Creating Safe Space (Aisha Blake)

Creating a Safe Space

Embracing Diversity in the Workplace

Hello! A Quick Introduction to This Talk (and Me!)

Aisha Blake @AishaBlake | aishablake.com

•  Front-end web developer

•  Teacher of adults and children alike

•  Co-organizer of GDI Detroit

•  Dog enthusiast

•  Coding boot camp curriculum writer

I live in Detroit.

It’s a growing tech hub!

The sad thing is…

We’re not all that diverse. v  Women hold about 26% of tech jobs.

v  The percentage of employees at large tech companies who identify as black rests consistently around 1-2%.

v  Only about 3% of people employed in the information industry report having a disability.

We’re also pretty biased. v  Nearly universal

v  Prove it again!

v  The “brogrammer” culture

Second-Generation Bias v  Lack of role models

v  Stereotypical career paths and tasks

v  Restricted accessibility to networks, mentors, and other forms of professional support

v  Cultural expectations lead to assumptions

But there’s hope! v  Recruitment

v  Onboarding

v  Culture

v  Responding to bias

Recruitment

The Token Hire v  A person who is brought into a company dominated

by members of a group (or groups) to which they do not belong

v  “Look how diverse we are!”

v  Set up to fail

Some More Numbers v  Women earn just 12% of computer science

degrees.

v  GDI Detroit v  Over 100 meetups v  Over 1,700 members

v  >50% of students in the first week of Hour of Code were girls

It’s not all about numbers. v  More than meeting a quota

v  Happier employees = less turnover

v  Richer idea generation

Support Education v  Get ‘em young!

v  Traditionally underrepresented in college

v  Challenge expectations

Reach out for help! v  You might get it wrong.

v  That’s okay!

v  …But it means you have to try something different.

v  Approach underrepresented groups in a way that’s v  Respectful

v  Mutually beneficial

Women Rising

Trans*H4CK

Sisters Code

AlterConf

Onboarding

You hired someone!

Team Debt

Clarify your process. v  Technical skills

v  What do I need to be able to do?

v  Company Processes v  What are our values?

v  What does the average workflow look like?

v  Personal Development v  How are we working towards my professional goals?

v  Where do I fit on the team?

Write a CoC. 1.  Do your research and look at examples.

2.  Get input from HR.

3.  Get (anonymous) input from the team.

4.  Form a committee to actually draft the document.

5.  Get more input and refactor.

6.  Try it on for size!

Be consistent. v  Birds of a feather flock

together, right?

v  Relying on social ties for information can result in new employees feeling (and being) less productive.

v  A consistent onboarding process helps ensure a level playing field.

Culture

Exercise!

Exercise! 1.  Pair up with someone close by.

2.  For 30 seconds, one person will speak and the other will listen while maintaining steady eye contact, but not necessarily trying to focus on the speaker’s words. •  (Try to speak softly so that everyone can hear their

partner!)

3.  When I call time, switch roles. Now the speaker will listen and vice versa.

What just happened? v  Was it difficult to avoid focusing on the speaker’s

words? v  Why might that be (or not)?

v  As the speaker, how did knowing the other person wasn’t really paying attention affect you? v  Did it have any bearing on what you chose to say?

v  Did you feel any discomfort?

v  How can we apply this experience to interactions in the workplace?

Feedback v  “You’re doing it wrong. Fix it.” is not helpful.

v  Be specific about what you DO want.

v  Avoid unnecessary questions.

Goal Setting v  Each individual should be working towards SMART

career goals.

v  Consider establishing formal goal setting sessions with a mentor or manager on a quarterly basis.

v  These are goals, not assignments.

One-on-Ones v  Weekly or biweekly check-ins with a manager or mentor.

v  These sessions can be used to determine how a team member is doing and what direction to go from there.

v  Possible discussion points: v  What sorts of roles would you like to take on?

v  Do you feel connected to the team and the industry?

v  What skills do you want to improve?

v  How would you describe your current role on the team?

Responding to Bias How can we move forward when things don’t go according to plan?

Pulse Check v  Who’s on board with the company culture?

v  Who does it benefit and who does it ostracize?

v  Is anyone currently experiencing bias in the workplace?

v  What are metrics you can use to measure equity?

Consistency! v  Look back at the documents that everyone has

previously agreed upon and follow those.

v  We tend to stay away from things that are hard and/or uncomfortable. v  This doesn’t help and it’s not sustainable.

v  Design a system ahead of time.

Non-Retaliation v  Policy should be clearly outlined and accessible

v  Whenever possible, maintain confidentiality

Discussion v  Amplify the voices of underrepresented groups.

v  Even being willing to have the conversation is HUGE.

v  Be mindful, part of the problem is that speaking up can feel (and be) dangerous.

Almost Done!

Resources v  What Works for

Women at Work by Joan C. Williams & Rachel Dempsey

v  The Diverse Team by Ashe Dryden

Remember…

Questions? @AishaBlake

aisha.g.blake@gmail.com