Giving Compass' Take:

• Here is a list of ways to incite social change in the workplace by implementing office policies that support inclusion and diversity initiatives and engage employees. 

• How can these initiatives benefit from donor capital? 

• Learn how diversity and inclusion make for powerful philanthropy. 

For many African American employees in your organization, these last two weeks feel like they’ve been 100 years long. Along with millions of people around the world, they’ve witnessed the horror of George Floyd being held to the ground by a police officer with such force on his neck that it resulted in his death.

A life was lost right before our eyes, and no one in authority did anything to stop it. Floyd’s homicide follows those of other black men and women, including Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Freddie Gray, Eric Garner, Philando Castile, Sandra Bland and many more, at the hands of those in power or in institutions of authority.

These institutional leaders, the police in this case, control the culture we experience in our neighborhoods, the very same way you control the cultural environment that employees experience in your organization.

Addressing racial injustice and improving inclusion and diversity in your organization are  about more than a prescriptive playbook; what's required is a sustained mindset shift that leads to real change. To get started, here are five first steps that you can implement right away:

  • Give your employees a chance to take a breath
  • Engage your employees in developing a long-term solution
  • Lose the platitudes and replace them with action
  • Make training more than a “sheep dip” exercise
  • Raise the focus on I&D to the CEO level

Read the full article about how to bring about social change in the office by Alaina Love at SmartBrief.