“Doing the right thing is often a highly inconvenient, time consuming, even costly, process.” – Mathew Desmond
“Just that you do the right thing. Nothing else matters.” – Marcus Aurelius
I took a few months off from blogging. This was time I needed to do some personal things, among them, study for the Community Action professional certification exam (CCAP).
For those unfamiliar, Community Action was born from Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty in the 1960s. Community Action are a network of specialized social service agencies tasked with one thing: Ending poverty.
The Community Action Promise states that:
“Community Action changes people’s lives, embodies the spirit of hope, improves communities, and makes America a better place to live. We care about the entire community, and we are dedicated to helping people help themselves and each other.”
(Find out more about the Community Action movement here).
A chief component of Community Action is advocacy. In fact, one of the Code of Ethics for Community Action Agencies is:
Be Outspoken Advocates and Educators. Actively inform the community and decision-makers about issues affecting those with lower-incomes. Courageously confront and dismantle myths about social and economic inequality. Participate in promoting policies that support social and economic mobility, which reinforce the values of an equitable society.
So, what does this have to do with the HR profession? HR is not a profession known for advocating as a whole. But why? Shouldn’t it be? It’s made up of many caring, empathetic people. So, why don’t we hear more about high powered HR CHROs, VPs, and other leaders calling for needed change in society?
Maybe they are out there, but they’re lost in the static. One, however, makes her voice known loud and clear.
Laurie Ruettimann, the punk rocker herself, passionately advocates for numerous causes, and argues that you should too! In a recent blog post, Promoting Your CHRO: A Strategy for National Recognition, she writes:
“As figures operating at the crossroads of work, power, politics, and money, CHROs are well-positioned to advocate for causes they believe in, most notably human rights. By staying current with world events and using their influence for advocacy, CHROs can champion a culture of empathy and understanding within their organizations.”
YES!
I agree. I’ve always been something of a radical, a rabblerouser. Someone who I hope caused “good trouble,” as John Lewis would have said. I lost a little bit of that radicalism, though. Priorities shifted – marriage, career, kids. You may have seen glimpses here and there, but it was dulled by a sometimes cynical life.
But causing good trouble should always be a priority. It’s something that is needed in this world, now, probably, as much as ever, if not more so.
Studying the history of Community Action, studying the history of poverty, working in the world of combating this plague has reawakened my more radical side. As an HR professional working in a Community Action Agency, I have the sacred duty to advocate for the impoverished, and that’s what I am going to do.
Advocating for the poor isn’t sexy. Providing services to those at or below the poverty line isn’t as glamorous as providing services to cute cuddly puppies at a shelter. But poverty is a blight that hurts everyone, and it’s shameful that in the richest country ever known, the poor are shunned, turned away, called lazy. It’s not true.
“If only they pick themselves up by their bootstraps,” say those, not realizing there are no boots, let alone straps, for these people. The system doesn’t support radical individualism, as much as it is romanticized.
Matthew Desmond is the Maurice P. During Professor of Sociology at Princeton University. He wrote Poverty, By America – a scathing indictment of the American system that created so much suffering in the midst of plenty.
“This is who we are: the richest country on earth, with more poverty than any other advanced democracy. If America’s poor founded a country, that country would have a bigger population than Australia or Venezuela. Almost one in nine Americans – including one in eight children – live in poverty.”
And that poverty affects BIPOC populations at a much higher percentage overall – especially Native, Black, and Hispanic populations. According to Poverty USA, an educational resource to help individuals and communities address the root causes of poverty in America, 25% of Native Americans, 21% of Blacks, and 18% of Hispanics live in poverty while 10% of Whites do. This is the result of decades of systemic discrimination and racism, and so much more complicated and complex histories that are worth reading up on.
Desmond asks “why” and then proceeds to layout the case of why (including discussions of the systemic racism I alluded to). I won’t go into that here, as that’s not the main point of this piece. I highly encourage all to read this book, however. It’s enlightening, enraging, and encouraging all at once.
So, back to HR. What can HR professionals advocate for to help combat poverty? There’s a lot.
- Be the voice in the room. It starts here. Advocacy starts with a voice, even if it shakes. Do not fear speaking the truth. Only fear not speaking when it is needed most. This is the foundation of all successful advocacy.
