What can a company do?
1. Educate yourself. There are dozens of helpful reading lists of books, articles, videos and movies that can help you understand the issue of racism and how our society can address it.
2. Address your entire company. Let your team know that you will not tolerate any level of racism or discrimination. Share that you are here for them. If you are not of color, do not try to pretend to understand what it is like. Ask how you can help. Learn as much as you can from your co-workers and other outlets.
3. Give your people an outlet someone they can talk to.
4. Show compassion for their feelings. Employees need to feel secure at work and know that you care for their well-being.
5. Do not assume if an employee is not a person of color that they are not and
affected. All people are affected by recent and past injustices.
6. Offer diversity, equity and inclusion training. Do it now and do it regularly. People need to learn, and they will require reminding. They need to know that this is important to you.
At my company, we are speaking with our teammates one-onone. We are holding a diversity forum to help us better support our team members as well as the employees of our clients. We are holding town hall meetings to discuss racism openly and share best practices.
Speaking out against racism starts with speaking and listening. Unless we talk openly and fully about the problem of racism and our response to it, the problem will continue to fester.
One does not need to be in an official “leadership” role to make a difference. Take a look around you. There are peaceful protests that you can join or support. You can make a huge difference by simply setting an example for your children.
Pay careful attention to how you communicate about people who are different from you. Think about how you personally may have acted or reacted as a result of someone’s race.
Discrimination is a subject very near to my heart. My father was a Holocaust survivor. By the time he was 12 years old, his father, mother, two sisters and his brother were murdered because they were Jewish. My dad spent five years in 10 different concentration camps from ages 12-17.
I cannot understand what it feels like to be treated differently because of the color of my skin. I do however care deeply for the Black community and anyone who is treated unfairly because of their race, for what they believe in, what religion they practice, or who they identify as or choose to love.
Each of us has a role to play to make sure our organizations are free of racism and discrimination. We cannot rid the world of this problem unless we eradicate it from the areas for which we are responsible.
The Lehigh Valley is a great place to live. Let’s make it even greater by promoting equality for every person who lives here.
I hope that this column touches you in a way that makes you take action if you have not already.
Tina Hamilton is president and CEO of myHR Partner Inc., a Lehigh Valley human resources outsourcing firm that manages HR for clients in 26 states. She can be reached at tina@myhrpartnerinc.com.
thought that it may be appropriate to comment on your response to the jake brake question. Your response said the only option for reducing the noise caused by jake brakes is to ban their use. My experience tells me that the majority of heavy-duty trucks built in the U.S. over the past few years have been built with some type of engine compression brake. But the majority of these trucks are not noisy when using the compression brake. The noisy trucks are those where the driver has removed the muffler. A better response would be that the best option to reduce the noise caused by compression brakes would be to require drivers to have a standard OEM muffler and exhaust system on their truck.
C.W., Minneapolis
A: I hear you. But I did not suggest banning jake brakes. I suggested restricting their use in residential areas. In fact, I would appreciate if drivers would avoid any engine braking in town. Speeds are low and service brakes should suffice.
Q: Your response to the reader who learned there was no spare tire in their 2013 Cadillac SRX is correct. I have a 2010 and had the same issue. I purchased a spare tire complete with the jack for peace of mind if I ever had a blowout. If, and when, I sell or trade in my 2010, I’ll put the pump and sealer back in the car and then sell the spare tire and jack to someone who has the same needs as I did.
R.U., Lemont, Illinois
A: A good solution and one that many other motorists have chosen.
Q: My father has a 1923 Packard. He has to change his spark plugs often due to (excuse my description because I am not a big car guy) gunk build up. He didn’t have this problem when he used leaded gas. It’s hard to find that nowadays. Is there some kind of additive to make the gas “leaded” or another solution?
T.P., Buffalo Grove, Illinois
A: Spark plug fouling may be due to oil getting past the intake valves. The valve seats regress after prolonged unleaded gas use. In bygone days, lead would deposit on the valve seats effectively giving them a cushion. Having never used them, I can’t vouch for lead substitutes sold in auto parts and other stores. It is worth a try, but if the seats are damaged, no magic in a bottle will repair them.
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