Leadership

From Surviving to Thriving: The Need for DEI in the Workplace

By Jeanine Davidson-Walker, MS, CPMSM

It was Tuesday. The feelings rushed through my body with such force. It was the day after Senator Josh Hawley questioned SCJUS nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson that the pain hit me. The manner and tone of Sen. Hawley’s interview style was less than professional – it was borderline dismissive and demeaning. I felt anger, sadness, judgment, and rage. Feelings that were suppressed many years ago returned. I compared Judge Brown Jackson’s experience to my own when I was berated in front of hospital and nursing leadership, as well as my peers.

It was a Joint Commission survey prep meeting. Each department presented its readiness plans and outlined any areas that may lead to a finding during the survey. I was presenting on behalf of the medical staff team when a department chair berated the medical staff office, my leadership and numerous accomplishments. The physician leader openly stated that the medical staff office was meaningless, including my leadership. He disparaged my years of work within the organization and the years I committed to building a team of medical staff professionals, as well as our contribution to onboarding numerous physicians and allied health professionals. I was the only Black person in the room, which was not uncommon for me. But that day as a white colleague disparaged my leadership, I stayed silent, suppressing the need to say something in self-defense. Nothing I would’ve said, looking back on it, would have been expressed well or professionally. I was angry and I felt belittled. However, what offended me the most was that no one, not the CMO, the CNO or hospital leadership stopped his tirade or held him accountable. So I internalized these feelings along with the negativity in which it was packaged.

My mind raced. What should I say? Should I wait for someone to speak up? I know I should’ve said something, but was it worth it? I did not want to be labeled the “angry Black woman” when speaking up for myself. I wanted the focus to be on his actions and not my response. The meeting ended and I left. The incident was never discussed again. That was over 12 years ago. As I’m reliving this event, I realized that throughout my career I have spent years doing excellent work while navigating stereotypical perceptions of my abilities despite my accomplishments. I have navigated biases and subsequent stereotypes as a Black woman.

A 2020 article by Rhonda Acholonu, MD, and Suzette Oyeku, MD, Ph.D. “Addressing Microaggressions in the Health Care Workforce—A Path Toward Achieving Equity and Inclusion” stated that research has shown that, “Black women have worsening health due to the cumulative impact of repeated experiences related to toxic stressors, such as discrimination and bias. They must also face being labeled the angry Black woman as a way to dismiss them when they speak out about what they and other people of color experience. Another effect of consistent exposure to microaggressions is the internalized sense of inadequacy, leading to what is known as impostor syndrome, in which an individual doubts themselves and their actions. Imposter syndrome may lead to isolation, affect engagement, and hinder professional achievement and career advancement, which can ultimately limit the unique contributions to the overall workplace.”

Here is where a robust Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) program is beneficial in the workplace. Although DEI will never change the hearts of people, it will instill policies that limit microaggressions in the workplace. DEI enforces accountability by developing policies that afford collaboration across different cultures, people, and ideas. It allows for greater collaboration amongst peers and leadership, resulting in a stronger workplace environment. A feeling of belonging fuels inclusion and excellence, and reduces attrition because the team knows that words and actions have an impact.

How do you manage perceived microaggressions while your DEI program is being developed?

1. Decide that it is not about you. Guard your heart.
2. Develop a support system outside of the workplace that will help you navigate and validate your feelings.
3. Know that you belong in all rooms, regardless of what others may think or say.
4. Be confident in your accomplishments and your abilities.
5. Lend your voice to the team developing DEI initiatives. Offer support and recommendations to make the program better.

My takeaway from the confirmation hearings was that for Judge Brown Jackson to be nominated for the Supreme Court, she endured much more adversity than I did 12 years ago. She has had to navigate incorrect assumptions, naysayers, and haters throughout her career. She survived and thrived. So will you. And so will I.