The Dawn of Economic Diversity
There’s this thought floating around in my head and I’d like to share it with you. It involves all the recent media coverage about the shrinking middle class and the rise in poverty. Regardless of your political persuasion, the stats seem to suggest the wealth gap is widening.
As a society, we’re generally not too comfortable talking about money. Our parents told us not to talk about how much money we have or don’t have. We only talk about our salary with people “in the know” – our boss, human resources, 
Think about that the next time you’re at a conference, in a work meeting, attending worship services, etc. 1 in every 6 people around you could be living in poverty. That means maybe you can afford a Starbucks every morning, trendy shoes or a big fancy vacation, but not everyone in the room can.
Now let’s apply this idea to the workplace. 1 in 6 employees might be living in poverty. Companies and managers need to understand it’s unacceptable to judge people based upon their economic status. For instance:
Clothing: I know, I know. The whole dress code thing again. I promise not to get on my soapbox, but when we advise colleagues to ditch the 80’s fashion or not wear their engagement ring to an interview aren’t we in essence pointing out just how superficial we are? That your attire trumps your abilities? And the real question is, what happens to those employees who are brilliant but can’t afford the latest trend in sneakers?
Internet: Fran Melmed at Free Range Communications shared some information about internet access across America not being equal. It’s really fascinating. But it raises the question: do companies make the assumption that all of their employees have computers with high-speed internet at home? So they can take work home to finish? If I have to choose between feeding my family and DSL, which do you think will win out?
Cell phones and equipment: I’ve been hearing about this new trend in business called “BYO” – bring your own equipment. Obviously, this is great if you have better equipment than the company is willing to pay for. I can’t help but think about the reverse. What if I don’t have the best and fastest computer technology? Does this mean I don’t get the job? Or if I do get the job that I’m doomed to fail because I can’t possibly perform at a high level because I can’t afford the equipment the company won’t pay for?
Training and professional development: The trend today is for employees to contribute in some way to their professional development. And I have to say I support this trend. But I’m starting to struggle with what “contribute” looks like. I know of many companies that will give an employee time off to attend a conference but the conference expense is the employee’s. What happens if an employee’s personal budget won’t allow for it? Are they becoming disadvantaged in some way due to lack of professional development?
I’m sure there are more examples but this gives you an idea of what we face if we don’t embrace economic diversity. If it isn’t happening already, I wonder how many managers are offering career advice like:
You need to look the part to be taken seriously in meetings. Go buy some new clothes.
Whatever you do, don’t tell the vice president you live with your parents. He’ll think you’re a loser.
Even if an employee wants to attend the conference, would love to buy new clothes and give anything not to live with mom and dad, the reality may be they just can’t afford to change the situation. Businesses and their leaders need to sensitize themselves to the fact that smart, hard-working people who can deliver big results for their companies not only have different genders, skin colors, and religions but different sized bank accounts.
Image courtesy of Kevin Burkett
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