What Your Asian Employees Need Right Now

In the wake of the Atlanta shootings and with acts of anti-Asian racism on the rise in the U.S., the author spoke to a number of employees about how their companies have reacted so far. They offered a diverse set of responses, although the majority said they wanted their employers to do more. Based on these responses the author identified a set of best practices, including: 1) Acknowledge what’s happening. The most common theme among the respondents was surprise and or disappointment at silence from leadership. 2) Be available. Not everyone on your team will have the same response: Some may want to talk about it; others may not. Just let everyone know your door is open. 3) Discuss. Offer a public forum to provide support and to talk about particular issues faced by employees; for example, one company discussed ways to make employees feel safe while commuting. 4) Commit. Share your long-term plans to combat racism at the societal level, as well as your company’s concrete DE&I commitments.