Capítulo 4
Workplace Systems: The Infrastructure of Inequity
Workplace systems-the practices, procedures, and processes implemented to carry out organizational tasks-are primary drivers of persistent inequity. These systems perpetuate cultures of exclusion across various aspects including performance evaluation, advancement, retention, and customer service.
Performance evaluations frequently center whiteness through narrow productivity metrics and subjective assessments. During Asare's banking experience, teller performance was measured by accounts opened, transaction accuracy, and customer satisfaction-with the latter particularly problematic when white customers showed racial bias. When a white customer refused service from Asare because she was Black and preferred waiting for a white teller, this racism could have impacted her performance metrics through negative customer feedback.
Similarly in academia, student evaluations-despite research showing inherent racial bias-remain the primary assessment tool for professors, disadvantaging non-white faculty at predominantly white institutions. To decenter whiteness in performance evaluations, organizations should involve evaluators from diverse backgrounds, provide education about unconscious bias, develop standardized rubrics, implement calibration processes, and maintain ongoing training for evaluators.
Advancement and promotion processes center whiteness through unclear pathways, biased feedback systems, and stereotyping. Black employees face a "broken rung" phenomenon where they struggle to ascend from entry-level to management positions despite performance merits. Asare shares her own experience as a Black professor whose teaching was questioned despite using identical methods as her white male counterpart. When white students complained about "not learning" in her course, administrators immediately removed her from teaching without investigating these claims or considering racial bias.
Decentering whiteness in advancement requires examining how promotion systems prioritize white employees by default. Organizations must consider how unconscious bias impacts perceptions of non-white employees, particularly Asian employees who face a "bamboo ceiling" due to stereotypes about leadership traits. Effective strategies include using multiple feedback sources, examining how historical inequities manifest in current workplace dynamics, and understanding phenomena like the "Black tax" that affect how different employees experience the same compensation systems.
Customer service practices also center whiteness by prioritizing white customers' needs over those of non-white customers. Even businesses with primarily white demographics struggle with this tension-maintaining current customers while expanding to new ones. Many non-white business owners even hide their identity and use white-centered marketing to appeal to white audiences, reinforcing whiteness as the default consumer. To decenter whiteness in customer service, businesses must think beyond the default white consumer by analyzing current customer demographics, identifying underrepresented populations they're missing, and developing targeted strategies to reach these groups.
Capítulo 5
Workplace Policies: The Rules That Reinforce Whiteness
Workplace policies dictate appropriate conduct and best practices, typically outlined in employee handbooks. Many of these policies, however, center whiteness in ways that disadvantage non-white employees.
Customer service policies often protect white customers but not employees from marginalized backgrounds. When Asare worked as a bank teller and was robbed, her managers cared more about whether she'd given the robber the cash dye pack than about her mental state. A police officer even insinuated she might know the robber since they were both Black-something unlikely to happen with white individuals.
The 2018 incident where a white Starbucks manager called police on two Black men waiting for a meeting demonstrates how white feelings and comfort are often prioritized over Black people's dignity and safety. Organizations should consider how racial harm manifests in their workplace and implement clear policies protecting all customers, especially those from marginalized backgrounds.
Appearance policies frequently center whiteness through standards of "professionalism" that regulate non-white characteristics. Attorney Leah Goodridge describes professionalism as a tool to "subjugate people of color in the legal field." Black hair is often deemed "unprofessional"-like when news anchor Brittany Noble Jones was told to "tame her fro" and eventually wore wigs before allegedly being terminated over her natural hairstyle. Even seemingly neutral policies can have disparate impacts, as when Domino's Pizza's no-beard policy discriminated against Black men prone to razor bumps and inflammation when shaving.
Bereavement policies often center white American family structures. When Namitha Jacob's eldest uncle died, her company's policy covered only immediate family and step-siblings, ignoring that in Indian American culture, uncles and aunts are considered immediate family. Similarly, policies often don't account for half-siblings being viewed differently across cultures or for grandparents raising children in many Black and Latine families.
Health insurance policies in the US are centered on the white nuclear family, typically allowing only current spouses and children as dependents. This ignores different family structures common among people of the global majority, such as those caring for aging parents or grandparents.
Post-pandemic, corporate leaders have pushed employees to return to offices despite research showing most employees prefer remote or hybrid work-especially the 97% of Black workers who favor these arrangements according to a 2021 Future Forum study. Many racially marginalized employees experience fewer microaggressions when working remotely, yet leadership often prioritizes profits over people's needs.
