Racially and gender-motivated violence is an on-going and growing concern in the United States. AAPI Hate, an organization that is tracking violence and harassment against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) in the United States, reported nearly 3,800 instances of discrimination against Asians in the past year. Of these attacks, 68 percent were against women.
Right now, your employees may be having a hard time finding their footing—as a business owner, you have an opportunity to provide support during their time of need.
1. Familiarize yourself with the issues.
Along with other communities of color, targeted attacks against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have been escalating for years. It helps to understand this reality to ensure your response is focused and sincere.
Before you put together a program or set up a talk or create a statement, it’s important to familiarize yourself with how these issues affect your employees. Get a sense of where their concerns lie so you can identify specific ways that you, and perhaps your business, can help.
If this topic is new to you, consider doing some research. Think about organizations that have been reporting on the issue and can offer statistical and empirical data such as the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) or Stop AAPI Hate. Following and learning from activists, educators, and news outlets like Next Shark on social media will provide even more context.
Violence in the AAPI community has been growing over the years with targeted attacks increasing extensively. Understanding the depth of the issue is a critical first step in helping ensure you're able to respond accordingly.
2. Evaluate and update your safety protocols.
Acts of violence bring with them a sense of fear—especially when your community appears to be targeted.
One way to support your employees is by making sure that your business has clear safety protocols.
Do your employees work alone late at night? You may want to consider additional staff. Do all of the doors lock? Do you have security guards or cameras onsite? Do you have training that helps your employees know what to do during emergencies? If not, consider creating a training guide.
Knowing that you have a plan and tools in place that offer extra protection lets your employees know that you’re aware of their concerns and have taken action to ensure their safety.
3. Ask your employees how they’re doing.
It sounds simple, but asking the question, “How are you doing?” can go a long way in showing your employees that you care. This can be especially true in a professional setting where we are sometimes far removed from people’s personal lives.
There are a variety of ways that you can show your employees support during difficult times. Just make sure that whatever you do, you lead with humanity because it’s our humanity that keeps us connected.
Businesses can show employees that they care by creating a blended experience that acknowledges they are both professionals and humans. And that the value of being human is that you can be vulnerable. Approach the conversation like it’s one human to another and give your employees an opportunity to share how they’re feeling; it’ll give them the space to tell you what they need or, at the very least, show them that you’re sincere, which can go a long way.
4. Take a public stance.
Your employees look up to you, and when you show them that you care, not just privately but publicly, it can have a big impact.
As a business owner, your status comes with influence: Stepping in to share your views on the matter in the office and publicly could help bring more attention to the issues that are impacting the AAPI community. How do you do it? By letting them know that you’re with them by taking a public stance. Consider looping in someone from your public relations or marketing team or hire a consultant who can help you create a plan and messaging that is genuine.
Schedule a town hall.
Bring your team together and hold a town hall meeting to raise awareness of the issues.
Share statistics and outline the steps the company is taking to make sure employees' safety is prioritized. You also can use this time to reiterate your stance against racism, violence and discrimination.
Send out a newsletter.
Make it clear where you and the company stand on issues by sending out a newsletter or an email to your internal staff and employees.
You can share the information from your town hall meeting such as an overview of the issues and what you’re doing as an organization to support your employees, customers and the community as a whole.
Be sure to include your views and position on the matter so it’s clear where you stand.
Post on social media
Leave a message on social media so people who are interacting with your business know what’s going on. And make sure that it's more than a blanket statement: You want your statement to be authentic and relevant to the platform.
Consider creating a unique graphic that speaks to the gravity of the situation and was crafted specifically for your social media channels. Write a message that speaks to your unique views, and share what you’re doing as a business to support the AAPI community and the community at large.
There are a variety of ways that you can show your employees support during difficult times. Just make sure that whatever you do, you lead with humanity because it’s our humanity that keeps us connected.
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