Harassment, Diversity, and Inclusion in the Workplace: New Tools

This article was written by Josh Bersin and localized by Bahar Sen.

The importance of diversity, inclusion and fair treatment in the workplace goes without saying. While the "Me too" movement has gotten some attention from HR and business leaders, the problem continues to grow around the world. The EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) in the US reported a 50% increase in workplace harassment cases last year, a record high.

A new report describes the progress of the #MeToo movement. It cites more than 200 bills and 16 new state laws covering harassment and various forms of workplace discrimination. In the world we live in, racism, harassment and abuse are around every corner. Not only do we hear about sexual harassment, but politicians are far from setting a good example. Twitter has suddenly become a place for shouting things you would never say face to face.

Why is this topic so important right now?

In an important articlein the New Yorker by Kelefa Sanneh, The Fight to Redefine Racism, Sanneh cites Ibram Kendi's book Stamped from the Beginning and points out that everyone is racist to some extent.

Rules, laws and standards are what keep us in control of ourselves. I recommend you read the article: It helps us understand how polarized we are and why we need to get back to our roots in our thinking about race. Another author mentioned in the article is Robin DiAngelo, who worked withStarbuckson their 2018 training program and is the trainer for the Diversity and Inclusion program that went live in 8000 stores on May 29, 2018. DiAngelo believes that "White identity is inherently racist. This implies that rather than "training" people to behave in a certain way, Diversity and Inclusion issues should be pursued and decisions on these issues should be enforced.

It is POSSIBLE to create a safe, inclusive and respectful environment at work. Unlike in the public sphere where everything is acceptable, in the workplace we can set standards, rules and expect leaders to set a good example. But this requires data and standards. Today, thanks to some new tools, this is easier than ever before.

Same Problem, But New and Better Tools

In my more than 40 years in the business world, I have encountered a lot of mistreatment. Aggression, passive-aggressive behavior, hidden prejudices are almost an essential part of life in business. None of us intend to behave this way. But when we are under pressure in the workplace, we tend to "think as a group", which can make minorities and women feel uncomfortable and sometimes even abused.

I won't go into all of the training and compliance solutions you can develop in your company here, but suffice it to say that HR technologies are waking up to this problem. Dozens of new IT companies are offering technological solutions for diversity, bias detection and harassment. These systems will become more and more vital every day, given the trend in the US to do away with "arbitral settlement" laws .

Harassment is a particularly important issue for employers in the United States because there are very detailed laws on this issue at the state level. These federal laws say:

• Offensive behavior may include, but is not limited to; hurtful jokes, profanity, name-calling, physical assault or threats, intimidation, ridicule or mimicry, insults or belittling, offensive objects or pictures, and interference with work performance. Harassment can occur in a wide variety of situations, including but not limited to the following;
• The harasser may be the victim's manager, the manager of another department, a representative of the employer, a coworker, or someone outside the company.
• The victim does not have to be the person being harassed; anyone who is affected by the offensive behavior is a victim.
• Harassment can also take place without causing economic damage to the victim or without dismissal.

Given the way people use social media, including government employees, one could argue that social media harassment has become almost normalized. This makes it even more important for employers to recognize it. New York State has passed a new law, A08421, that expands employer responsibility and puts a strong focus on HR departments and CEOs, and is a game changer.

Interestingly, Emma Watson, the star of Harry Potter, has also announced that she has set up her own helpline in the UK. There will be more and more examples like this in the US and around the world. Before I start talking about the new tools that are already out there, let me say that before companies start looking at these tools and programs, they first need to ensure that their CEOs and executives at the top make diversity, inclusion and fairness a business priority. This is not a job to be "delegated" to HR or "assigned" to the head of the Diversity and Inclusion Department. Making the workplace a fair, inclusive and bias-free place to work is not only a legal responsibility, but also a sign of a well-run and successful organization. So please stop and start here before you run out and buy those new vehicles.

