As I recall, during the early 2000’s, government grants began to shrink, while more and more policies and regulations were added to contracts with not-for-profits. Looking for ways to cut costs, many non-profit organizations began to, reduce, eliminate or outsource their human resource departments.

But I would argue that an inhouse HR apparatus is the best bang for the dollar. A good HR department does much more than process attendance, time & leave, and payroll. The HR department should be the third party arbitrator of  fair and objective employment practices, and is an organization’s most valuable asset. Period.  And, when a primarily white organization begins to diversify its staff, a good HR team or department can save the organization a lot of headaches, law suits, settlements and the prospect of developing a bad reputation. It can also save the organization thousands, even millions of dollars.

During the height of the George Floyd incident when emotions were high, and we were all traumatized, I can’t tell you how many organizations, lacking an inhouse human resources apparatus, blundered into unfamiliar territory in a knee-jerk effort to quickly embrace diversity and equity within their organization.

Some organizations made the mistake of thinking that anybody of color within their organization would be able to lead sessions to talk about racism or other social inequities, or lead  the organization towards solutions to age-old problems. Of course, as many soon found out, this isn’t true. African Americans and other marginalized communities aren’t monolithic. We are individuals with different opinions, levels of consciousness, skill sets, and ways of seeing the world.

Many black people, or people of color, felt put-upon and unfairly singled out to perform in ways that they weren’t prepared for; adding to the trauma of the moment of seeing someone of their own race murdered on television. Alternatively, some people of color found opportunity to use the situation to advance their own personal agendas within the organization.

Also, during the height of the Covid-19 Pandemic, and the Black Lives Matter demonstrations, black people in communities of color, and people of color in the work place, felt a heightened need to express their solidarity with the movement. During that time it was important for organizations to know best ways to respond to emotional outbursts or inappropriate behaviors.

One such incident occurred here in the Mohawk Valley when a supermarket cashier wore a black lives matter COVID -19 mask to work. Her supervisor confronted her and told her to take it off, or go home. The employee choose to go home. The supervisor later learned, from her HR department, that she should have handled the situation differently. She immediately called the employee to invite her back to work. But too late! The employee choose not to return, but to seek redress.

Consequently, at a minimum, the supermarket was faced with a charge of discrimination, a protest demonstration in front of the supermarket, and negative chatter about the supermarket on social media.

That is just one example of the importance of having a human resources function within your organization. the team should be well versed in the organization’s personnel policies, they should have extensive knowledge of NYS labor laws. These laws change periodically. It’s also important to know the NYS Division of Human Rights laws. A well informed HR department can also be invaluable in acting as a third party mediator in  workplace disputes. Usually the Human Resources team helps the organization to develop and implement personnel policies that can hold up in court; and they help conduct semi-annual or annual staff  performance appraisals. At a minimum HR staff should have:

  1.  arbitration and mediation training, as well as understand restorative justice practices;
  2.  transparency and uniformity in hiring practices, i.e., job listings, salary ranges based on credentials and skills, consistent performance appraisals, written job descriptions, written policies and practices, etc.
  3. Written responses to requests for help, interventions or complaints,
  4. HR staff should not fraternize, or have special on the job friendships with selected staff members;
  5. The HR team or department should research ways to reach non-traditional sources of staff recruitment, into communities that are least likely to see and/or respond to traditional recruitment.

 

 

About the Author Freddie Hamilton

Freddie Hamilton is a Cultural Competency/ Racial Equity consultant who is committed to social change. She provides leadership to help nonprofit organizations that are committed to transitioning their work environment from a homogeneous environment to one that supports diversity/equity and inclusion. Freddie has over thirty- years of experience as a not-for-profit generalist, and twelve years of experience as a DEI consultant. She brings to her work the lived -experiences of an African-American woman who has lived through much of America’s contemporary history and social movements, including the civil rights movement, the women’s movement and the LGBTQ movement for equality and equity, just to name a few. Clients include non-profits, local governments, Oneida County BOCES, and local colleges.    Freddie has served as the Cultural Competency/racial equity leader for the MV Continuum of Care (CoC) for the past three years. Previously she was the founder and Executive Director of Child Development Support Corporation in Brooklyn New York. Presently she is the president elect of the Utica/Oneida County NAACP.  

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