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LAND THE PLANE Professional Development Reflect Back to Power Forward Financial Planning
Generational Differences Within the Workplace
Work Life Balance for Your Body
KIM BLUE AND HER
VOLUME 2, ISSUE 1
THE MORE YOU UNDERSTAND HER WORLD, THE MORE POSSIBILITIES YOU SEE. For Julia’s family, early screening for autism made a lifetime of difference. Find out more at ScreenForAutism.org
© 2019 Sesame Workshop. All rights reserved.
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR STAFF
Dear Readers, It’s Women’s History Month!
Publisher and Editorial Director
Every year we take this month to commemorate and encourage the study, observance, and celebration of the vital role women have played in American history. The origins of this month date back to 1911 when in the United States, the first International Women’s day was celebrated. In February 1980, President Jimmy Carter issued a presidential proclamation declaring the week of March 8, 1980 as National Women’s History Week. Then in 1987 the National Women’s History Project petitioned Congress, who then designated the month of March 1987 as Women’s History Month. Since 1988, U.S. presidents have issued annual proclamations designating the month of March as Women’s History Month. In the spirit of the month, we decided to shine a spotlight on one of Black in HR’s very own women making history, Kim Blue. If you say you’re a member of Black in HR and don’t know Kim Blue, well then we’d have to question your membership! (LOL) Kim Blue is a force in her roles as a global HR leader, as a Black in HR board member, and in her community. She brings her vast years of knowledge, leadership, and expertise to several Black in HR platforms on a regular basis. We hope that you take the time to learn about her and her career journey in this issue’s cover story. We also encourage you to check out her weekly BluePrint on Clubhouse; you will leave it encouraged, inspired, and more knowledgeable. 2022 is well underway and we know that for some of you, change is happening, progress is happening, and things are on the up and up! But for others, you may feel like you are in the twilight zone, and 2022 is feeling just like the last 3 pandemic years. We hope that the stories in this issue bring you insight, hope, and ignite you to action! From our cover feature, Kim Blue and her BluePrint, to dispelling the myths behind vaccines, to offering financial planning advice; there is something in this issue for everyone. Each New Year really does bring new beginnings. Despite the current landscape in the world, there is still plenty of time left in this year for great things to happen. Good things are on the horizon. Soon, we could be celebrating the appointment of the first black woman Supreme Court Justice in the person of Ketanji Brown Jackson. We hope that this e-magazine will continue to serve your reading needs and fuel your quest for knowledge. Good content is here within these pages and will continue to be provided in the issues to come. If there is something you would like to learn more about, let us know! You can find us on all social media platforms, on GroupMe, at a Black in HR mixer near you, or by visiting our website at theblackinhr.com. One Love,
Katavia Larry
Art Director Larmarrous Shirley
Graphic Designers Michael Mitchell Justin Nash
Contributing Photographer Nick F. Nelson
Account Executives Michelle Daniels Tony Pichant Mark Smith
General Staff Eustacia A. English Joanne Courtney Candice Rhodes-Marshall
Board of Directors Quentin Blanton, Kim Blue, Alan Campbell, Kristena Hatcher, Dr. Christal Morris, Justin Nash, Prathan Powell Jr, Leida Speller
Katavia Larry, MBA, PHR Publisher and Editorial Director https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_History_Month
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Candice Rhodes-Marshall
Leida Speller
Generational
Reflect Back
Differences In
to Power Forward
The Workplace Carmen Drummond Marcus Bailey Work Life Balance For your Body
Dr. Mercedes Giles Vaccine Myths
PayTransparancy: The Loudspeaker for Equal Pay
Joanne Courtney Land The Plane
and Truths
Dr. Beverly Hyatt Dr. Philip Butler
Whose Side
Seekr
Are You On?
