Some years ago, at a former company, I began noticing a curious series of events. My manager and team practiced an egalitarian decision-making process in which we would meet, discuss everything from content marketing campaigns to social media tactics, and collectively come up with strategies to move forward with. However, often, I would return to work later in the week to find the decisions that we had initially agreed upon were moot, and the manager was moving forward in a completely new direction. There was no explanation for what initiated these changes.
How Managers Can Make Casual Networking Events More Inclusive
Research on affinity bias shows that we are naturally drawn to people who are like us. A casual drink here, a few networking events there with like-minded colleagues isn’t so bad, right? Unfortunately, these seemingly innocuous meetings have consequences, especially for women of color, who are often not invited. It’s crucial for people at all levels of an organization to understand how casual networking events exclude employees from marginalized backgrounds, and more so, can have a detrimental impact on their careers. To disrupt these destructive patterns, managers should engage a diverse planning committee and learn about their employees’ personal preferences so they can offer activities that are considerate of diverse personalities, languages, cultures, ethnicities, and physical abilities. Planning some daytime events and more events that aren’t alcohol-driven is also key to being inclusive of people from different cultural backgrounds, and employees with families to take care of at night. Lastly, managers should take stock of who is attending, and ask for feedback afterwards so they can improve the next gathering.