Racism Negatively Impacts Mental Health
Welcome back to our continued conversation about how leaders can contribute to mental health informed workplaces. One aspect noted previously was checking in on how employees are doing, one-on-one. We shared a statistic that 40% of employees reported they hadn’t been asked by their managers how they were doing since COVID-19 started. I wonder what that number is for white leaders checking in, one-on-one, with Black employees regarding their feelings after George Floyd was killed. I ponder this question because not checking in is privilege. White leaders can choose to avoid the discomfort of addressing race. Recognizing this privilege and how racism[i] negatively impacts mental health is part of building a mental health informed workplace. I offer this blog to white leaders as a resource during a time of unprecedented mental health concerns in the workplace (onsite or remote), where racism is a major contributor.
Mental Health Symptoms Deter Performance and Engagement
Beyond making public statements, white leaders are being asked to look at how our actions may be examples of interpersonal racism (e.g., asking a Black employee to represent the views of all Black people) and institutional racism (e.g., unequal pay for Black employees) in the workplace. When we send messages that someone doesn’t belong, even subtly, it’s emotionally and psychologically damaging. The conditions are created for low self-esteem, depression, and anxiety. Symptoms of depression and anxiety are at odds with optimal work performance and engagement. Organizations cannot be at their best if some employees, based on the color of their skin, don’t feel welcome at the table, if they even have a seat.
What We Can Do as Leaders
- Engage in our own identity work. When we gain a greater awareness of ourselves and can better appreciate that we each have a unique culture, we can more easily identify our implicit biases about others.
- Understand our white privilege. White privilege doesn’t mean we haven’t struggled. It means we haven’t struggled because of our skin color.
- Educate ourselves about the history of racial injustice. The information is available. Broadening our understanding of history can help us recognize how we are complicit in maintaining systems that disadvantage Black people and advantage white people.
- Listen to Black employees’ voices. Allow your defensiveness and your suggestions to immediately fix problems to remain at the door. Develop empathy to meet their needs so that they will be honest.
- Do the work to change racist systems. Don’t ask Black employees to do this labor. They may be exhausted, and they did not create these systems.
- Pay experts of color to guide you. Many have been doing this work for free, at great emotional cost. Thank you to those who have guided me. I am a work in progress.
- Foster the leadership of Black employees. Hire experienced Black leaders and coaches to provide mentoring and support if this support is not yet available in your organization.
- Reconcile that we all have racist tendencies based on hundreds of years of explicit and implicit messaging. The impact of our behavior, intentional or not, is our responsibility.
- Create a culture where white staff identify racist behaviors. Leaving this responsibility to Black employees is an additional burden.
- Model cultural humility. Acknowledge that we don’t know everything about other cultures or how our behavior affects others.
- Be open to hearing how we impact others and take responsibility. Practice gratitude for having the opportunity to change our behavior and have a more positive impact on our employees.
- Anchor this work in a values-based organizational culture. Set guiding principles that are behaviorally based and hold each other accountable.
- Create an environment that does not seek inclusion of Black people, as it can imply incorporation into a dominant culture. Seek co-creation of an environment where every person feels empowered to share and has influence.
Racial Justice for Black Employees Creates Better Mental Health for ALL
Leaders have the power to positively impact the mental health of Black employees within the workplace. Taking the above-described steps can translate to an organizational culture that addresses all forms of bias (e.g., racism for all people of color, sexism, and transphobia). From a financial perspective, it makes good business sense. From a moral perspective, it’s the right thing to do. Addressing race isn’t easy. You may feel anxious. I am aware of my fear around getting this blog post “right”. If I don’t, I will follow my own advice. Some may decide not to be part of the solution because they are afraid to make mistakes. If you wait to do it perfectly, you may never act. I encourage you to consider that since Black people live in fear, we can face our fear. We take risks all the time as leaders. This time, when we take risks to get educated and lead for racial justice, ALL of our employees’ mental health will benefit. One thing is for sure, we won’t be doing this work alone.
Join us for our next blog as we explore additional aspects of the Mental Health Informed Workplace.
[i]- Endorsing policies or ideas that create or justify racial inequities. Ibram X. Kendi