Are you a woman of color who has been called aggressive or too opinionated?
Do you have a fear of how you might be perceived if you make changes to your hair or your dress? Have you felt pressured to take on more work out of fear of having your work ethic scrutinized?
If you're a woman of color reading this article, these scenarios may be familiar. If you're a white person reading this article, I implore you to keep reading to understand how being a woman of color in a predominately white workplace has both an emotional and psychological tax. As white people think about how to be better allies to people of color in the workplace—white people should also evaluate how their actions and behaviors impact people of color and their sense of psychological safety.
What Is Psychological Safety?
Amy Edmondson, a Harvard Business School Professor, coined the term "psychological safety."
Psychological safety is the belief that a person will not be condemned or ridiculed for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes.
When psychological safety is present in the workplace, employees don’t worry about threats to their safety, sense of self, or status or position when they engage in behaviors like speaking up, seeking feedback, admitting errors or mistakes, or expressing dissent.
These threats are varied and can take on different forms—like disrespect, ridicule, and rejection.
Psychological safety in the workplace is critical, as it not only helps with retention and job satisfaction, but it also helps boost team morale and productivity. The 2018 Global Talent Trends study by Mercer revealed that employees desire managerial support for their psychological and emotional well-being in the workplace.
Psychological Safety for Women of Color in the Workplace
It should not come as a surprise that many of the events and actions that threaten the physical and psychological safety of women of color also play out in the workplace.
Women of color often experience stigmatization when they assert themselves or express dissenting views in the workplace.
They may have their credibility questioned when they ask questions. Additionally, women of color also report feeling the need to work twice as hard as their white colleagues—and to take on more work out of fear that people will think they're undeserving of their current role or stature.
Research from the Center for WorkLife Law at the University of California Hastings College of the Law suggests that women of color often wind up with worse assignments than their white counterparts, which hinders their ability to be promoted. Office housework can take on the form of scheduling meetings, managing everyone’s else schedules, and planning co-worker gatherings.
The Expectation of Self-Sacrifice for Women of Color
Women of color are often perceived to be more self-sacrificing and often must sacrifice their own time and needs for the benefit of the team.
While office housework may boost employee morale—it's a time drain, and it takes time away from more high-impact duties that can lead to promotion.
When someone is put in a constant position to take on these responsibilities, it can be psychologically and emotionally taxing and cause burnout and resentment.
Women of color have high aspirations to be successful at work—so outworking and outperforming their white colleagues is a familiar experience for many of us. There is nothing wrong with high-performing employees—but if there is undue pressure placed on women of color to overperform, what happens to their mental, emotional, and psychological health when workplace pressure is too much to bear?
If women of color constantly find themselves in workplaces where they must defend their character and work ethic, be cautious of what they say, and refrain from making mistakes—this creates compounded stress. Their mental energy is no longer focused on performing well in at work but on simply trying to survive and protect their own psychological safety.
This is challenging and virtually impossible. So how do we fix it?
1. Encourage Curiosity and Failure
A work environment that promotes knowledge development is an excellent way to ensure employee engagement and retention. Managers need to foster a culture where employees feel comfortable asking questions. This can be done by instituting a specific practice in meetings where everyone is able to share feedback or ask questions about a new process or procedure.
It's also important to include other methods for employees to share feedback and ask questions, like using Slack or other virtual chat platforms.
Managers should conduct one-on-one meetings with employees and ask questions about what they hope to learn and what skills they want to gain in order to advance in their position.
Many people are often scared to make mistakes in the workplace out of fear that they may be stigmatized or, even worse, have their position terminated.
Employers must lead by example when demonstrating the importance of failure. Managers should be transparent, humanize the experience of failure, and openly admit when they're responsible for mistakes. From there, they should address what they learned from them.
This helps employees feel more comfortable in also addressing their mistakes as well. By discussing the benefits of failure, you foster a culture of curiosity and innovation.
2. Empower Women of Color to Share Their Voice in the Workplace
What makes a good ally in the workplace? Being perceptive and aware of how your actions and the behaviors of others impact women of color in the workplace.
- Are you paying attention to how much everyone talks in a meeting?
- Who is dominating the conversation, and who is rarely speaking?
- Who is constantly interrupting someone, whitesplaining, or taking credit for someone else’s ideas?
This skill takes a lot of time, and you must rely a lot on intuition. Some of the best managers are perceptive and observe team dynamics and how people position themselves in conservations.
If you notice that women of color aren't speaking up or are constantly interrupted—you should publicly reiterate the importance of all voices being heard at the table in real-time.
You should also institute the “everybody speaks” activity—which involves having everyone go around the room to give feedback.
When women of color suggest ideas in the workplace, publicly praise and acknowledge them in front of the team. Convey how you'll support their idea. Foster a culture of support so other people feel inclined to be bold in their advocacy for women of color.
3. Encourage Self-Care for Women of Color
Managers must understand that working in a predominately white workplace can be mentally and emotionally exhausting—and self-care for women of color means taking time away from work to rejuvenate and seek refuge.
Women of color may feel less reluctant to take time off because of their heavy workload or fear that their time off may be scrutinized, even while white colleagues take vacation time.
Encourage women of color to take mental health days, and ask how you can support them while they're away or make arrangements to assign projects to others in their absence. This will signal that self-care is prioritized and they're supported.
Employee Resource Groups are an excellent way to ensure women of color have a safe support network in the workplace where they can discuss workplace trauma, meet other like-minded women, and get mentorship. Managers should encourage the existence of these groups in the workplace and encourage women of color to participate if they choose.
Psychological safety is the key to fostering a safe and inclusive space for women of color. If employers value and rely on their labor—they should also be concerned about their safety.