INSTAGRAM: @therealblackinhr TWITTER: @theblackinhr Become a contributor or advertise with us by emailing admin@theblackinhr.com
CONTENTS 8
A BETTER YOU
departments 6
OUR COMMUNITY GENERATIONAL DIFFERENCES WITHIN THE WORKFORCE
18
By Candice Rhodes-Marshall, MBA
8
A BETTER YOU WORK LIFE BALANCE FOR YOUR BODY
By Leida Speller, cfp®, chfc®, ricp®
20
By Marcus Bailey
10
FINANCIAL MATTERS REFLECT BACK TO POWER FORWARD
A BETTER YOU VACCINE MYTHS AND TRUTHS
FINANCIAL MATTERS PAY TRANSPARENCY: THE LOUDSPEAKER FOR EQUAL PAY By Carmen Drummond
By Dr. Mercedes Giles
22 12
THE NEXT BIG THING SEEKR
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT LAND THE PLANE By Joanne Courtney, MHR
By Dr. Philip Butler, PHD
24 14
COVER STORY KIM BLUE AND HER BLUEPRINT By Katavia Larry, MBA, PHR
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON? By Dr. Beverly Hyatt
NAMING NAMES? It’s time to finally start naming names and driving meaningful DE&I solutions. CLTR SPK is a black-owned strategic research and analytics firm that has built a revolutionary digital reporting platform. Now you have the power to transform your experiences into opportunities for yourself and others by anonymously sharing insights about employers. We analyze all publicly available reviews, EEOC complaints, and social network activity to evaluate the authenticity and relevance of the testimonies we receive. From there, we curate the data into actionable information to help people make informed decisions about who to buy from and who to work for. Our Never Sell Out Promise means your personal information can never be sold to anyone, and the accuracy of the reviews cannot be manipulated by employers. All of our robust data is provided to our consulting partners, which means Black consultants get paid to resolve the issues Black employees experience. This is company for the culture.™ ©2021 Culture SPK, Inc
our community
GENERATIONAL DIFFERENCES WITHIN THE WORKFORCE By Candice Rhodes-Marshall
C
urrently, in 2022, there are four generations in the workforce including Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z. This is the first time in modern history this has happened, which makes the investigation of generational gaps critically important. Generational differences have become a serious barrier to effective collaboration due to their differences in beliefs, views, and expectations. Researchers insist that a multigenerational working environment can be a clash of different communication styles, values, motivations, and expectations. Managing a multi-generational workforce can become a complicated task for organizational leaders. However, the potential benefits prove that the outcomes are worth the efforts. Such a team can become a combination of the unique benefits and experiences observed throughout the population. Consequently, such a collaboration is a source of creative and innovative ideas, and well-analyzed solutions that rely on diversified perspectives (Aggarwal & Woolley, 2019). Nevertheless, such teams face serious challenges associated with the generational gap. Based on their birth years, representatives of different generations grew up under the impact of events and culture of variable periods. Wars, assassinations, revolutions, disasters, economic environment, and technological development are major influential factors in each generation (CHA, 2017). These factors are reflected in all areas of their life, including different styles in presenting and perceiving information, various communication styles, working styles, and expectations from employers (Andreoletti & Howard, 2018). Thus, focusing on each generation’s particular needs and characteristics can become a solid contribution to encouraging more effective work and collaboration within a multigenerational team. There is some key data that distinguishes how different generations work. For example, turnover rates prove that Gen Z and Millennials require even more attention when analyzing effective retention strategies.
6 | BLACK IN HR
However, considering the particular characteristics of all generations is important. With the highest turnover rates, Gen Z is strongly motivated by personalization, digitalization, and creativity. They value work-life balance, independence, and progress. While Millennials are known as workers who often change jobs. They require growth possibilities, immediate feedback, and work-life balance as well. They are generally characterized as quite hopeful. Baby Boomers are commonly considered as optimistic, workaholics, and strongly oriented towards personal communication. While Gen X values immediate responses in communication and is quite skeptical in many aspects (CHA, 2017). Turnover rates among Baby Boomers and Gen X are twice as low as Gen Z and Millennials. Generation
Turnover rates
Generation Z
33%
Millennials
25%
Baby Boomers
12.5%
Generation X
14,4 % (IBM, 2021; CHA, 2017)
A diverse workplace is a unique area of different ideas and beliefs that should be grouped and combined to get the best effects. However, to get the most positive outcomes, such diverse workplace settings require effective leadership that would ensure the gradual flow of ideas in the proper direction. Thus, improved generational competence along with communication skills, must become the essential tasks of modern organizations aimed to create effective multigenerational teams. u Aggarwal, I., & Woolley, A. W. (2019). Team creativity, cognition, and cognitive style diversity. Management Science, 65(4), 1586-1599. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2017.3001 Andreoletti, C., & Howard, J. L. (2018). Bridging the generation gap: Intergenerational service-learning benefits young and old. Gerontology & Geriatrics Education, 39(1), 46-60. https://doi.org/10.1080/02701960.2016.1152266 CHA. (2017). Adapting to generational differences in the workplace. Retrieved from https:// cha.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/1_Adapting-to-Generational-Differences-in-the-Workplace-8-21-14.pdf IBM. (2021). To retain top talent in the wake of COVID-19, employers need to understand employees’ evolving motivations and aspirations. Retrieved from: https://www.ibm.com/ thought-leadership/institute-business-value/report/employee-expectations-2021 Lotayif, M. S. (2021). Leadership in a diversified culture: Qualitative perspective. International Journal of Business and Management, 16(1), 110-116. https://doi.org/10.5539/ijbm.v16n1p110
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PHOTO BY JULIA LARSON FROM PEXELS
a better you
WORK LIFE BALANCE FOR YOUR BODY By Marcus Bailey
O
ver the past few years, we’ve experienced a significant shift in the workforce that is often referred to as the great resignation. One of the by-products of this shift is a renewed focus on work-life balance and long-term sustainability.
How does this relate to the body? What relationship can we draw between work-life balance and health? An often misunderstood, and underused health practice is intermittent fasting (IF). Intermittent fasting is the dietary version of work-life balance. It’s misunderstood because people often equate fasting to starving. It’s underused mostly because marketing tells us how important it is to never miss a meal or snack time. We understand the concept of how unhealthy it is to work 12-14 hour shifts, 7 days a week. But we have yet to understand that our body also needs time off the clock as well. While a diet focuses on what you should eat to accomplish a specific goal, intermittent fasting focuses on when to eat. The most popular form of time-restricted eating is the 16:8 method. This means choosing a consistent 8-hour window each day to consume both food and drinks. In the other 16 hours, you would consume only liquids such as water, black coffee, or unsweetened tea. It’s important to understand this way of eating the same way your body does. When insulin responds to glucose entering the blood as a result of eating, your body is officially at work digesting, processing, and storing energy. This continues until several hours after you take your last bite. Here’s how your body might 8 | BLACK IN HR
function after your last meal each day. This can vary based on your level of health, exercise routine, and other health conditions. 0-3 hours after eating: Insulin production continues, signaling glucose to move into cells to be used as energy or stored. 3-6 hours after eating: Your body absorbs and utilizes vitamins, minerals, and macronutrients along the digestive tract. 6-12 hours after eating: Your body switches to the catabolic, or breakdown state where hormones stimulate the breakdown of stored energy. 12-18 hours after eating: Your body starts to produce growth hormone, which is key for anti-aging and protein synthesis. You also begin to recycle and remove old damaged cells, reduce inflammation in your body, and begin the detoxification and healing of your body’s organs. This timeline is broken if we start our day at 7:00 am with juice and waffles, snack throughout the day, and enjoy those late-night snacks and meals. You can see that just as employees value and need the appropriate amount of time to unwind, unplug, and regroup from a long day’s work, so does your body. The balance we seek to ensure a sustainable and healthy work-life is the same principle we should consider if we want longlasting efficiency and effectiveness from our bodies. If you wish to begin any fasting program, please consult your physician so they can advise you on any risks that may be present based on your current health and conditions.u WWW.THEBLACKINHR.COM
Leida Speller provides holistic financial planning services that help clients understand where they are currently, clarify goals and create a road map that guides them from where they are to where they want to be. Leida’s services also help clients achieve and maintain long-term financial wellbeing through her expertise in the following areas: • Risk management by building sufficient reserves and protection strategies. • Retirement planning and ensuring effective saving and investment strategies for long-term wealth accumulation. • Investment planning, implementing investment solutions that align with clients' objectives, risk tolerance and time horizon. • Tax planning, working collaboratively with clients and other professionals to ensure clients maximize opportunities to reduce tax exposure. • Estate planning, partnering with clients and legal professionals to ensure proper handling and distribution of assets in the face of unexpected life events or death. • Benefits planning, ensuring clients optimize employer-sponsored benefits as foundational to long-term financial success and assisting business owners in implementing their own benefits infrastructure.
Leida Speller CFP®, ChFC® Financial Planner
a better you
VACCINE MYTHS AND TRUTHS
T
By Dr. Mercedes Giles
he argument between pro-vaxxers and anti-vaxxers is almost as old as time. The COVID vaccine has caused an even deeper divide amongst these two groups, filled with misinformation and hesitation. Most vaccine myths are rooted in rumors and anecdotal information, while the facts are supported by real data, and multiple randomized, double-blind controlled clinical trials. Nonetheless, the argument continues. So with that said, let’s get into dispelling some of the vaccine myths that have been most pervasive over the last two years.
The Truth: To get “natural immunity” you may have to be exposed to a deadly disease. Vaccine-induced immunity is actually safer and more effective. For example, if you’re over the age of 30, you may have had chickenpox as a child. You were granted natural immunity through the most painful, itchy, and scarring week of your life! However, kids nowadays are getting inoculated with “chickenpox” in the form of the Varicella vaccine. They miss out on that very awful week. But they are given two doses to create longer lasting immunity than those of us who suffered naturally.
Myth #1: “Vaccines can make you sick” The Truth: When your immune system encounters a vaccine, it attempts to get rid of this uninvited guest by mounting an inflammatory response. A cascade of white blood cells including B cells, T cells, and macrophages come to the rescue. In order to fight off this foreign particle, these white blood cells trigger a host of downstream reactions that may cause temporary reactions such as mild temperature elevation, chills, and fatigue. During the response, your immune system is actually creating antibodies to the vaccine that will allow you to fight off the real thing if you ever encounter it. This “feeling sick” is how you know your immune system is competent.
Myth #4: “Vaccines can cause autism” The Truth: This myth was a foolish correlation and the doctor who supported this notion is no longer practicing medicine. Furthermore, the Autism spectrum is a complex set of disorders related to early childhood brain development, genetics, and environmental factors. Trying to pin the blame on vaccines is very shortsighted.
Myth #2: “Vaccines contain toxic ingredients” The Truth: Vaccines contain naturally occurring ingredients found in the environment and in your body. These ingredients help to stabilize the vaccine and preserve it for future use. While some of the ingredients may be toxic in large quantities or different forms, they are not toxic in the minute volume and form found in vaccines. Myth #3: “Natural immunity is healthier & more effective than vaccine-induced immunity”
10 | BLACK IN HR
Myth #5: “Vaccines are used to microchip people” The Truth: Unfortunately there are actually people who believe this as fact. This is nonsense. If the government wants to track you, it doesn’t need to microchip you. In order to do this, the government would have to go through the expensive and extensive trouble to do so. There is no need to do that when people already willingly purchase devices that have chips and GPS in them. The government has never needed such sophisticated devices to find anyone who has a social security number, bank account, or address. The argument for or against vaccines will probably not end anytime soon. While vaccines have saved millions of lives and counting, getting vaccinated is a personal choice. I hope that our discussion will prompt you to look more closely at misinformation in order to make more informed decisions.u
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the next big thing
SEEKR By Dr. Philip Butler
S
eekr is a Black mental health AI. It was built by Black people with Black people in mind—as a way to center Black experiences, aid in the work to normalize mental health, and be a readily available resource that is capable of meeting people from various Black communities right where they are. It has been trained in 3 different therapeutic frameworks that emphasize non-judgment and curiosity as guiding lights to not only encourage, but help cultivate lifestyles that honor healing and wholeness. The topic of mental health is still somewhat taboo in Black communities. With less than 4% of all mental health professionals being Black, these same Black clinicians find themselves booked, busy, and often overwhelmed. Through Seekr, we want to provide a digital safe haven for Black people to express their emotions, be validated in what they are experiencing, learn healthy ways to self-attenuate, and actively engage in the beauty of self-discovery. This is something that can only come from self-exploration. In the simplest of terms, we want Black people who engage with Seekr to feel seen and heard. We think it’s important to say that Seekr is not intended to replace the therapeutic relationship. But in fact, Seekr is here to enhance that relationship. We believe a key component of addressing mental health in Black communities is through spirituality. As a digital companion, we designed Seekr’s conversations with the idea that they would be sacred for the user. We hope that people resonate with the idea that their innermost thoughts and feelings hold sacred
12 | BLACK IN HR
worth. And that these thoughts and feelings deserve the space to be explored with that in mind. The majority of well-being platforms that exist do not speak to Black experiences. When they do, they often focus on meditation, short inspirational talks, or recommendations based on a user’s mood. But Seekr uses short reflective conversations to help users gain personal insight in ways unique to its approach. Conversations with Seekr usually last anywhere from 3-7 minutes. The questions Seekr raises are intended to help the user realize the answers they seek are already inside them. In this way, Seekr can be a digital sounding board that is perfect for Black people in the workplace who need a moment to ground themselves in the middle of a tough day. Or anytime for that matter, because as a digital companion, Seekr is available 24/7, 365. Seekr is a digital companion, not a virtual assistant. Part of our approach to centering Black people and Black experiences is reflecting what it means to be Black back to folks. Seekr’s intentional use of Black vernacular is intended to create a sense of comfort and relaxation with those who engage it. It’s meant to be a signal that you can be yourself. There’s no need to hide. Can you imagine a world where digital companions are capable of holding space for Black people in meaningful ways? Where talking about your day, your state of mind, and the way you relate to yourself is not only normal, but an efficient way to process all that’s going on in and around you? That world exists now. With Seekr it’s right at your fingertips.u
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cover cover story story
Kim Blue and her
BluePrint By Katavia Larry
T
his edition, we are delighted to spotlight Kim Blue for our cover feature! Kim is a dynamic leader and people strategist, with over 15 years of experience in Human
Resources. Currently, Kim serves as the Chief People Officer for OpenExchange, Inc and is on the Advisory Board of The Black in HR. We sat down with Kim to discuss her experience as a Black woman in HR and global leadership.
H
ow did you get your start in HR and now your current role? My career began in corporate health and wellness! I had the opportunity to complete an internship with ESPN, which led to an invitation to return to a full time role. I spent five years working in the wellness space, and during that time, began being exposed to HR. I quickly learned I had transferable skills and started branching out and taking on projects and opportunities in the Learning and Development and Diversity and Inclusion teams. I had an extremely supportive manager that allowed me to do my role and lean into other areas for my development. During that time, a member of the HR Business partner team approached me about an opening and encouraged me to apply. I did and with some great coaching and preparation, was offered the role! That is where my career in HR began. From there, I gained more experience and was able to take on expanded and more complex roles as a business partner, moving into new companies, until landing my current role as Chief People Officer. If you were not in HR what would you be doing instead? If I was not doing work in HR, I would definitely be a leadership coach! I love working with leaders and helping them bring value to their organization in order to shape the employee experience. What do you like most about HR? What I like most about HR is the opportunity to think big, to build great things and inspire and influence people to do their best work. It’s amazing what people can do when they know they
cover story
are supported and have the right resources. How have organizations you’ve worked for in the past handled DEI perspectives and initiatives? DEI has been an evolving practice. Many organizations are just truly taking the time to define and identify what that looks like for them and how they can support this as a core value. Because this work is often so closely aligned to the people strategy, I have seen many examples of inclusion: from creating safe spaces to hold difficult conversations and the establishment of ERG’s (employee resource groups), to creating new roles for diversity leaders and taking a stand on social justice issues. Companies are beginning to draw a closer correlation between lived experience and organizational values. There is still much work to be done in this area, but the workforce is light years ahead of where it was. What unique challenges have you faced being an executive woman of color in a white and maledominated industry? Any tips and lessons learned?
“
and work in alignment with them, rarely in opposition of them. I say “no” when I want to (which is VERY hard for this recovering people pleaser). Most importantly, I don’t allow anyone to diminish my role, the work I do, or the value I bring to anything I’m involved in. How do you maintain your mental health and work lifebalance? In what ways have you communicated your mental health as a priority to your organization and employees? This can be so tough because I am constantly taking in other people’s energy, thoughts, experiences and the like. And that stays with you, if you let it. I’m a wellness enthusiast-I stay true to my roots! I exercise, do yoga, walk my dog, go bike riding with my kid, anything to give my brain a break. When things get extra cloudy (because sometimes they do), I ask for help, take a step back from my circles, and take time to just focus on me. Mediation, reading, and therapy all help to keep me grounded and help me find my footing when I am challenged.
