but just because it’s their identity, it doesn’t mean they’re I&D experts.  

On that note, still, engage and hear your black colleagues’ opinions on every part of the business. Don’t just speak to them during Black History Month or about I&D training. Ask them about their views on procurement, legal, customer service, policies, and team socials; the list continues! 

Read more about how to create opportunities for Black people here.

Here are a few ideas to make changes in your workplace: 

1. Engagement  

  • Do you know what your black colleagues want and need from the workplace? As an ally, there are no expectations for you to know the answers, and you should never assume you have the answers, especially when it’s not your identity.  
  • Do you run an engagement survey? (annual and/or pulse) Do you know how your black colleagues have answered? Can you identify themes from their answers?  

2. What language do you use? 

  • Terminology around race has changed relatively quickly over the past few years, as an ally, are you using 2023 language? At Inclusive Employers, activists lead and influence our language; therefore, we say, ‘people of colour’. This is also referred to globally and mostly in America as POC. Ask your relevant staff networks which language/acronyms they prefer. Then react and make sure this terminology is rolled out.  
  • My colleague Cheryl wrote a great blog about terminology To BAME or not to BAME – Do we need an alternative term?

3. Ethnicity pay gap  

Start exploring the practicalities of running an ethnicity pay gap. Some companies do this on a voluntary level at the moment. But there are more conversations around this being a requirement in the future in the UK. It could be a good idea to start checking your data collection, questions, drop-down options, and where and when this is completed. Speak to your account manager more about this and take a look at this data resource if you’re a member. 

4. Mental health support 

  • Do you know which colleagues are and aren’t using your mental health initiatives and support? 
  • Can you utilise a staff network to do direct and trusted communications with black colleagues? 
  • Do your mental health programmes and initiatives support and understand black colleagues? Are there specific mental health providers that might be more suitable? 
  • Do you have a policy or flexibility that would allow black colleagues time off work in the event of world news that may be distressing and upsetting etc. We know the news of George Floyd wasn’t the first and won’t be the last. 

5. Externally  

  • Do you support black businesses through your supply chain?  
  • Organisation dependent – are you considering black customers and clients? 
  • What organisations and charities do you support? 

If some of the above aren’t relevant due to your job role, you can still be an ally and make a change! 

You can improve your knowledge of racism in the workplace and find tips on how to be an active bystander here: How to be an anti-racist ally. 

Everyday ally action: Check in with your black colleagues and truly hear them. 

Resources:

Inclusive Employer’s Member’s resources:

Videos:

Podcasts:

Networking: