DEI Work Is Not About Shame, It’s About Accountability

In this episode, Rianka welcomes back longtime 2050 TrailBlazer podcast guest, employee experience strategist, Katie Augsburger.

The two connected on how the past year has changed things for them, providing more introspection, and having found silver linings amidst the grief of the pandemic and the murder of George Floyd, among countless others.

Katie shares that as a DEI Consultant, George Floyd’s murder served as a pivotal point from what was to what will be, and that exposing the facade of the American Dream for many communities has been a transformative experience in her practice.

Katie and Rianka share personal stories about how they have coped with trauma during the past year as Black women, mothers, and professionals and discuss ways to set boundaries.

Providing an overview of her human resource partnerships with organizations, Katie walks Rianka through her process, sharing how she starts every engagement by speaking to its BIPOC community to first gain their trust and consent.

Katie provides examples of how a racially homogeneous workplace in America has been standardized as the “professional” prototype and explains that organizations can still have standards while acknowledging the root systems in play. She shares that all an organization truly needs from its colleagues is for them to do their work well and be cordial.

She notes the difference between white supremacy (forced standardized cultural norms in America), and white nationality (a political and hate group movement), and why understanding the difference is critical to changing the future.

Rianka shares an earlier sentiment from Katie about the value of putting the most marginalized person in the center of human resources policies, because everyone wins.

What You’ll Learn:

Why so many organizations want the benefit of organizational diversity, without the burden of caring for that community
Why the HR profession is in need of a shakeup
Why DEI work is counter-cultural to the financial services industry