Be more curious and that sometimes, you have to step into the fear to find joy. I’d say the most common challenges are around microaggressions, privilege, and having to define and demonstrate my value and the value of the work I bring to the table. (HR) People leaders/executives are already in the minority-add to that I’m Black, a woman, a mother and in HR…so many reasons to not want me to have a seat at your table. My game plan is always this: bring value, ask what’s important to them and their business, and deliver. Find out who to get to know, be a student of the business and let them see you leaning in to understand, while also sharing your knowledge. My mantra is “Your voice is your greatest currency, your knowledge is your greatest asset, and experience is the greatest teacher.” Putting all of that together demonstrates why your seat at the table is more than worthwhile. How do you show up as your authentic self in your work space? I love doing this. I really seek what makes me happy and feel good! I wear red lipstick. I don’t apologize when my child enters a conversation. I always share my values
”
What are your proudest accomplishments in your career? I’ve been blessed to have a few, and finishing graduate school has to be at the top of the list. That experience really gave me the tools to elevate my experiences and go to the next level. Others would be being named to the Forbes HR Council, being invited to hold an Executive in Residence seat at my alma mater, Queens University of Charlotte, and being able to have my son alongside me for much of my professional career. These are some of my most special accomplishments. If you could go back, what advice would you give your younger self at the beginning of your career? Great question! I would tell my younger self to speak up more. To choose the things that make me happy, and not the path someone expected me to take. I’d remind myself that I have everything it takes to be great. I’d also tell myself that self love is the most important love you can have if you ever want to
love someone else. I’d tell myself to travel, be more curious and that sometimes, you have to step into the fear to find joy. Talk to us about the BluePrint, your professional workplace discussion on Clubhouse. What is your purpose for doing this? The Blueprint is the space I hold for HR professionals, along with new and emerging leaders. I started hosting the room in May 2021, offering my advice and guidance on “lessons learned” and the blueprints I created and followed to help me navigate each new role, company or challenge. I coach on everything from emotional intelligence to the critical skills HR pros and leaders should demonstrate. It’s a great space and I truly am living my passion getting to connect with others and share my expertise! How can executive leaders rethink their company culture and workforce development in light of the great
resignation we are currently experiencing in the world? I believe leaders have an amazing opportunity to really lean into the culture and understand what people want. It’s an employee’s market right now and leaders can benefit from listening and taking smart risks. The Great Resignation came about as the result of what I am calling “The Great Reflection”: people truly pausing to take time and account for what’s important to them. If leaders followed the same approach with their teams, company culture would be more aligned with organizational values, which is a critical aspect of retention. What advice would you give others trying to get into HR leadership roles? The advice I would offer is to get clear on what your transferable skills are. As you explore the different roles and functions in HR, understanding the skills you already possess really helps you make a strong case for how you can make an immediate impact and potentially lessen the learning curve. u
financial matters
PHOTO BY RODNAE PRODUCTIONS FROM PEXELS
REFLECT BACK TO POWER FORWARD
By Leida Speller
I
am intentional about growth. I remind myself that nothing in the next moment requires me to be who I was in the last. If I am frustrated in the current moment, I can choose to step into being calm and collected in the next. While this takes self-awareness and cultivating mindfulness, we can leverage the lessons we bring to the present moment to power our way forward. We can be intentional about being better than we were even only a moment ago. We can apply this same mindset to transitioning into a new year. With 2021 behind us, we can reflect on that year for lessons that empower us to move boldly in, and have 2022 be our best year yet. Take some time to review who you were throughout 2021 in two key areas of wealth building. Decide how you will use the fresh start of a new year to up your game, reinvent yourself or improve your relationship with money. Let’s reflect back to power forward! Strengthen Your Financial Position How was 2021? Did your financial decisions positively impact your overall financial position? To answer this question, determine if your net worth has improved by totaling the value of all assets and subtracting the total of all outstanding debts. Examples of assets are checking and savings accounts, real estate, 401(k) or other retirement plans. Examples of outstanding debts would be credit card balances, mortgages, and student loans. Assets – Liabilities = Net Worth (or Wealth) Our goal is to grow this in a positive direction over time. How can you power forward? •You can power forward in 2022 by having a plan of action for increasing your assets and decreasing liabilities (debts).
