Building Respectful Work Environments

If #diversity, #equity, and #inclusion practitioners want to get ahead of anti-DEI backlash, we have to address an elephant in the room: no two people in the same workplace perceive their workplace the same way. I see this every time I work with client organizations. When asked to describe their own experience with the workplace and its DEI strengths and challenges, I hear things like: 😊 "I've never experienced any discrimination or mistreatment; our leaders' commitment is strong." 🤨 "I had a good time in one department, but after transferring departments I started experiencing explicit ableist comments under my new manager." 🙁 "I've never had anything egregious happen, but I've always felt less respected by my team members because of my race." Who's right? Turns out, all of them. It starts to get messy because everyone inevitably generalizes their own personal experiences into their perception of the workplace as a whole; three people might accordingly describe their workplace as a "meritocracy without discrimination," an "inconsistently inclusive workplace dependent on manager," or "a subtly racist environment." And when people are confronted with other experiences of the workplace that DIFFER from their own, they often take it personally. I've seen leaders bristle at the implication that their own experience was "wrong," or get defensive in expectation they will be accused of lacking awareness. It's exactly this defensiveness that lays the foundation for misunderstanding, polarization, and yes—anti-DEI misinformation—to spread in an organization. How do we mitigate it? In my own work, I've found that these simple steps go a long way. 1. Validate everyone's experience. Saying outright that everyone's personal experience is "correct" for themselves might seem too obvious, but it plays a powerful role in helping everyone feel respected and taken seriously. Reality is not a question of "who is right"—it's the messy summation of everyone's lived experience, good or bad. 2. Use data to create a shared baseline. Gathering data by organizational and social demographics allows us to make statements like, "the average perception of team respect is 70% in Engineering, but only 30% in Sales," or "perception of fair decision making processes is 90% for white men, but only 40% for Black women." This establishes a shared reality, a baseline for any effective DEI work. 3. Make it clear that problem-solving involves—and requires—everyone. The goal of DEI work is to achieve positive outcomes for everyone. Those with already positive experiences? Their insights help us know what we're aiming for. Those with the most negative? Their insights help us learn what's broken. The more we communicate that collective effort benefits the collective, rather than shaming or dismissing those at the margins, the more we can unite people around DEI and beat the backlash.

Your competence at work is judged in seconds. Even when you over-deliver, you can be underestimated. Every day, false assumptions about you are made: — Polite = Weak — Older = Not agile — A foreign accent = Less capable — Introverted =  Not a strong leader — Woman =  Softer voice, less authority It's not just unfair. It's exhausting. So the question is: How do you beat biases without changing who you are? Here’s what I recommend: 𝟭. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 → Speak about impact, not effort. → Articulate your value proposition. →“Here’s the problems I solve. Here's how. Here’s the result."  If no one knows what you bring to the table, they won’t invite you to it. 𝟮. 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 Silent excellence is wasted potential. → Speak up when it feels risky. → Build real not just strategic relationships. → Share insights where people are paying attention. You don’t need to be loud. You need to be seen. 𝟯. 𝗧𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 The traits that trigger assumptions? Those are your edge. → Introverted? That’s deep listening. → Accent? That’s global perspective. Don’t flatten yourself to fit. Distinguish yourself to lead. 𝟰. 𝗢𝘄𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 → Say “I recommend” not "I think.” → Hold eye contact. Take up space. → Act like your presence belongs (even when others haven’t caught up.) Confidence isn’t volume. It’s grounding. Bias is everywhere. But perception can be changed. Don't let other people's false assumptions define you. Do you agree? ➕ Follow Deena Priest for strategic career insights. 📌Join my newsletter to build a career grounded in progress, peace and pay.

