Workplaces suck! But they don’t have to.

Welcome to Simply Diversity. This bimonthly letter breaks down key diversity concepts and explains how you can apply them... simply. There are plenty of terms heard ‘round the Internet as we prioritize diversity, inclusion and belonging in everything we do. This newsletter explains what these concepts are, why they’re important, and how to practice them.?

Workplaces suck.

There, I said it.?

This realization has been creeping on employee after employee for months now: my job is terrible. Why am I tolerating it??

So here we are in the Great Resignation. But “resignation” is the wrong word for what we’re going through. So what’s really going on, and what can you do as an employer to address it?

Break it down:?

The Great Resignation should be called the Great Reevaluation.?

Workplaces being terrible is nothing new as a community and culture, we’ve been tolerating toxic workplaces. WHY!?

Inertia is powerful. “This is just the way things are,” we were told. And if you are an underrepresented person of color, we’ve experienced this is the way things are for us.

Then a global pandemic forced us to realize, wait, I don’t have to commute for two hours every day? I don’t have to wear a suit to do my job well? I don’t have to tolerate microaggressions to my face every day??

The Great Resignation is merely a symptom of a Great Reevaluation of Life’s Priorities. No, Employer, your workplace is NOT my priority! The top of my priority list is for my health, my mental health, my children, my partner, my happiness.?

It’s not just us, either: Naomi Osaka quit the French Open — her “job” — to protect her mental health. A few weeks later, Simone Biles did the same. Two of the world’s highest-performing athletes — and two women of color — have unwittingly become leaders in the Great Reevaluation.?

Do Something Different:

If you’re having a hard time recruiting or retaining employees, it is a glaring sign that your workplace sucks — whether it’s the place, that one department with high turnover, the culture, or hell, even the parking!

But it’s not universal: some companies will barely feel the Great Reevaluation because they have a terrific work culture. I’m thinking of companies like Netflix, Zoom, and UKG (thanks to one of my former students at Pepperdine for the research).?

But if you’re bracing yourself for the Great Reevaluation, it’s past time to take ownership and responsibility for making your workplace better.?

I see leaders missing this opportunity over and over again. Just last month, the CEO of gaming company Activision Blizzard screwed up such an opportunity.?

Inertia is powerful, but only leadership makes change.

If you’re curious how we can help you make your culture and workplace better, book an appointment with us.

What are you reevaluating right now? How about your family or friends? Let me know the trends you’re spotting in the comments — I’ve shared one of my own, and I love hearing from you.

About Stacey Gordon and Rework Work:

Stacey Gordon is Executive Advisor and Diversity Strategist of Rework Work where she and her team coach and counsel executive leaders on DEI strategies for the business, while offering a no-nonsense approach to unconscious bias education for the broader employee population. Stacey’s unconscious bias course has consistently been the second-highest viewed course on the LinkedIn Learning platform and it has also been translated into at least four languages. You can find Stacey’s book, UNBIAS: Addressing Unconscious Bias at Work, at Amazon, Barnes & Nobles, and wherever books are sold.