To decenter whiteness in workplace policies, organizations must rethink what they consider "professional" by developing clear operational definitions of expectations. Many organizations maintain legacy policies without understanding why they exist. Review policies by asking: Why is this policy in place? How are we defining related behaviors? Is this policy inclusive of employees from different racial backgrounds? Involve employees in the feedback and creation process, making them feel valued and invested in the organization.
Capítulo 6
White Voices and Experiences: The Default Perspective
White voices in the workplace refer to viewpoints that reflect and uphold white-dominant cultural values and norms. This doesn't only mean white people speaking-it includes how non-white people amplify and venerate white perspectives and white-dominant culture. We're often mindful of an invisible white audience that dictates our behavior, as Chris Rock noted when saying "Don't fight in front of white people."
Meetings are common places where white voices dominate. Non-white employees frequently report feeling invisible or having their contributions ignored-particularly East Asian employees and Black women. When non-white employees do contribute, their ideas are more likely to be overlooked. Even when organizations bring in DEI consultants from marginalized backgrounds, their expert advice is sometimes disregarded in favor of what white leadership believes is "best."
White experiences are centered throughout society, from Hollywood awards to workplace recognition. Black actors typically win Oscars for roles reinforcing problematic stereotypes, like Halle Berry in "Monster's Ball" or Denzel Washington in "Training Day." Similarly, workplace awards like "Best Places to Work" use criteria based on white-dominant values without considering what makes workplaces inclusive for non-white employees.
Racial gaslighting occurs when someone from a marginalized background shares an experience with racism and has their experience questioned or invalidated. This often involves pointing to other successful people from the same racial background as "proof" that racism doesn't exist. This invalidation suggests that if some Black employees are thriving, another Black person's experience with racism must be an aberration rather than systemic.
Tone policing happens when someone tries to control how information is shared rather than engaging with the content itself. Women, especially non-white women, experience this frequently through comments like "calm down" or suggestions to reframe their message based on perceived emotion. Asare describes being naturally passionate and loud in communication, yet becoming hyper-aware of her tone around white people to avoid having her message discredited.
To decenter white experiences, organizations must intentionally include marginalized voices in panels, focus groups, and research. Organizations should reexamine how they allocate work to ensure job assignments don't show preference to white employees. They must also collect and disaggregate employee data by race and ethnicity to effectively address recruitment and retention issues. "What gets measured gets improved," yet many organizations fail to separate data for different underrepresented groups.
Analyzing why non-white employees leave is crucial for decentering white voices. Organizations should collect exit data through multiple methods: surveys, interviews with HR professionals, and resignation letters. This helps understand the experiences of non-white employees who may not feel comfortable fully expressing their concerns during formal exit processes.
Capítulo 7
The DEI Paradox: White-Centering in Anti-Racism Work
Ironically, the DEI and anti-oppression space centers whiteness in insidious ways. Because DEI practitioners are considered experts, they're less likely to be held accountable for their biases or engage in necessary self-reflection. The perception that DEI professionals "know better" and "do better" can foster an ego that prevents introspection and growth.
In the United States, 76 percent of chief diversity officers are white, with executive-level DEI positions overwhelmingly held by white or white-adjacent individuals. White-led DEI businesses receive disproportionate venture capital funding compared to those created by non-white people. Even within the DEI space, proximity to whiteness provides advantages-post-George Floyd, many viral activists had lighter skin or other features associated with whiteness, and white anti-racism practitioners often gain larger social media followings.
DEI work often prioritizes white comfort, as when practitioners agree to avoid "controversial topics" like white privilege to secure clients. This manifested dramatically in Trump's 2020 ban on critical race theory in federal diversity training. White comfort manifests through shutting down discussions on systemic racism, expecting non-white employees to appease white customers through code-switching, and making microaggressive comments about employees' appearances.
Even DEI practitioners themselves can center whiteness in their messaging by carefully choosing words to avoid angering white audiences or unconsciously using only images of white people in presentation slides. Asare confesses that early in her consulting career, she centered whiteness by selecting images of white people because they were easier to find and because she believed white people would feel more comfortable seeing people who looked like them.
Organizations default to white-owned and white-led businesses when seeking external DEI consultants. Unconscious bias leads workplaces to perceive non-white businesses as "less than" or lower quality, particularly Black-owned businesses. To decenter whiteness when sourcing vendors, organizations should make deliberate efforts to work with Black, Indigenous, Asian, Latine, Middle Eastern, and Pacific Islander contractors, developing databases of underrepresented vendors and holding the organization accountable by reviewing vendor diversity annually.
DEI practitioners must challenge themselves to make their jobs obsolete rather than catering to white leaders' comfort. Employee resource groups designed as safe spaces for marginalized identities often become infiltrated by "allies," implying these groups need white validation to be legitimate. Similarly, mentorship programs for underrepresented employees often promote a white savior complex rather than addressing systemic barriers.