Impressive Tools and Technologies Ready to Help Us:

Technology is a great help in every aspect of life. In the workplace, technology provides a range of data, tools and secure systems for managers and individuals to self-discover problems, helps teams understand how they can work better, and helps HR managers detect and root out bias and mistreatment in a reliable and protected way. Let's take a look at a few of them.

Vault, a company founded by entrepreneur Neta Meidav, was founded on the finding that 75% of harassment cases are never reported. The company's platform eliminates the need for an external "harassment hotline" and provides employees with a highly secure, confidential and private platform where they can report issues, identify patterns of mistreatment, automatically collect evidence, and keep records for possible use in an investigation. HRAcuity and Spot are similar platforms designed for employee relationship management, while Bravely and BetterUp serve the same market with their executive coaching services using artificial intelligence.

Textio and LinkedIn and GenderDecoderoffer tools to support recruiters and managers in writing job postings that are not "sexist" or "racist" (which is an unintentional, unrecognized form of discrimination)

Pymetrics' artificial intelligence-based neurological assessment neutralizes bias in candidate evaluations. They have also opened their algorithms to everyone toavoid bias in their design . Unilever, McDonald's and many others are now using it to attract a more diverse and globally inclusive workforce.

SAP SuccessFactors and Greenhouseoffer reporting tools and interview reports that detect gender discrimination and other forms of discrimination in interview, promotion, promotion sequence and pay.

STRIVR Labs, Equal Reality, DebiasVR and others offer real diversity training by putting you directly in an uncomfortable situation to understand what biases you hold, giving managers and team leaders the opportunity to examine their own practices and behaviors.

Jopwell and Blendooroffer tailored solutions for recruiters and hiring teams to leverage AI and social tools to better attract, identify and recruit minority members across all types of businesses .

Websites such asFairygodboss, Kununu, Glassdoor and others allow you to see how employers are rated by employees on diversity and culture.

The massive HCM platform (ADP, Workday, Oracle, Ultimate Software) provides reporting and analysis tools to identify pay disparities, enabling line managers and HR departments to quickly see the different groups receiving unequal pay. There really is no excuse for large pay disparities anymore. The data alone is enough to support change.

Trust-The Most Important Corporate Asset You Own:

New laws, tools and platforms are important to provide organizations with the data, security and information they need to eliminate bias. But above all, it's about Trust. As the Great Place To Work Institute has found time and time again over the years, it's not "HR programs" or "executive training" that make companies great, but the sense of trust and responsibility people feel inside the organization.

I have done a lot of research on Diversity and Inclusion programs. While education and training are important solutions in this area, the most effective companies are those that look at inclusion, diversity and justice as "safety" programs. In other words, they treat any violation as a "preventable accident" and put in place measurement and tracking systems and training to "prevent" such accidents... Chevron, for example, uses a series of diversity committees to oversee every personnel decision (hiring, promotion, department change, pay change). Such "compliance-oriented" approaches remind everyone that "safety is their first priority".

In today's noisy world of online controversy, name-calling, racial politics and mistreatment, if you want to be a high-performing company, the one phrase you need to commit to is: "We are a caring organization." This means tackling mistreatment in a focused and determined way, investing in tools and systems to root out prejudice, and involving senior managers to ensure that every decision about people is fair.

The Edelman Trust Barometer shows that global trust in political and social institutions is at its lowest level in 30 years this year. This means we have created a world where the most trusted institutions are employers. Today's employees are deeply concerned about their jobs, so they want to see that their employers are honest, open and committed to a good cause.

Inclusion, Trust and Listening are now the Keys to Success:

Our job as managers and HR professionals is to bridge this gap by making what we do as safe and inclusive as possible. Thanks to new technological tools, it is actually easier than ever to ensure that your company is a safe, fair and harassment-free workplace. In today's environment of aggressive online conversations, this is one of the most important strategies you have for success in business.

How do you think harassment, diversity and inclusion are handled in companies in Turkey? Do you find the apps adequate? Please share your views with us.

Other Resources You May Be Interested In:

3 Ways to Reduce Gender Bias

Podcast: Emotional Inequality at Work

Podcast: The Cost of Silence at Work

Podcast: Not Being Straight with Your Manager