This Black History Month, let's shift to active allyship in the workplace

This month we're thinking about...

Black History Month, and how companies can move from passive observation to active engagement and allyship in the workplace.

Black History Month is more than just planning corporate events that highlight stories and experiences around race and Black identity, or spotlighting your Black employees. It’s a reminder for workplaces to continue to help people recognize and disrupt their own biases—and continue to foster a more equitable and inclusive environment. Companies can do this by:

· Taking both gender and race into account when setting representation targets, and holding senior leaders accountable for progress in meeting these targets.

·Putting formal sponsorship/mentorship in place for Black employees.

·Training managers on how to support employee career development and combat bias in promotions and everyday interactions.

·Requiring diverse slates for hiring and promotions, establishing clear and consistent evaluation criteria before review processes begin, and providing reminders about avoiding bias before hiring and performance reviews.

·Providing comprehensive and actionable ally ship and antiracism training.