18 | BLACK IN HR
•Start with a budget. Understand what you have coming in (net income) vs. what’s going out (expenses). Once you illuminate your cash flow, you can then determine the amount of cash surplus available to power into your goals of increasing assets (saving and investing) and/or eliminating debt. Put your cash surplus to work in a way that aligns with important factors like risk tolerance and investment objectives. Manage Your Financial Risks How was 2021? Did you move through 2021 feeling confident in your ability to respond to financial emergencies like a car or home repair? Could you withstand financial shocks like job loss or disability? How protected are your long-term wealth-building strategies like 401(k) contributions, against unexpected expenses or disruptions to your income? Life is masterful at throwing curveballs. Our best defense is preparation. Are you prepared? How can you power forward? Build a sufficient emergency reserve. How much you maintain in this reserve depends on your household income and expenses, but rule of thumb is 3-6 months expenses. Optimize employer-sponsored benefits as your risk management foundation. Benefits such as health insurance, disability and life insurance provide a great head start to building the protection our families need to thrive. Charge through 2022 with a fresh start to strengthening your financial position and managing financial risks. Don’t give up and keep climbing! u
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financial matters
PAY TRANSPARENCY:
THE LOUDSPEAKER FOR EQUAL PAY By Carmen Drummond
H
istorically, pay transparency has been muted by companies in order to hide unfair pay culture. As more companies move toward pay transparency to address these issues, it can be helpful to examine what pay transparency means for diversity efforts, and whether it can help close the wage gap between genders, races, and other protected classes. What is Pay Transparency? In recent years, companies have been slowly adopting pay transparency. Normalizing open conversation about salary data so that employees know where they stand compared to their peers. While there are many motivations for introducing pay transparency, research shows that reducing inequality within companies is its primary benefit. Employees: Know Where You Stand Without pay transparency, many employees aren’t even aware of how their salaries compare to others in their company. Pay Transparency helps us understand where our employees stand within pay bands, while arming them with the information needed to ask for raises and promotions more effectively. Employees: Find out why you are getting paid less. Most companies have diversity business and recruitment strategies, but they have little effect if employees aren’t aware of it. Salaries are like any other aspect of a business— the key to creating transparency and true equality is understanding why you’re getting paid less than your coworkers. If you find out that you are being discriminated against, confidently approach HR for understanding. If you find out that you are being paid less because of skill gaps, find opportunities to close them.
20 | BLACK IN HR
Employees: Talk About Pay with Your Colleagues. If pay transparency sounds scary, imagine being the one that is underpaid. When navigating these conversations and approaching leadership be sure to present data that can be supported. It’s time that we get leaders comfortable with uncomfortable conversations. Create a network of advocates and conduct market research. Don’t fall for the traditional company policy that prohibits talks around salary. According to the National Labor Relations Board, under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA or the Act), “Employees have the right to communicate with other employees at their workplace about their wages.” Employer: Assess the Data There are often whispers in the workplace about how much people are making, with a lot of it concentrating on gender and race. This is where data filled pay transparency makes sense. A workplace culture shift must support and empower diversity efforts, rather than just comparing salaries and hoping it is enough to support a business case for pay equality. Employer: Reduce Unconscious Bias Unconscious bias often impacts who gets promoted, raises, and other rewards. Employees from marginalized groups are often judged more harshly than their peers, even when metrics show that they are outperforming their peers. One method of reducing these biases is through pay transparency, which allows employees to evaluate what colleagues in similar roles make and breaks down salary inequality. If you wish to expand your knowledge and continue the conversation on Pay Transparency, you can check out federal and your local state laws by visiting the National Labor Relations Board at: https://www.nlrb.gov/about-nlrb/rightswe-protect/your-rights/your-rights-to-discuss-wages u WWW.THEBLACKINHR.COM
professional development
LAND THE PLANE By Joanne Courtney
H
