Transcript

Tracy: Should topics like vaccinations, masks, fair pay, Black Lives Matter, and politics be kept from the workplace or does healthy conversation make for a healthier business? 

Didi: Welcome to Pops, the show that shows you how to shift from human resources paperwork to people operations for the new world of work. How? By answering one question at a time.

To help us answer your question, here’s Tracy Cote, Chief People Officer at Zenefits. 

Tracy: The days of pretending our differences don’t exist are over. Avoiding them is easier, especially if you have different points of view within your organization, and that’s the approach most companies take because it’s safe and it’s easy and it’s non-committal. But more and more, the new generation of worker wants to know what does your company stand for?

We might not all be able to work for a nonprofit, but most of us don’t want to work for a company that goes against our own value and belief system. As employers and business leaders, you can do this sensitively in a way that allows different voices to be heard, to accommodate diverse opinions, and to create a safe space for this kind of conversation.

The right thing to do is to acknowledge that people do have different points of view and that as a company that values diversity, you also value diversity of thought. As leaders, some transparency for what you personally stand for is important. For example, at Zenefits, we felt Black Lives Matter was not a political issue, but it was about human rights.

And to further that perspective, we embraced Juneteenth and we brought in speakers and we opened the floor to anyone who wanted to play a part in raising awareness. We also offer civic time off for voting, canvassing, protesting. Our people have a voice and we want them to raise it. As long as people are doing this respectfully and legally and peacefully, it’s their

right and we support that right regardless of their perspective. We don’t insist that everybody join in these conversations because not everybody wants to. They might disagree or it might be emotional or triggering for them. The point is to create a safe place, a variety of forums, and just basically to raise awareness, to connect, to learn, share, and reflect at a level that works for them.

This fosters engagement, deeper relationships, and makes sure that we are not ignoring the major historical and socio-political issues of our time. It brings our employees closer to each other, and it just makes for a healthier workplace. And a healthy workplace is a place where everyone is encouraged to be themselves regardless of their background or their culture or their ethnicity or their orientation.

Our CEO, Jay Fulcher, has spoken out about how regular conversations can help leaders understand how your culture, priorities, and practices impact your employees’ experience. His take, if an issue impacts you inside or outside of the office, it impacts your business. So if we can provide an open and safe forum to discuss issues, we should.

Small businesses should navigate these waters carefully and openly. Don’t be afraid to go there and don’t be afraid to stumble from time to time. Listen to your people. They will guide you. The new workers expect to bring their whole self to work, and as a conscientious employer, it’s up to you to find the right balance and to create an environment of understanding and acceptance.

Sometimes doing the right thing is a lot harder than doing nothing. But I encourage you to take that first step and open the door to having meaningful conversations as you focus on making sure your business is not only diverse, but truly inclusive. 

Didi: Do you have a question for our experts? You can always email me at [email protected] or head on over to  zenefits.com/Pops-podcast for more insights on content for this show and our others. Thanks for listening.