4 Ways to Avoid Tokenism in the Workplace

In recent years, I’ve been excited to witness the growing number of companies who are investing in & deploying DEI strategies that will bring about sustained organizational change - leading to workplaces that embody the values of inclusivity, equity, & innovation. However, companies must also be diligent in ensuring that these strategies don’t promote or further engender tokenism within their organization - which can lead to perceptions of insincerity and superficiality.

If you’re unfamiliar, tokenism is “making a minimal or purely symbolic effort to be inclusive and to prevent criticism and give the appearance that people are being treated fairly." In the workforce, this can show up in multiple ways. Examples include recruiting small numbers of diverse candidates to give the false perception of diversity at large, inviting a particular employee or set of employees to a client pitch or presentation to represent a certain group such as race or gender, or including images of employees in web or marketing collateral that is not representative of the actual employee population.

This experience can take on many forms but ultimately leaves the target of the tokenization feeling devalued, stigmatized, and overwhelmed with the burden of being “the one”. According to Jayakumar in “Why are all the black students still sitting together in the proverbial college cafeteria?” (2015), under the conditions of token representation, students from marginalized social identity statuses are:

Vulnerable to greater scrutiny

More likely to be guarded in classroom interactions, and
Have a heightened sensitivity to insults that are racially triggering

While this study focused on the experiences of students at predominantly white institutions (PWI), it is highly indicative of dynamics we can observe in the workplace as well. Failure to address tokenism in the workplace can diminish employees’ sense of belonging, which can have significant impacts on motivation, morale, and ultimately, retention/turnover.

As we continue to move forward in transforming workplaces to be diverse, inclusive, & vibrant, Holistic stands at the ready to help you strategically address the challenges of an evolving workforce landscape. Below, we’ve highlighted 4 ways to begin mitigating tokenism in your organization.

4 ways to begin mitigating tokenism in your organization

Assess the landscape. Understand the current landscape of your organization, particularly as it relates to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Before diversifying your workforce, consider if the current environment would be welcoming and healthy for new hires.
Commit to embodying the value of inclusion. While organizational statements that express a commitment to values of diversity, equity, and inclusion are necessary to shifting organizational culture, those values must also be embodied through policies, practices, & procedures.

Encourage cross-cultural interaction and exchange - with support. Opening channels for internal communication can be the first step, whether that be a Slack channel or through the acknowledgment of cultural celebrations. Consider seeking support from leadership or people operations in the form of a sponsor for new DEI-focused groups/channels.
Continue taking steps to create a better work environment. Treat each individual as such - an individual. While there are certain common experiences that bond members of social identity groups, no one person is completely representative of that experience or set of experiences.