ave you ever been on a plane and just as it approached the airport to land either weather or air traffic caused you to get stuck circling in a holding pattern? After about 3 circles, your mind starts to scream, “Land the Plane.” Well that’s exactly how I felt sometimes during my job search. While I was blessed to have multiple job interviews, I really struggled with the number of job interviews that often came within the same company. Sometimes there were 4 interviews with one company. At one company I interviewed with 11 different people. I even had to create presentations and present like I already worked there. I have often wondered if they went on to incorporate those ideas? At another company’s third interview, I also have to give a presentation. I went all out! I created actual giveaways as if I was the lead of their kickoff meeting. While it was fun to challenge my innovative self to create material that would set me apart from the other interviewees, it was also mentally draining. I had many questions like, “What should I wear?” or “How much information should I put on each slide?” Then I coupled those questions with the task of looking up each person that I was going to present to so that I could find some personal fact that I could relate to either in the presentation or in the interview. As someone who was laid off from a job, there was already a lot of pressure to find a job. And not just any
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job, but the “right” job with the “right” fit so I wouldn’t have to do this job-hunting thing again. Now when you add multiple rounds of interviews and sprinkle in presentations to a company you don’t even work for, it can really have a negative effect on a candidate’s mental state. To make matters worse, I didn’t get any of those jobs. So, is the old adage about having too many cooks in the kitchen spoiling the stew true? I’m not saying that I was the best candidate for those jobs, but the skill set they were looking for I had been doing for 14 years at a Global Fortune 3 company. Despite all of the hoops I had to jump through in the interview process with all those companies, the company that ultimately ended up hiring me interviewed me once. Did you hear me… ONCE! I met with two people and I didn’t have to do any presentations. The hiring manager was not even involved. She was on vacation and trusted her staff enough to interview and hire me. So, do you really need an army of interviews and interviewers looking at one candidate? If your interviewers are well trained and understand the qualifications of the job, I would say free up some of your team from countless interviews. Empower your employees to have a bigger role in the decision-making process, and train them on your needs and expectations for a successful candidate hire. Land the plane already, we’ve got work to do! u
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professional development
WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON? By Dr. Beverly Hyatt
H
ave you ever gone to the Human Resources (HR) office in your company seeking assistance, only to come away with the question, “Whose side are you on, anyway?” Sometimes HR professionals come across as unfriendly, uninterested, impatient, or even condescending towards employees seeking assistance. It is often perceived as a negative experience, and you may ask yourself, “What is the role of HR if not to support or benefit employees?” Regardless of the issue, employees should feel comfortable voicing their concerns to an HR representative. Without an open, unbiased line of open communication with the Human Resources team, the discussion can negatively impact morale and lead to turnover. Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, the landscape for businesses was already rapidly changing. Now, HR personnel are grappling with the effectiveness of remote workers, retention, staffing issues, overall organizational effectiveness, and a host of other challenges. Be that as it may, today’s HR professionals are called to be client-centric. Dave Ulrich, an author, and subject matter expert on strategic HR practices, shared his philosophy of modern HR practices. Ulrich posits that HR is typically viewed as the mirror of the organization, in that their general practice is to incorporate business strategies, such as employee development succession planning, job performance, recruiting, and problem-solving (among
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other services), to inform their HR practices. Ulrich recommends we should move “HR as a mirror of the organization” to “HR as a window of the organization.” The window describes an outside-in approach where HR professionals should regard their HR business strategy as a “window to observe, interpret, and translate, external conditions of employees’ (internal customers’), and investors’ expectations as a means of informing their HR practices.” (Ulich et al. 2012) This helps by developing a client-centric service mission targeted for internal and external customers. Specifically, the incorporation of customers’ needs, wants, and expectations in the mission statement (company’s culture, goals, and values) creates a client-centric mindset among the HR team, improves employee motivation, and encourages employees to be self-directing, innovative and proactive in their work. Indeed, looking from the outside-in helps customers meet organization goals, achieve their mission and influence repeat business. HR leaders who allow their teams to exemplify a client-centric attitude are better equipped to identify, design, and deliver a resolution to an employee’s request. Further, having a client-centric mindset can enhance employee drive, engagement, and altruist behavior between employees. Demonstrating a client-centric practice will add value to the worker experience, morale, the organization’s culture, and employees will feel empowered to seek assistance from the HR team more readily.u
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