Race in the Workplace with Joanna Shoffner Scott, Ph.D‪.‬ Dr. Joanna Shoffner Scott

I am thrilled to share a conversation with HR expert Sandra Neuman as part of her Changing the Conversation series. The series aims to explore the power of effective communication in bridging gaps, fostering understanding, and finding common ground in our work and personal lives.

You will hear my thoughts on how to navigate roadblocks to effective communication in the workplace. We discuss a situation I encounter often in my practice, where teams need more preparation to broach sensitive topics. I emphasize the importance of trust as a crucial aspect of workplace communication.

I invite you to check out this episode to learn more about navigating workplace communication and the significance of trust in team communication.

For the final episode of the season, I had the pleasure of interviewing Sean Thomas-Breitfeld, Co-Director of the Building Movement Project. Sean shared his valuable insights on the nonprofit sector, ways to support executive leaders, and the current state of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). His expertise and dedication to this work were evident throughout the interview. Sean discussed the challenges brought on by the pandemic and recent years, including 'concept creep' and the need to preserve the real meanings of important DEI terms. He also highlighted gaps in current DEI frameworks, especially as more organizations hire leaders of color for executive positions. Sean emphasized the significance of fostering relationships within and between organizations to drive cultural change.

This week on the Race in the Workplace podcast, we are delving into the dangers of slow-moving equity work and how it impacts staff in nonprofits. Tuning in, you’ll hear about why moving too slowly is problematic, how listening to your staff’s feedback and committing to making necessary changes can help, the importance of communicating expectations, racial equity fatigue, and so much more! At the end of the episode, I offer three actionable tips to avoid the “too slow trap.”

DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) is a relatively new field facing many challenges. This week, in Season 2, Ep 10 of the podcast, I discuss the critical role of DEI in the workplace and why it’s so important to direct our collective fire as professionals toward the disruption and the dismantling of white supremacy. I explore the external forces at play, from political pressure to structural challenges and retrenchment. I also discuss how we use each other's work, particularly that of Tema Okun, whose ground-breaking work names white supremacy culture. At this moment, we can either turn that fire in on ourselves as a field, or we can direct our passion for racial justice toward white supremacy and disrupt it in all of its forms. This week's episode is an encouragement to those who do DEI-related work, regardless of title. Our work is important, and it matters.

This episode is based on a recently updated article by Joanna Shoffner Scott. It discusses the issue of staff retention for nonprofit organizations, particularly with regard to Black staff. This episode discusses strategies you can implement to retain Black talent and create a positive environment for growth. It aims to support you as you rethink your processes and the order in which you enact them. Tune in to hear more today!

In this week's episode of Race in the Workplace, I talk about what leaders of progressive organizations can do when internal dynamics slow down mission-centered work to the point of ineffectiveness. Despite the gains made from protests, advocacy, and commitments following the murder of George Floyd three years ago, many progressive organizations seem stuck. Much of the fire for a shared purpose and mission has turned inward toward leadership and other power dynamics. In this episode, I also discuss the deliberate targeting of DEI, why it has been falsely blamed for inequity, and how the disconnect between naming racism and addressing it threatens the future of progressive spaces. As always, each day is a new opportunity to make choices that move progressive organizations toward greater equity. Tune in to hear why progressive organizations need to discard old norms along with practical steps to prioritize equity inside of organizations.