Capítulo 8
Beyond Empathy: Compassionate Action for Workplace Equity
Empathy has long been positioned as essential for eradicating racism, but its effectiveness is questionable. Asare reflects on her evolution from advocating for empathy to recognizing its limitations, particularly how empathy itself is vulnerable to bias. Psychologist Paul Bloom's work reveals empathy's flaws, including how our empathy varies based on relationships and group membership, creating an "empathy bias" that makes us care more about people similar to ourselves.
Effective workplace equity requires understanding historical marginalization without exploiting employees' racial trauma. Rather than pursuing empathy, which proves ineffective at addressing systemic problems, organizations should implement two alternative strategies:
First, educate employees about issues like Japanese internment, redlining, hair discrimination, and caregiving challenges to build awareness. This provides historical context without requiring marginalized employees to share personal trauma.
Second, encourage compassionate listening-hearing others without invalidating, relating, or recommending. This means listening without the need to "respond, relate, or provide recommendations." Organizations can hold regular compassionate listening sessions where employees, especially non-white employees, can feel heard without interruption or invalidation.
We also must examine how we internalize white-centered beauty standards and behaviors. Asare shares personal experiences of centering whiteness throughout her life, from rejecting rap music in her youth despite secretly enjoying it to pursuing higher education partly to "transcend her blackness," believing education would make her more respectable. Even her dissertation topic choice was influenced by concerns about white comfort, avoiding a study on racial differences in hiring to appear less "radical."
To decenter whiteness within ourselves, we should consume diverse content, cultivate accountable community, and practice humility by questioning whether our desires are authentic or shaped by white-centered values. This internal work is essential for creating authentic change in workplace environments.
Capítulo 9
Centering the Most Marginalized: The Path to True Equity
Decentering whiteness requires centering the most racially marginalized populations. Two frameworks help explain why: the curb-cut effect and the triage method. The curb-cut effect demonstrates that interventions designed for vulnerable populations (like wheelchair-accessible curbs) ultimately benefit everyone. The triage method, borrowed from healthcare, prioritizes those with the most severe needs first.
To implement effective workplace interventions, organizations must first understand which employees experience the most harm and oppression. Conducting qualitative analysis through one-on-one interviews with employees from underrepresented groups allows for deeper understanding of workplace issues. While quantitative data provides important information, qualitative data reveals the crucial "whys" behind workplace DEI issues.
After collecting data on marginalized employees' experiences, organizations can implement specific strategies to prioritize their needs. Contrary to common belief, prioritizing marginalized employees benefits everyone. Programs designed for specific groups, like sponsorship for Black employees, can ultimately serve all employees. Work environments improve when employees feel belonging-studies show employees who experience belonging are three times more likely to find work fun and look forward to coming in.
The term "BIPOC" problematically lumps diverse experiences together, erasing the unique challenges different racial and ethnic groups face. To truly center the most marginalized employees, we must recognize these distinct experiences and develop tailored interventions addressing specific needs.
Organizations should design educational programs addressing identified gaps. Programming should include speakers, discussions, and workshops on important but often overlooked topics like caste bias, colorism, hair discrimination, accent discrimination, and generational trauma impacts. Leaders must be equipped to address systemic inequities rather than focusing on superficial solutions. Many popular workplace interventions like imposter syndrome training or salary negotiation advice fail to address root causes-women who negotiate are often penalized, and Black employees face penalties for self-promotion that other groups don't experience.
Centering marginalized employees requires creating environments where they feel valued and safe, not just focusing on diversity numbers. Organizations often emphasize recruiting "diverse" candidates without equal attention to creating welcoming environments. This explains why many employees from underrepresented groups leave workplaces where they're "the only one." Organizations must invest equally in creating inclusive environments built around equitable policies, practices, and procedures.
Capítulo 10
Black Employee Experience: The Litmus Test for Workplace Equity
To decenter whiteness effectively, we must prioritize those experiencing the most oppression and harm. The Combahee River Collective's insight that "If Black women were free, it would mean that everyone else would have to be free" illustrates why focusing on removing barriers for the most vulnerable populations is essential. Isabel Wilkerson's work demonstrates how the US operates with a racial caste system placing Black Americans at the bottom, though anti-blackness extends globally beyond American borders.
Anti-blackness isn't just an American phenomenon but a global issue with deep historical roots. In India, the caste system correlates with skin tone, with darker-skinned people experiencing marginalization. Palestinians with darker skin face heightened oppression. Indigenous Australians experience combined racism and ableism. Throughout Latin America, colorism is rampant, with darker-skinned people underrepresented in media. Even within Africa, skin-bleaching products remain popular despite health risks.
