breath by breath, we make it through each day. This year's push toward the major U.S. holidays of Thanksgiving, Christmas and the New Year feels both slow (because: pandemic) and fast (because there is so much uncertainty about how it will look / function / feel). Some may be relieved to not have to travel or spend as much time in family gatherings that tend to be stressful...others are already grieving the lost connections that are made via those gatherings. 

As we type, the global death toll from the Coronavirus is 1.3 million people, more than 246,000 of them in the U.S. This will be a particularly weighted time of remembrance of those individuals, and consideration for the loved ones they left behind. However you are experiencing the lead-up to the holidays, know that we are with you in seeking out ways to find joy, peace and meaning in a new and perhaps unwelcome situation.

Speaking of steps, as we step through How to Write a More Equitable Job Post we'd like to acknowledge that steps toward equity - rather than following a distinct order - often work in conjunction with one another, and can be valuable and useful in any particular order. They can also be revisited, and built upon or deepened over time. This is how we hope to approach this work, regardless of how organized we are feeling on any given day.

As we explored last time, the step toward shifting the culture around Job Requirements can be focused on two main things: reducing those requirements, and understanding the coded language that tends to lurk among them. We shared Greyston Bakery's revolutionary approach to reducing those requirements: the brilliant practice of Open Hiring. We also talked about some of the problems with superlatives, as well as the clear and direct implications of asking for background checks and clean driving records. 

Today we'd like to build on those aspects of Job Requirements that can be reduced or eliminated due to coded language.

One issue in particular that seems to pop up in job posts time and again is this phrase: 'must have a reliable source of transportation to and from work'. Offhand, it seems like an obvious requirement, and that's the problem: for one thing, out of all the obvious things that could be stated about a potential employee, why this one? And for another, the racial implications of that requirement remain covertly hidden behind the common sense nature of it.

We'll start with the why - why is 'reliable transportation' something that an employer feels compelled to name, when it seems to fall under the same category as 'don't forget to wear clothes' and 'please continue to breathe while working'? Desirable jobs in suburban or rural areas are harder to access for low-income populations in cities. As Earlene K. P. Dowell writes for the U.S. Census Bureau, "Job sprawl to the suburbs has created a commuting challenge that hits low-income residents the hardest. Many may not be able to afford a car and if access to public transportation is limited, those living in cities cannot take advantage of job opportunities in suburbs miles away." Segregation between cities and suburbs is a harmful enough way to threaten the livelihoods of Black people and other people of color - consider how the stated requirement of 'reliable transportation' underscores this existing problem.

If you are concerned about your employees arriving to work on time, we suggest looking at ways to build a transportation plan into the compensation and benefits of the position. As just one example, there have been numerous solutions for ride-sharing, large and small, across the globe. Think carefully and creatively to make your job post accessible to more people, not fewer. 

A second and final Job Requirements issue for today is the coded language that underscores ageism. As one thoughtful newsletter reader pointed out, "descriptives like 'driven' and 'go-getter' and 'high-energy' can make older people feels as if any need for work-life balance will be shamed."

As anti-ageism advocate Ashton Applewhite says in their TED talk, "The experience of reaching old age can be better or worse depending on the culture in which it takes place." Our ability to break down these barriers starts within the job post, where we have a chance to welcome a diverse range of ages, rather than let assumptions dictate who will have the most to contribute.

In the words of writer and civil rights advocate Michelle Alexander: "Work is deemed so fundamental to human existence in many countries around the world that it is regarded as a basic human right." Making your job post more equitable means making it more human.

We are here to help. Questions? Roadblocks? Pain points? Please reach out.

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In our ongoing work to provide resources for Writing an Equitable Job Post, we invite you to get in touch if you have thoughts on any areas of a job post you'd like us to delve into. In the coming weeks, we look forward to covering Compensation and Application details. 

In food, justice, and food justice, 

Dor + Tay

photo by Clay Williams for GFJ Stories