Good Adam Karpiak thread yesterday on Twitter (based on a question asked on LinkedIn) about recruiters facing overt racism from clients and hiring managers. Here are three to five true “winners:” (these are all different communications)
So why does this stuff persist?
The core reasons would be:
- It’s largely always been this way.
- No one polices it. HR should, but are often castrated in orgs.
- The guys and gals saying these things to recruiters are perceived as “making their numbers” or “making the trains run,” and that aspect of their connection to the business is more valuable than the human/relational aspect.
- Some people really just are uncomfortable working with blacks and gays, and are not afraid to say it.
- Organizations broadly have no idea how to regulate because everyone is so focused on task work.
Can we fix it?
We’re at a moment and something is going to happen. I think the default tends to be “business as usual” — you saw that in the “red pill” debates — but I think more and more white people are starting to realize what they’ve perpetuated, so maybe it can change. I am not that confident. Rodney King, which also involved video and public outrage, was 10,693 days ago. I can’t say much has changed, and I am sure some Marty Middle Manager somewhere today will say “No sistas” to a recruiter, then receive a plaque for “leading his team through a challenging COVID period.”
But I’m hoping we start to do better.
Not a race thing, but its akin to it, I was pregnant at a healthcare organization that ran for 7 days, didn’t eat meat, and was highly religious- anyway as my pregnancy progressed I was continuously written up and counselled how my attire was “not dress code” because I needed to wear dark tights or leggings under my maternity dresses and how I would have to purchase business suits in maternity sizes if I wanted to cover my legs… just overt maternity pregnancy discrimination and harassment, they got what they wanted too I ended up so sick with high blood pressure I had to quit.
Jesus.
While recruiting for certain positions at my company, the hiring manager told me to look for BMs at a career fair. I was puzzled by the request and didn’t know what BM meant. I was just looking for candidates that met the job requirements. Later, another recruiter told me it meant Black Men. It wasn’t easy to work with that hiring manager after that.
You lost me with “guys and gals.” Trying to make a point about inclusiveness but calling women “gals” makes your points null and void. You might as well have called them boys and girls.