Each Of Us Has A Role To Play

The last time Trump was elected president, I thought that organizations would stop doing DEI work. If the president doesn’t like it, organizational leaders could feel justified in passing on it themselves.

Of course, some did. 

But in the weeks following the election, I received an influx of calls and emails. 

(In fairness, I live in Massachusetts, a liberal bubble for which I am grateful; most of my work is here and on the East Coast.)

Looking back now, I think many leaders recognized that they didn’t want the kind of discord that had infected politics to run rampant in their offices. They wanted to make sure their organizations fostered inclusive cultures where everybody could do their best work. 

If that was important then, it’s even more so now. 

It feels like our nation has taken a major step back, electing a government that will erode our rights further instead of opening up opportunity. 

But the election results don’t change what we know to be morally right—or what’s effective in our workplaces.

So let’s control what we can. We each have an important role to play in making change, whether it’s organizing for the next election or influencing organizational culture. 

If you’re a leader, what are your values? Your people are your biggest asset—what are you doing to ensure that each of your employees has equitable access to opportunities? How are you supporting an inclusive culture?

If you’re a manager—or a coworker—your sphere of influence is your team. How are different members feeling? Do they have a space to let down their guard with colleagues, so they don’t have to pretend everything’s okay? Do they feel confident their employer will treat them fairly, whatever elected leaders might be saying about people with their backgrounds?

The path ahead isn’t clear, and we know it won’t be smooth. Let’s each do what we can, in our spheres of influence, to create the society in which we want to live—and the companies in which we want to work.

A Do-Over

What would happen if we had a do-over?

Imagine we were structuring our society now, but with a new baseline assumption: that we recognize and value everybody who is here. 

Let’s dream. What would we put in place from the start? 

We know so much more about medicine. Why not make that as accessible as possible to everyone?

And given how much infancy matters to our long-term well-being, I would put prenatal and maternal health at the center.

While we’re at it, childcare should be a prominent part of society’s plans—including affordable ways for parents to work and take care of kids.

Education should be lavish. We’ve learned a lot about our brains and their diversity. We should make education less of an assembly line and more bespoke—so that each brain can learn the way it learns best. 

Bodies, too, are pretty diverse— we ought to build a world where every type of body can get around and participate. Every sidewalk would have been built with cuts for wheelchairs and strollers. Every workplace would provide the tools for people to contribute what they have to offer. 

They wouldn’t be called “accommodations,” because they aren’t special. They’re standard. The whole point is that the system is built to work for everyone. It goes without saying that we should build this new world without recreating the barriers, rules, and biases around skin color, gender, and sexual and romantic lives that this one put in place. 

Unfortunately, a real do-over will have to wait for us to invent time travel. So, if we want to make our systems more inclusive for all, we’ll have to do what we can to change the ones we have.

And this is hard work. 

It can be tempting to give up. You might think that a better world can’t be built—not when this world isn’t going anywhere. Maybe it’s too late. 

Or maybe you’re tempted to keep things the way they are because you do okay; the system puts you in enough of the priority groups that you can live with the rest of its flaws. But if someone next to you is treated a little differently so that they can benefit as much as you, it doesn’t mean you’re “losing” something.

Call me a dreamer, but I’m not quitting. I believe when good people come together with a plan, all things are possible. With effort, we can restructure our workplaces, communities, and society to ensure that everyone has equitable access and the opportunity to be themselves.

We may not be able to do it over. But I believe we can do it.

Four Ways Hybrid/Remote Employees Can Promote Their Careers

If you work remotely some or all of the time, you face some structural barriers to being completely included in organizational culture and professional growth. Your manager can take actions to counteract them, but you can be proactive. Here are a few tips.