Editor’s note: Tom Snyder is executive director of RIoT, the regional internet of things users group based in Raleigh. WRAL TechWire asked Tom to recap the event for us. Last week, TechWire also asked for and published an update from RIoT about the group’s efforts to promote racial equality and diversity

RALEIGH – Last week, RIoT held a town hall style event to discuss racial equity across our ecosystem.  RIoT, an economic development organization that helps startups and companies embrace the data economy, has been proud of the success that companies have achieved with us over the past six years.  We feel we have made a positive impact on those we strive to serve.  But we are compelled to look in the mirror and make an honest assessment of ourselves and the technology sector when it comes to supporting racial equity and inclusion. How can we do better?

We invited Denitresse Ferrell (Founder and CEO DF Coaching & Consulting) and Brandon Johnson (Systems Engineer, NetApp) to educate our audience on the nuances within the greater problem.  Denitresse worked in corporate America for many years before founding her own coaching and consulting business in Holly Springs.

As a Black woman in the tech sector she did not see others like herself at John Deere and other large companies.  There were no obvious role models or mentors to learn from and follow.  She pointed out that mentoring and coaching are not the same thing.  Coaches are much more engaged in day to day support and specific skill building.  She never found these resources for Black employees in existing organizations, so decided to start her own company to provide that skillset.

RIoT photo

RIoTs diversity town hall drew quite a crowd of participants.

Originally from Rocky Mount, Brandon is now working for NetApp in San Jose. He described a journey where he and other Black colleagues had gone an entire career without ever having someone that looked like them on an interview team assessing them.  The culture in the Silicon Valley tech sector is highly competitive, making it even more difficult for BIPOC to find supportive cultures in a region that has nearly zero representation today.  There is so much competition and job-hopping that nearly all focus is on company performance and almost none on employee development.

Brandon had been lucky enough to have had a high school apprenticeship that opened a door for him to break into the tech sector.  Denitresse emphasized that many struggling today are “firsts” in their families.  First to go to college. First to enter the corporate world. First to work in tech.  Because of this, it is virtually impossible to develop a professional network, gain exposure to basic corporate vocabulary or receive the skills mentoring needed to excel.

RIoT opened the floor such that every participant at the event could share their own personal experiences with discrimination and bias in the workplace. In addition to small group breakout discussions, we polled participants about their experiences with racism and diversity in the workplace. Although 87% of attendees said that racism and diversity are actively being talked about in their companies right now, only 40% feel their company has an effective diversity and inclusion policy today and 70% had witnessed prejudice or discrimination in the workplace.  There is ample work to be done.

A top concern voiced is that there are either no Black people in executive and senior positions in their companies, or if there are, they are the “single token Black person,” holding too much responsibility and pressure. Attendees noted that when one person of color departs an organization, often several others will also leave, increasing the difficulty of achieving diversity goals.  Some attendees believe they only got their first job because they were lucky enough to have had a Black friend or relative already in the sector who could advocate directly for them.  Nearly all attendees agreed that there is a significant lack of coaching and mentoring for early career Black employees and little focus on diversity and inclusion training for senior management.

Time to adopt a ‘bias toward action’

RIoT’s culture is to have a “bias towards action”  While this session was architected primarily for listening and learning, we want to move quickly towards actionable change.  Participants felt that true change needs to come from the top of organizations, but encouraged all employees to be a change agent by speaking up and being anti-racist.  The list of things people felt would help if instituted as policies in their organizations included:

● Development of formal coaching programs, specifically targeted at supporting Black and other minority employees.

● Creation of more apprenticeships.  The traditional four year college degree requirement creates a significant financial barrier to many communities of color and may not be the best way to establish and vet the skillset of a tech worker today anyway.

● Establish formal succession plans within an org structure that includes emphasized promotion of Black and minority candidates.

● Go to the communities a company wants to engage.  Recruit at HBCUs and other minority institutions.  Do not put the work on people to find you. Demonstrate your willingness to find them.

● Provide required training to all managers for unconscious bias and diversity, equity and inclusion.

● Eliminate “culture fit” as a reason for hiring or not hiring someone and work to create a culture where people of color are not afraid to ask questions, demonstrate their personalities and differences.

● Over-correct.  Use higher risk tolerance in candidate selection to bring more diversity into the decision-funnel.  Pay higher on the salary scale to demonstrate true commitment to achieving equality faster.

There are more conversations to be had and far more work to be done.  We hope this conversation at least provides a few starting points for other organizations with a bias towards action.

RIoT is responding aggressively to challenges of COVID-19 and diversity – here’s how