Black lives won't matter — let alone other underrepresented peoples — unless corporate America integrates inclusion with diversity.
The CEOs who were outraged by yet another episode of black suffering acted righteously after the video of George Floyd dying at the knee by a police officer was released. They voiced social justice to the public by vowing to do better than offering their condolences. Merchants of many prominent auto parts consumer brands like NASCAR, Walmart and Target know that silence would alienate their organizations from America's multifold customer base.
As a predominately white, straight industry, management leaders have an opportunity to challenge our stakeholders to include all sexual orientations, races, religions and handicaps at all levels in the workforce. Exclusion and isolation could drive talented individuals away and possibly worse, undermine the auto care industry's relationship with the marketplace.
Consider one example of a diverse work setting that fell short of full inclusion. A gay young man and two African Americans who worked alongside me in a former role drew a secretive criticism from our director. He viewed my male colleague as too strange for the department and judged that my peers were not pulling their weight as effectively as their white counterparts. I felt compromised when my boss urged me to keep tabs on all three of my peers. Specifically, he ordered me to blind copy him on my email exchanges with them. Periodically at times, I noticed they were excluded from meetings they needed to attend and received an insufficient briefing on matters that they required to function.
Within 12 months, they departed, and even earlier, I, too, resigned my position to seek a more welcoming environment. Hopefully the company culture has improved since my departure.
Now take a productive example when diversity meets inclusion. Located in the heart of San Francisco, Repair Pal's 65 employees actively use their collective brain trust to develop their fast-growing repair shop app. Across the diversity spectrum, says Jill Trotta, vice president of marketing, at least half of the employees are LGBTQ and black or brown. Trotta cheerfully describes herself as a Latina and gay. Yet how contributors at Repair Pal view each other's identity is irrelevant.
All that matters for Trotta, a factory-certified technician who has been in the automotive aftermarket since 1994, is that her direct reports deliver their consumers unfettered access to a continental network of automotive service shops. Mindful as Repair Pal is on seamless inclusion, Trotta suggests that this software outfit that incorporates racial and gay pride into its company goes too quiet about their values.
Righteously so, other leaders have spoken up that inclusion is not just simply a nice thing say to promote goodwill. Workers at General Motors now enjoy a paid day off on Juneteenth, the holiday that celebrates African Americans' freedom from slave states 155 years ago. NASCAR took concrete steps to ban Confederate symbols at its race events and deterred fans from displaying the controversial flag on their properties. Starting immediately, Pepsico is recruiting 30 percent more candidates of color, and Walmart has broken ground to open a center on racial equality.
Unapologetic actions show great moral courage on what it means to become a corporate citizen. Jide Zeitlin, the black CEO of Tapestry, a Fortune 500 ecommerce company, told CBS Face the Nation that inclusion is a business imperative. He makes a compelling financial argument because with more differing life experiences and perspectives shared in the decision-making process, companies can produce better solutions and products. "An inclusive environment is one that encourages people to show up as themselves," Zeitlin told the talk show host in June.
Implementing this vision into practice in Zeitlin's words means "holding ourselves accountable for goals in the same way we hold ourselves accountable for revenue and profit metrics." Such progressive thinking on office equality also reinforces Zeitlin's affirmation of a recent comment made by the Federal Reserve. They state that "inclusivity translates into workforce growth, greater productivity growth and economic growth."
Similarly speaking, Repair Pal's dynamic culture encourages folks like Jill Trotta and her team to participate in the aftermarket as themselves. Thanks to Repair Pal's staffing makeup physically stationed in the Bay area, the internet firm is ideally nested to model the nation's most culturally rich cities as a working laboratory to scale up across the continent. So, there is no reason why more segments of the industry can’t join this cause.
Unsure on how to show solidarity with corporate social justice? Here is a list that summarizes what Facebook, Estee Lauder, IBM, Adidas — and many more — have accomplished.
- Partner with LGBTQ and minority-owned businesses by strengthening bonds with industry trade groups and banks and investing in start-ups to create management jobs for advancement.
- Encourage trade groups and their members to pledge support to ensure that all underrepresented peoples get protected against bias and bullying in the workplace.
- Donate free time and mentor outreach for young non-white and LGBTQ peoples who are starting a career in the automotive aftermarket.
- Establish academic and trade school funding directed at these underrepresented groups to build a promising career.
Setbacks involving exclusion or isolation at work can occur at any time that may degrade the company's ability to function. Resistant companies that insist on holding onto their homogenous identities may inevitably struggle and, even worse, appear antiquated in the eyes of the public. Remember who has the power of the purse strings to shop wherever they want. That's why upfront activism that guarantees professional advancement by the employer best serves the aftermarket.
All that we need are more companies like Repair Pal to freely visualize what their all-inclusive worlds will look like as the industry finds its footing in the post-coronavirus era. I look forward to hearing from leadership teams that are making good on their mission of cultivating a participatory working environment.
Source: New York Times, Wall Street Journal
