This week, I was decluttering and came across a performance review from 1997. While the comments about my performance were fun to see again, the form itself struck me the most. Astounding was the “Personal History” section at the top. Much of what we take for granted in the workplace today has only recently changed. 

The Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964, 2 years before I was born. It declares, “It shall be an unlawful employment practice for an employer to fail or refuse to hire or to discharge any individual, or otherwise to discriminate against any individual with respect to his compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment, because of such individual's race, color, religion, sex, or national origin;…” At that time, employment decisions were still being blatantly made based on the characteristics listed (and more). The Civil Rights Act set the stage for subsequent federal and state laws to prohibit discrimination based on age, gender, marital status, disability, veteran status, LGBTQ+ status, and any other markers that have nothing to do with one's ability to perform in their job.

Yet, 33 years later, my review at Hilton Hotels included marital status, date of birth, and number of children and their ages. You would never see this today. Even as late as 1997, we had not realized that asking for information about characteristics unrelated to the work supports unconscious bias that results in unequal treatment. 

What assumptions may have been made based not on my performance, but on irrelevant characteristics? Understand, I personally had a great experience with Hilton. Hmm, at that time, I was young, single, and didn't have kids…

60 years after the Civil Rights Act, and we still have stark disparities in the workplace. Last year in the US, we reached an all-time high in female Fortune 500 CEOs - 10.4%. Painfully slow progress.

To manifest more love in the workplace, each of us must learn the dynamics of bias and examine how it shows up in ourselves. The good news is that we can reprogram our brains when we consciously feed them new information and engage in conscious inclusion.

Invest 10 minutes to learn more about yourself with the Harvard Implicit Association Test (IAT).

We must remember the bad old days to create a fair future. For all of us "of a certain age," share your stories of what you experienced 27+ years ago. 

Love requires participation. Love requires sharing. Love requires action. Love requires commitment. 

With gratitude,

Joyce Aiko