Blackness and whiteness exist as opposites in our social structures-with whiteness centered, blackness becomes penalized and vilified. For employees with proximity to blackness through identity, appearance, name, or speech, systemic racism significantly impacts their workplace experiences. Workplace systems are designed with white employees as the default, creating harsh consequences for those deviating from this model.
Representation alone isn't sufficient when decentering whiteness. The death of Tyre Nichols-beaten by five Black police officers-painfully demonstrates how anti-blackness permeates even within the Black community. As Zora Neale Hurston said, "All skinfolk ain't kinfolk." Being Black doesn't guarantee investment in Black liberation. We must move beyond simply hiring Black employees to fixing systemic issues that prevent them from thriving.
Organizations need to provide Black employees with proper tools, teams, time, and investments, while vetting leadership candidates on equity metrics to ensure they're committed to centering Black experiences. When collecting employee feedback, disaggregate data to identify trends specific to Black employees rather than lumping all non-white employees together. Ask direct questions about what tools Black employees need to thrive and establish dedicated focus groups.
Organizations must implement proactive rather than reactive approaches to equity. Instead of adding unconscious bias training only after incidents occur, establish preventative measures with equity metrics assessed at every organizational level. Evaluate employees from hiring throughout their tenure, and consider having all employees take Harvard's Implicit Association Tests to identify potential anti-black biases.
Education is fundamental to centering Black employees. Beyond understanding key issues, organizations should consider implementing microreparations to address systemic inequities affecting Black employees. These might include: programs supporting Black expectant parents with resources to address maternal mortality rates; financial support for those disproportionately affected by student loan debt; resources to address sleep disparities faced by Black employees; and allowing employees to "call in Black" during racial mega-threats.
Organizations must move beyond empty promises made after George Floyd's murder and demonstrate tangible actions supporting Black employees. Public proclamations mean nothing without aligned actions. Companies donating millions externally while neglecting their own Black employees creates a problematic disconnect.
Centering Black employees requires recognizing they aren't a monolith. Caribbean, African, and Black American employees may have different needs and experiences shaped by nationality and ethnicity alongside race. Similarly, Black men, women, and non-binary/trans employees face distinct challenges, with Black women experiencing the dual burden of misogynoir. Effective decentering of whiteness requires specificity when addressing the unique needs of different segments within the Black community.
Capítulo 11
The Journey Forward: Practical Steps for Transformation
Decentering whiteness begins by understanding it as actions and behaviors that prioritize white people and culture above others. The process follows the "3 A's" model: Awareness, Acknowledgment and Acceptance, and Action.
The first crucial step is recognizing that white-centering exists in your workplace. Data collection is vital, combining quantitative metrics with qualitative feedback through focus groups, resignation letters, exit interviews, and customer feedback. Educational workshops provide immense value when properly implemented-the perception of ineffectiveness often stems from using white-centered metrics for evaluation rather than considering how marginalized employees feel seen and safer because of these discussions.
After becoming aware of the problem, organizations must acknowledge and accept its existence. This mirrors the first step in addiction recovery programs-admitting the problem exists. Some organizations issue formal apologies for perpetuating racism, like the Baltimore Sun's 2022 apology for promoting policies that oppressed Black Marylanders, or the American Society of Human Genetics' 2023 apology for participating in the eugenics movement.
Accountability is the most challenging aspect of decentering whiteness. While creating interventions like anti-racist hiring workshops is relatively easy, holding people accountable to equity goals is much harder. Employee feedback is crucial for understanding how whiteness is centered in your workplace and for maintaining accountability. Consider implementing questionnaires that allow employees to rate the equity culture and include equity skills as part of manager evaluations.
Beyond changing white-centric policies, reconstruct systems so whiteness isn't central to your workplace. This requires policy changes, support from equity practitioners, and accountability measures. Measure system change through employee experiences, particularly those of marginalized employees. Three key assessment areas are: resignation letters and exit interview data, employee surveys and anonymous feedback, and HR reports.
Now equipped with tools to decenter whiteness, avoid rushing to implement everything at once-urgency itself being an aspect of white culture. Instead, reflect and choose one specific area to focus on. Decentering whiteness presents three main challenges: internal resistance as we fight ingrained habits, external pushback from workplace colleagues, and societal resistance like political efforts to defund DEI initiatives.
Despite these obstacles, the work remains essential. Whiteness permeates our existence like air and water; divorcing ourselves from it will be challenging but fulfilling. There will be no overnight miracles, but every voice that pushes back against whiteness chips away at its power. The journey toward workplace equity is long, but by centering those most harmed by current systems, we create environments where everyone can truly thrive.
