MPH, President & CEO, Black Women's Health Imperative a national nonprofit dedicated to improving health & wellness of Black women and girls
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Workplace stress is a shared experience among adults, and 25% of workers say that work is the number one stressor in their lives. Between unrealistic demands, increasing workloads, interpersonal issues and lack of job security, stress infiltrates both our work and home lives, causing adverse health outcomes for everyone. In fact, for Black women, stress is the number one health issue they face, and the workplace is the greatest source of that stress.
This work-related stress is magnified by the unfair treatment that lies at the intersection of racial and gender discrimination. Every day, Black women at work fight harmful stereotypes and face deeply hurtful microaggressions, all while having to work harder and accomplish more to be considered for the same promotions and positions that their white and male peers receive sooner.
Because of these experiences, Black women are less likely to feel like they are treated with respect and are valued members of their team, or like they have the same opportunities for advancement as their coworkers. Although workplace stress is common, unfair contributing factors rooted in racism and sexism create additional mental, emotional and physical roadblocks to success for groups historically disadvantaged in the workplace.
During Covid-19 lockdowns, for a brief moment prior to return-to-office policies, the reprieve from microaggressions and the chance to focus on both work and life while working from home was largely a welcome change, evening out Black women’s stress levels to those of their peers. When treated similarly to their coworkers, Black women thrive and even excel in the workplace.
Unfortunately, equitable treatment is not a reality for most Black women, and the effects of the resulting stress continue to be a leading health issue for them. Black women have more of the stress hormone cortisol in their bloodstream as compared with white women. Chronically elevated cortisol has been shown to increase rates of diabetes, heart disease and obesity. Fortunately, we can effectively address the causes of workplace stress and improve the health of the workforce.
Diversity, equity and inclusion measures aim to equalize the workplace experience; however, the intentions of DE&I efforts have largely not been realized and may in fact contribute to worsening workplace conditions. Ironically, most workplace DE&I efforts have bias built into them from the beginning.
These programs are designed so that one group—namely white, cis-gendered, heterosexual men—needs to do something to help another group—women, non-white men, members of the LGBTQ community and others. In the end, everyone feels aggrieved, and we have failed to make lasting changes in all the ways that matter.
At the end of the day, what employees want is to be treated fairly, and achieving fairness takes layers of understanding to break through systemic workplace discrimination on all levels. The benefit to employees is that a workplace rooted in fairness is inherently fair to everybody. No one person or group can be treated more fairly than another, or else it would not be fair.
For employers, the benefits are many. A culture of fairness means less stress-induced negative health outcomes, leading to decreased healthcare costs and increased retention of talented employees. And we know that fairness is also directly correlated with improved performance metrics such as revenue and earnings.
To get started on a fairness journey, employers must understand the current environment and listen to their employees’ lived experiences. This two-pronged approach, both quantitative—looking at salaries and promotions against experience and outcomes—and qualitative—sending out surveys and having individualized conversations—can yield comprehensive insight into workplace practices and policies, big and small, that are unfair. Better yet, it can paint the picture of why it is unfair, which is critical to creating an appropriate set of policies.
Societal and political circumstances are always evolving, so routinely evaluating the state of fairness is required to ensure gaps and changes are addressed and the company’s policies are aligned with the state of current environmental factors. With time, commitment and ongoing efforts, creating a workplace rooted in fairness could yield results that decades of DE&I programs could not achieve.
Although workplace stress may be inevitable for all, Black women face increased stress from the combined effects of racism and sexism. Identifying what is unfair, fixing it and creating a culture of fairness will mitigate these stressors and lead to healthier and more productive Black women and, frankly, all women in the workplace. The road to change starts by shifting past what we know about traditional DE&I programs and striving for fairness.
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