I sometimes reject candidates based solely on how they treat our receptionist. It might sound trivial, but these brief interactions reveal something I need to know about a potential attorney's character. You see, I've seen a disturbing pattern: many attorneys treat paralegals, assistants, and receptionists with shocking disrespect - yelling at them publicly, criticizing them harshly, and speaking condescendingly. I've never understood the mentality – and it's not just "old school" lawyers. You see it in young, brash attorneys too. People who think they're smarter than everyone else and have zero tolerance for mistakes or delays. Yes, it's frustrating when staff mess things up. But before you start yelling or being condescending, consider: - Often it's because YOU didn't communicate expectations clearly - Sometimes you hired someone without the right experience for the role - Maybe they need more training that YOU should provide If you hire someone with zero experience for a paralegal position and they don't know how to do something, that's not on them. It's on you. So when I started my firm, I made a non-negotiable decision: no one — regardless of their legal brilliance, client relationships, or billing potential — would be hired or retained if they couldn't treat every person with basic respect. We screen for this aggressively in interviews. We watch how candidates interact with our receptionist (Yes, it does show). We observe their behavior at lunch with support staff. And we listen carefully to how they talk about previous employers. The results have been transformative: Our staff retention is nearly triple the industry average. While other firms constantly struggle with turnover, many of our paralegals and assistants have been with us for years. Communication flows freely. When mistakes happen (and they always do), people speak up immediately rather than hiding problems out of fear. Client satisfaction is higher. The stress and toxicity that permeates many law offices simply doesn't exist here, and clients feel that difference. When staff errors do occur, we address them constructively: • Is this a training issue? • Did we fail to communicate expectations clearly? • Did we hire someone for a role they're not qualified to handle? These are leadership opportunities, not opportunities for public humiliation. I've seen far too many promising legal careers derailed by attorneys who couldn't separate frustration from abuse. They might win short-term compliance through fear, but they lose the loyalty, creativity, and dedication that come from respect. Our profession loves to celebrate intellectual brilliance and courtroom victories. But sometimes the most important professional skill is simply treating others with dignity—especially when things go wrong.

Inclusion isn’t a one-time initiative or a single program—it’s a continuous commitment that must be embedded across every stage of the employee lifecycle. By taking deliberate steps, organizations can create workplaces where all employees feel valued, respected, and empowered to succeed. Here’s how we can make a meaningful impact at each stage: 1. Attract Build inclusive employer branding and equitable hiring practices. Ensure job postings use inclusive language and focus on skills rather than unnecessary credentials. Broaden recruitment pipelines by partnering with diverse professional organizations, schools, and networks. Showcase your commitment to inclusion in external messaging with employee stories that reflect diversity. 2. Recruit Eliminate bias and promote fair candidate evaluation. Use structured interviews and standardized evaluation rubrics to reduce bias. Train recruiters and hiring managers on unconscious bias and inclusive hiring practices. Implement blind resume reviews or AI tools to focus on qualifications, not identifiers. 3. Onboard Create an inclusive onboarding experience. Design onboarding materials that reflect a diverse workplace culture. Pair new hires with mentors or buddies from Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) to foster belonging. Offer inclusion training early to set the tone for inclusivity from day one. 4. Develop Provide equitable opportunities for growth. Ensure leadership programs and career development resources are accessible to underrepresented employees. Regularly review training, mentorship, and promotion programs to address any disparities. Offer specific development opportunities, such as allyship training or workshops on cultural competency. 5. Engage Foster a culture of inclusion. Actively listen to employee feedback through pulse surveys, focus groups, and open forums. Support ERGs and create platforms for marginalized voices to influence organizational policies. Recognize and celebrate diverse perspectives, cultures, and contributions in the workplace. 6. Retain Address barriers to equity and belonging. Conduct pay equity audits and address discrepancies to ensure fairness. Create flexible policies that accommodate diverse needs, including caregiving responsibilities, religious practices, and accessibility. Provide regular inclusion updates to build trust and demonstrate progress. 7. Offboard Learn and grow from employee transitions. Use exit interviews to uncover potential inequities and areas for improvement. Analyze trends in attrition to identify and address any patterns of exclusion or bias. Maintain relationships with alumni and invite them to stay engaged through inclusive networks. Embedding inclusion across the employee lifecycle is not just the right thing to do—it’s a strategic imperative that drives innovation, engagement, and organizational success. By making these steps intentional, companies can create environments where everyone can thrive.

Microaggressions don’t just sting in the moment. They chip away at confidence, credibility, and career progression. In the BYP Network Black Experience Course, we explain that: • A single comment can echo a lifetime of stereotypes. • Repeated “small” slights compound into big barriers. • The silence that follows can be louder than the words themselves. The fix? Not just avoiding harmful phrases but replacing them with language that acknowledges value, identity, and contribution. Here are 10 ways to turn bias into belonging ⬇️ 1️⃣ “Where are you really from?” ↳ “How long have you lived here?” 2️⃣ “You’re so articulate” ↳ “You explained that clearly.” 3️⃣ “I didn’t expect you to know that” ↳ “That’s a great insight.” 4️⃣ “Can I touch your hair?” ↳ Focus on their work, not appearance; say nothing. 5️⃣ “You look like [name of Black celebrity]” ↳ “You have a great smile, style or energy.” 6️⃣ “You’re too aggressive” ↳ “I see you’re passionate about this.” 7️⃣ “That’s an unusual name” ↳ “Can you help me pronounce your name correctly?” 8️⃣ “You must be the intern or assistant” ↳ “What’s your role on this project?” 9️⃣ “You’re overreacting” ↳ “This seems important to you. Shall we discuss further?” 🔟 “I don’t see colour” ↳ “I value diversity & learn from different perspectives.” This isn’t about being “politically correct.” It’s about creating a workplace where diverse talent isn’t surviving but thriving. 💬 What would you add to this list and what alternative is needed? **** ♻️ Repost for others to learn and use. ➕Follow @kikeagoro for unapologetic takes on leadership, inclusion, and work/life balance.

