Leveraging ERGS to Create an Informed Workplace

By Cierra Graham, DFW*ATW ERG Committee Member

The DFW*ATW ERG Committee hosted November's Speaker & Networking Series event on November 10. The event occurred at CG Infinity in Plano with the theme Leveraging ERGS to Create an Informed Workplace: The True Face of Trauma. The event included ERG Steering Committee members from Fujitsu, CapitalOne, NTT Data, PepsiCo, Comerica Bank, and BRINKS HOME. Aries Webb-Williams, MBA , President of DFW*ATW, and Anamika Gupta , Board Member and DFW*ATW ERG Chairperson, welcomed and hosted the attendees. The guest speaker was CEO & Author Minda Harts . ERG Committee Member Pratibha Aphale, CISSP, CISM, PMP facilitated the panel featuring panelists Michael Bettinger , Dr. Sana Syed , and Michele Studer, MBA . ERG Committee Member Jigna Vaghela was the emcee of the event, supported by additional Committee Members Melani Hughes and Cierra Graham .???

Name that Tune: Corporate Greatest Hits

Do any of these sound familiar???

• "Don't rock the boat. "??
• "Keep your head down and work hard."??
• "Don't make it about race."??
• "They didn't mean any harm."??
• "You should have tough skin."??
• "That's just __________ being ________."??

Why do we give more humanity to the people causing the harm versus those receiving it? That was a question posed by our November Keynote Speaker, Minda Harts, and one that I have yet to consider myself. Allies told me all those statements and more to calm my nerves or move on from a negative situation. Minda shared how, over her nearly two-decade career, she began to normalize similar treatment and sweep traumatic incidents under the rug. An example was when a co-worker asked in a meeting, "What does the Black girl think?" referring to Minda. Our audience audibly gasped at the idea, shocked that anyone would have reason to say that. But many of us in the audience knew the plausibility of such a statement. We, too, were likely taught to sweep it under the rug and try to move on. As she further noted, we passed on tools of survival to the next generation rather than tools to thrive.

So Minda posed another question to us. How can allies set the tone of courage in these situations???

Success is not a Solo Sport - Leveraging ERGs

Listen to how others might experience a situation. ERGs create communities for people to address micro and macroaggressions within a place of safety.

ERGs should continue to work towards creating cultures of humanity, dignity, respect, and equity to create psychological safety for employees. ERGs and leaders cannot allow colleagues to do and say harmful things. Otherwise, they are participating in the oppression. Servant leadership is required to find opportunities to be better. As Dr. Syed mentioned during the panel, this isn't about checking a box - it's about integrating culture throughout the workplace.

Be a courageous listener to foster psychological safety. Create an environment where people feel safe enough to acknowledge and "say the thing". The absence of personally experiencing these situations does not negate their occurrences with others. If your first inclination is to say, "I've never experienced that, so…" when someone describes an incident to you, you cast doubt and dismiss someone else's lived experience. You are teaching that person to doubt themselves and prioritize fear of being ostracized over the courage of calling out bad behavior.

How to Heal When We are Not OK??

Panelists Dr. Sana Syed and Michael Bettinger noted how COVID has changed our lives and how we treat others. "Just look at aggressive driving on the roads…people can't take it anymore, and we are dealing with life burnout". Michael recalled how many of us were taught not to bring home to work, but now work is home and home is where we work. ERGs are vital to creating spaces for employees to have difficult conversations and support their constant journeys. An organization is only as good as its employees, so this topic is essential to everyone.

Michele Studer, one of the panelists, dived into what trauma is to the body. "Trauma can be caused by an event that exceeds your nervous system’s resources. It can result in a dysregulated nervous system that is simply trying to keep you safe and it has evolved over the years". Unreconciled thoughts and feelings are unresolved trauma. Unresolved trauma needs addressing in the workplace because it bleeds between employees. We need to work on our humanity skills to overcome this, which requires companies to care about employee well-being. ERGs can be part of the solution to create safe spaces from the moment you start a job and promote well-being.

You cannot conquer what you cannot name. You can start the healing process for yourself and others by acknowledging what is happening. Document incidents to prevent a state of paranoia and eliminate guessing from what you experienced. You can focus on having conversations on facts, not feelings.

Bring your healthiest self to the workplace, and the authenticity will embed itself in the things you say and how you act. You cannot control what colleagues do, but you can control how you see yourself.

Finally, Minda shared that healing is a lifestyle, not a one-time thing. It takes work to show up for yourself and realize that in every room, you belong, but not every room deserves you. Could you learn to let people know where the bar is and keep your dignity while fostering a culture of respect? Over time you can learn to "say what you mean without saying it mean".

For more background on Minda and her incredible journey to healing from racial trauma, check out her book Right Within: How to Heal from Racial Trauma in the Workplace. Be sure to pre-order her upcoming release; You Are More Than Magic: The Black and Brown Girls' Guide to Finding Your Voice. Continue your healing journey today.?

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