To ask people of colour......

[DaintyFlower]

To ask people of colour what they would like their work place to do to promote equality and career progression for BAME?

I am trying to establish a BAME network in my workplace. It is a large organisation with a percentage of BAME population that is still lower than the general population. However, there are very very few BAME in management roles and pretty non existent in senior or exec roles.

Any experience, suggestions and advice on steps that can be taken to reduce this inequality will be appreciated.

"People of Colour" isn't the same as "coloured" for all the eyebrow raising posters. It's the preferred term in the US as "African American" is seen as exclusionary of other ethnic minorities, given that racial barriers extend more widely structurally.

It's not in common use in the UK, though: we've gone from BEM to BME and are now at BAME, presumably as the acronym is easier to pronounce... As a Person of Colour, it's not an offensive term, even in the UK: but it's not common outside US companies here.

Sorry I hit post too soon then my follow up post disappeared. I’ll try again. Suggestions for engaging HR...maybe invite speakers at a networking event to share their personal stories e.g barriers they’ve faced and what they’ve done to overcome them. Perhaps work with your internal comms team (if there is one) to produce case studies/profiles to showcase diversity in the organisation. Just suggestions off the top of my head anyway.

Anothercuppa, I am trying to get support. Not sure who to approach to strengthen support. many of the BAME group are wary that this is yet another pointless exercise that may not amount to anything.

It is insulting to use ‘people of colour’ lumping all non whites together! It’s a lazy Americanised term.

Thank you another cuppa. I posted before I saw your post.

No problem. Another thought re. engagement - you may not be receptive to this suggestion as it risks diluting your message, but you could think about broadening the agenda to one that’s not just about BAME but to one that’s championing/celebrating diversity?

Do you know something? I really don’t know what terminology to use as it changes so often. I always felt it was a somewhat strange term as I’m a person of colour, albeit a vague pinky beige. I, in my obvious ignorance, thought people of colour was acceptable. I saw it used by a poster on here a few months ago when she described herself as a woman of colour. Now I find it isn’t ok. I mean, until fairly recently, if you said someone was queer it was viewed as horribly offensive. Now it’s ok as the word has been reclaimed by the gay community. I’m almost frightened to open my mouth in case I inadvertently offend someone.

Anothercuppa, the celebrating diversity angle has been tried before but it amounted to nothing more than a party day with international food, a few slogans across the company websites but still no BAME people at senior level and no clear pathway for BAME for progression.

Going to HR is a waste of time. In the organisations I've done work for they have only set about hiring and promoting more a more diverse people range of people when someone senior tells them to regardless of the size of the organisation. So basically OP unless you are senior in your organisation, you need to find a senior person to champion your cause.

ColaFreeze, I am not senior unfortunately, despite spending 20 years with the company and being quite capable of doing a management role.

I can however, find (white) people senior enough to tell HR to promote more BAME. Not sure how that would go down though. Also wondering about quotas. Do companies have proposed quotas where they must employ/promote x number of under represented groups if they meet the criteria?

Whatever you do, don't do what a relative's employer did and police who is included on the basis of skin tone/hair texture - the relative did not appreciate being told they weren't BAME.

I am sure that didn’t go down well! In this instance, HR have contacted those who identified themselves as ethnic minorities.

www.independent.co.uk/voices/black-women-people-of-colour-racism-beyonce-coachella-black-lives-matter-a8316561.html

No, not everybody thinks "people of colour" is okay. Speak for yourself. (As a mother of a Ghanian/English child)

Try contacting firms such as ROTA or the BME network

Agree with practical suggestions above. There is a Podcast called DiverCity with practical suggestions. Some I remember

• what gets measured gets done
• use the networks of existing employees
• reverse mentoring (senior having regular meetings with junior)
• office environment celebrate difference - art, celebrations etc

‘People of Colour’ is ok no its not it makes no sense as a descriptor of non white people as white is a colour not that i care about peoples skin pigmentation.

It's not in common use in the UK, though: we've gone from BEM to BME and are now at BAME, presumably as the acronym is easier to pronounce. how about use the word person o maybe dont bother at all just treat everyone as individuals which is what they are

DaintyFlower From your answers, e.g.

"the BAME employees are finding that a white person with less experience, is getting the promotion. ‘Coincidentally’ the less experienced person always ‘interviews better on the day’"

The problem lies with an unfair company culture
So it's not BAME employees who need mentoring, it's the decision-makers who are, unwittingly or not, discriminating.

You need to be examining, redefining and monitoring the promotion process from start to end

Having defined parameters and criteria, not nebulous feelings about interviewees
There needs to be real justification why an interview trumps experience, when interviewees are aleady known employees

Retraining those making the decisions, to avoid e.g. unconscious cultural bias
Their managers must state clearly that promotions cannot be influenced by socialising outside work and that actual proven work performance is key.

No terms are exact, e.g. black, brown - which some people also reject

POC is used in the US and has spread to some large UK companies I have worked for
As a mixed race woman, it is the term I personally prefer

Anyway, BAME apparently fits what the OP wants

I agree about avoiding general "diversity" when it is specifically BAME who are being treated unfairly
The actual target group gets overlooked

"how about use the word person"

Some "persons" are discriminated against because of their race / religion as is happening in this company

Ignoring this inconvenient truth won't stop it happening

"Role models" is a patronizing as fuck idea.

The issue is with senior management and implicit bias. How to address that is another matter entirely.

Some very helpful tips muminlon. With regards to reverse mentoring, would senior staff actually care or want to engage in regular meetings in this scenario?

BigChoc, your posts are all spot on and incredibly helpful and thought provoking. I am jotting it all down.

The question is how do I get white seniors to engage as they don’t gain anything from this.

Show the senior managers this
www.bcg.com/en-us/publications/2018/how-diverse-leadership-teams-boost-innovation.aspx

There is increasing research that diverse companies tend to be more profitable and innovative.

Let me flag one thing up. If you get Senior BAME staff to mentor their juniors then remember that is extra work they are doing simply because of the colour of their skin. But if they do this extra work then please make sure it is recognised and compensated within a workload model.
Otherwise you are saying BAME people can look after BAME people and the rest of us can pat ourselves on having done a good job. And when it comes to promotions we will ignore this ‘silent’ work.

PatolBabu makes a good point about mentoring.

Namechangednoimagination - why are role models patronising? I’m not suggesting the company parades BAME staff around and label them as such, but through initiatives like mentoring.

FWIW I’m an ethnic minority working in an international context, but one where senior management is all white (and mostly male) - if there were initiatives done to start a discussion about what can be done to challenge the status quo then I’d engage with it. Senior management have to be behind it.