🌍 DE&I Initiatives: Tokenism vs. True Impact DE&I as a brand has been associated with too many tick-box exercises. Inclusion is more than just a box to tick—it’s a culture to build. Too often, DE&I initiatives fall into the trap of looking good on the surface without creating real change. Here’s a look at 5 tokenistic DE&I measures vs. 5 impactful strategies that drive meaningful transformation. 👇🏾 Tokenistic DE&I Measures 🚫 One-Time Diversity Training – A single, isolated training often doesn’t lead to lasting behavioral change or deeper understanding. Public Statements Without Action – Leadership statements on diversity are valuable, but they need tangible actions to back them up. Unfunded ERGs (Employee Resource Groups) – Forming ERGs without budget, leadership support, or influence can make them feel tokenistic and sidelined. Hiring Quotas Without Inclusion Efforts – Bringing in diverse talent without creating an inclusive culture leads to high turnover and disengagement. Celebratory Events Without Systemic Change – Cultural events are great, but without addressing structural inequities, they risk being surface-level gestures. Measures That Make Real Impact 💡 Ongoing Education & Training – Embed regular, in-depth DE&I training across all levels, with follow-ups and reinforcement to encourage sustainable change. Accountability & Action Plans – Move beyond statements by setting measurable DE&I goals, tracking progress, and holding leaders accountable. Empowered, Supported ERGs – Fund ERGs and give them a voice in decision-making, showing that diverse perspectives shape the organization’s direction. Inclusive Culture Building – Train managers to foster a culture where all voices are valued, and diverse employees feel they truly belong and can grow. Systemic Change Initiatives – Address equity in areas like pay, promotion, and representation in leadership to tackle root issues beyond symbolic gestures. True inclusion requires more than optics; it’s about creating spaces where everyone feels they can be themselves, contribute, and thrive. Let’s commit to the kind of DE&I work that goes beyond tokenism and creates genuine, lasting change. 🌱 #DEI #InclusiveLeadership #CultureChange #Diversityandinclusion #Leadership

𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰 𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭, 𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐟 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐏𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 ! ✨ We like to think hiring is about merit… but the numbers tell a different story... ➡️ 53% of managers admit to making hiring decisions that factor in physical appearance. 💄 40% would choose a conventionally attractive candidate over someone more qualified. 🧠 85% form impressions about a candidate’s competence based purely on looks. 🤝 34% believe physical traits help assess “cultural fit”. 📷 53% check candidates’ photos before interviews — and some reject based on the photo alone. 🌍 48% say today’s political climate makes them more comfortable factoring in appearance. 👔 Gender gap: Male hiring managers are more likely than women to say looks influence decisions (61% vs. 46%). 📅 Generational trend: Younger managers are slightly more likely to weigh appearance. 💼 Industry factor: Sales managers top the list for factoring in physical features. But for majority of hiring Managers feel physical traits signal professionalism, competence, and cultural fit, according to a new interesting research published by ResumeTemplates in partnership with Pollfish plateform using data from 882 managers worked at companies with 11 or more employees and conducted in August 2025. ✅ 𝙈𝙮 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬:  I found the results of these findings deeply worrying. They reveal that bias and discrimination are still alive in hiring decisions — even among those entrusted to build diverse, high‑performing teams. This is not a side issue; it’s a taboo that should be the number one priority for leaders to confront and eradicate in their organizations. 📚 Research shows that conventionally attractive people are often perceived as more competent, capable, and likable. But these perceptions are not a measure of true talent — they are a reflection of bias. ✨ In my view, talent has no gender, no beauty standard, and no sex. Skills, potential, and character should be the only currency in hiring. Here are my recommendations: 🌟 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬: ➡️ Make workforce equity a strategic priority alongside growth and innovation. ➡️ Audit hiring processes to identify and eliminate bias at every stage. ➡️ Invest in bias‑awareness training and embed inclusive hiring KPIs into leadership performance metrics. 🌟 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬: ➡️ Focus on skills, experience, and potential — not appearance or assumptions. ➡️ Use structured interviews and standardised evaluation criteria to reduce bias. ➡️ Present diverse shortlists to hiring managers and advocate for underrepresented talent. 🙏Thank you ResumeTemplates researchers team for sharing these insightful findings: Julia K. Toothacre MS 🔑If talent is invisible, why do we still let appearances influence who gets hired? #BiasInHiring #FairHiring #DiversityAndInclusion #UnconsciousBias