- Equitable Pay. It should go without saying, but fight for pay policies that are fair, equitable, and transparent. I understand that not all industries can afford to pay “top dollar,” but if they can and don’t, why? Nonprofit organizations or mom and pop operations, for example, can’t pay at the top of the market, but they can at least be competitive with the market. Many large for profits don’t have this issue, yet decide to under pay and nickel and dime employees, which exasperates poverty in many forms, all while lining the pocket books of shareholders and CEOs flying rocket ships in their spare time. It’s complicated, but fight for a compensation program that rewards people and pay them fairly.
- Generous PTO. People need time off for many things. But the one thing I see that causes the most pain is when people need time off from work for illness, bereavement, and other serious issues. Many working poor cannot take the time off they need to grieve when a family member passes, many cannot take off work when their child is sick – adding to their anguish and digging them deeper into poverty. This cannot and should not be the case. Give folks paid time off to grieve. Don’t make them choose between pay and being with their families.
- Paid Parental Leave. Women in poverty is at 13%, while men in poverty is 10%. This discrepancy in part has to do with the fact that women are economically punished for having children. They already get paid less then men, then don’t get paid time off to recover from giving birth, or worse, fired outright before they come back. (Thankfully, that “should” be changing with the passing of the Federal pregnancy discrimination act). Allowing women the time they need to recover from childbirth with paid time off will help provide a safety net for millions. In addition, opening up paid family leave to all working parents creates a system that supports health, family by not making working parents choose one or the other.
- Flexible Workplace Policies. I am sick of hearing about how powerful (White) men want employees to return to the office. They want it for one reason: Power. That’s it. The new paradigm upsets the power structure. Flexible Workplace Policies HELP employees – it helps them save money, spend more time with their families, helps the environment. All of this is good for the poor, and assists in helping them find their way out of poverty.
- Cover Higher Premiums. The healthcare system in America is broken – unless you’re rich. Even then, the cost is ungodly. Nothing leads the lamb to the slaughter of poverty more than a cancer diagnosis. We live in a country where people have to BEG others for money through GoFundMe accounts just so they can pay the minimum on their medical bills. And that is for middle class citizens. Imagine the plight poverty stricken. Many don’t sign up for healthcare due to premiums being too high. On average, employers https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/05/upshot/the-real-reason-the-us-has-employer-sponsored-health-insurance.htmlpay for 78% of single coverage employee health insurance plans and 66% of family coverage plans. This equates to roughly $7,000 – $23,000 out of pocket for someone just to have insurance coverage, let alone use it. By the way, the poverty rate for a family of four is $26,500 annually. That leaves $3,500 left over for food. If employers don’t want to pay for more premium, try convincing them why tying health insurance to your employer is a bad idea. Maybe then a movement can be started to move away from this absurd system.
As Laurie Ruettimann wrote, “Incorporating an activism component in their PR strategy underscores the CHRO’s commitment to creating a better world.”
I believe in a better world. Helping people; changing lives. This is a beautiful motto from the Community Action space, and it can be absorbed by the HR world, too.
I could end this by saying “all these things are also best for business!” I’m over that shit if I am being honest. We shouldn’t do the right thing because it makes millionaire shareholders more money. I don’t care if it’s good or bad for business. Helping people out of poverty is the right thing to do, and doing the right thing comes at a cost sometimes. It’s a debt that needs to be paid – especially to historically excluded and persecuted populations.
Being unselfish is always the right thing to do. Maybe that’s unrealistic and naïve. I don’t care. I envision a world that is better than the one we currently have – and that includes being able to advocate for paid time off and not have it be controversial or “nonsensical.”
I believe in the Community Action Ethic – Practice Service Above Self. The best leaders do this, and the greatest do it without batting an eye. They put others before themselves – even when it’s detrimental to themselves. They use their privilege to give their privilege away.
Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor, one of the most powerful men in history, sold off Imperial valuables when Rome’s finances were in ruins due to the plague. He could have raised taxes. He could have started a war to plunder. He could have used his power so that others suffered instead of his family, but he didn’t. Because it wasn’t the right thing to do.
HR should follow this example. HR professionals must advocate for selling the treasures to ensure others can be helped.
The HR Philosopher 