Recently, a fellow DEI practitioner reached out to me for advice. She was preparing for her organisation's upcoming talent review cycle and looking for a short #UnconsciousBias e-training that managers could complete before assessing employees' potential. The goal was a good one: make talent decisions more objective and fair. My response went another way, though: I didn't recommend a training. I asked whether they should be assessing "potential" at all. I know this might sound odd coming from someone who works in #diversity and #inclusion. After all, I've spent years trying to reduce #bias in talent decisions through training, calibration meetings and awareness campaigns. But lately I find myself asking a different question: 🤔 What if the problem isn't that we're assessing potential poorly, but that we're assessing it in the first place? Earlier this week, while clearing out my inbox, I came across an article my manager Courtney Bass Sherizen had sent me: "The Leadership Divide" by Hogan Assessments – and it put words to something I've been thinking about for a while. The article highlights a frustrating reality: the qualities that help people get promoted are often not the qualities that make them effective leaders. ↠ Confidence gets mistaken for competence. ↠ Charisma for capability. ↠ Visibility for value. And because "potential" is often loosely defined, we end up relying on subjective impressions about who looks like a future leader. And that's where bias thrives: because concepts like "executive presence", "leadership potential" and "readiness" are often vague enough for #stereotypes to fill the gaps. Look around your organisation: Who seems confident? Who seems strategic? Who feels like leadership material? We rarely ask whether we're evaluating demonstrated capability or simply rewarding familiarity. This is one reason I increasingly prefer anchoring talent discussions in evidence of #performance rather than predictions of future greatness. While performance reviews are far from perfect, at least they assess proven behaviour: unquestionably easier to examine, challenge and calibrate than speculation about the future. A few practical questions to review talent processes: 1️⃣ Can every criterion be observed and evidenced? 2️⃣ Are we rewarding demonstrated behaviours or perceived future promise? 3️⃣ Could two leaders define "potential" in the same way? 4️⃣ What decisions would change if performance carried more weight than prediction? 5️⃣ Are we promoting people because they are effective, or because they fit our mental image of a leader? Unconscious bias training does have its place, but sometimes the most effective way to reduce bias isn't helping people make subjective decisions better, but instead reducing how many subjective decisions we ask them to make in the first place. 💬 Does your organisation assess potential? How do you make the assessment as objective as possible? 🔗 References in comments.

Can Artificial Intelligence be racist? Rona Wang, an inspiring MIT graduate, recently shared her thought-provoking experience with artificial intelligence (AI). In her encounter with an AI image creator, Rona, an Asian-American, sought to generate a "professional" headshot for her LinkedIn profile. However, she was taken aback when the AI-generated image presented her with features that resembled those of a Caucasian individual, with lighter skin and blue eyes. This incident has prompted quite a few conversations about whether the AI was racist... However, I think we need to realise that AI today is merely a reflection of the biases of its human creators! AI is not intelligent on its own, rather, it operates as an aggregator of the data it is given by humans. Currently, most AI algorithms and models are built on datasets from majority white countries, which inadvertently perpetuate their biases. This leads to the biased outcomes shown in Roma's experience, where "professionalism" is associated with specific skin and eye colours. I don't think that technology is inherently evil. Instead, I believe that Rona's experience highlights the need for increased diversity and inclusion in the development of AI and future technologies. All humans have biases and it's only by working and learning together that we can effectively address them. Especially as AI is becoming more and more mainstream, we need to recognise incidents like Rona's as cautionary tales, as biases like these can lead to far greater consequences as AI grows. By centring inclusion and diversity, we can mitigate the risk of perpetuating unconscious biases and ensure that technology serves everyone equitably. I believe that together we have the power to shape AI into a force for positive change. #AI #Diversity #Inclusion #Equity #Equality #Intersectional #Culture #Technology #Discrimination #Race #Racism #ArtificialIntelligence #ChatGPT #OpenAI #Midjourney #StableDiffusion #Tech #Ethics #Bias [Image Description] A square image with text and two photos beneath the text. The text reads "An MIT student asked an AI to make her LinkedIn headshot more "professional". It gave her lighter skin and blue eyes." The two photos are of Rona Wang, an Asian-American girl wearing a maroon t-shirt. The left photo is her original photo where she has dark brown eyes and hair. The right the AI-generated photo where she is edited to have lighter skin and blue eyes.