This article is written by Antoinette Sarpong, change management analyst at the Ontario Ministry of Government and Consumer Services, and a member of Connect Ontario, winner of Apolitical’s 2020 Global Public Service Team of the Year Award in the category of Championing Equality

Where were you when you first heard the name George Floyd?

Like many public servants working during a global pandemic, I was in the office formerly known as my bedroom. My mobile erupted with news about the death of the US citizen after being handcuffed and pinned to the ground by police, and I saw the video that started a movement. I also remember where I was the next day — right back at work, holding back familiar frustration and tears, like a professional.

Unfortunately, vicarious trauma — the secondary stress you experience after being exposed indirectly to another person’s suffering — appears at inconvenient times.

In Toronto, Canada, where I live and work, we have a day set aside to confront the effects of racism against Black people on mental health. On Black Mental Health Day, I’m reminded of the kaleidoscope of emotions I felt in 2020. These included grief, fear, and anger, but I had to be judicious about how I expressed the anger. I’m the only Black member of my team, and I was conscious of the risk of being labelled the ‘angry black woman’.

A year of racial reckoning

In the past year, we’ve endured the Covid-19 pandemic, which has disproportionately affected communities of colour, and we’ve been through a racial reckoning. I’ve already mentioned research into the racism-related vicarious trauma experienced by me and the 5.2% of Ontario Public Service (OPS) employees who identify as Black.

But it goes further than this. Racism has devastating emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual effects on our communities. This may include, but is not limited to, anxiety, depression, internalised racism, and symptoms similar to post-traumatic stress disorder.

The combined impact is referred to as ‘racial trauma,’ and it carries across generations. We know that informal networks can help to alleviate it. For me, having a space to share my lived experiences, and express the feelings attached to them, is vital.

A year of supporting each other’s careers, and candid and courageous conversations

I’m a member of Connect Ontario Professional Development Group. As a member of Connect Ontario, I’ve been able to showcase my writing and facilitation skills. Most of all, I have broadened my network. It’s made up of public sector staff, management, and executives from across Canada’s federal and municipal governments. Connect Ontario earned Apolitical’s 2020 Global Public Service Team of the Year Award.

We connect regularly to support each other’s career advancement, and find people who can champion our professional goals. Last year, 56 career opportunities were posted on our LinkedIn page, and we had important discussions about how to progress while working remotely.

We also want to strengthen a culture of inclusive diversity. We create space for increasingly candid and courageous conversations on inclusion and belonging.

Why are informal networks key for promoting equality?

These conversations were even more important in 2020, as remote working made it harder to talk to each other spontaneously. Even before the coronavirus pandemic hit, the US had a loneliness epidemic. Research shows a sharp decline in workplace friendships since 2004. Millennials now make up more than half of the global workforce, but they report having the fewest friends at work.

As a Black millennial female in the Ontario Public Service, being part of an informal network like Connect Ontario helped me to find jobs. Most importantly, it offered me a space to process the events of 2020, the longer history of anti-Black racism, and how it affects mental health. But what is the broader impact of informal networks on the public service?

Developing leaders who listen

As executive coach Melissa Daimler writes in Forbes, the events of 2020 have forced leaders to communicate with greater empathy. By listening actively to a broader spectrum of people, Black and non-Black leaders can come to understand the diversity of personal experiences people bring to the public service.

Promoting psychological safety

Amy Edmondson, author of ‘The fearless organization’, defines psychological safety as “the belief that the workplace is safe for interpersonal risk-taking.” This differs from trust, where we give others the benefit of the doubt. Psychological safety is knowing that others will give us the benefit of the doubt, so we feel comfortable contributing. It’s only under these conditions that the public service can benefit from diverse teams.

Fostering greater inclusion

Informal networks aren’t about creating separate spaces: I’m not advocating for segregation in the name of inclusion. The kind of network I’m part of helps racialised and non-racialised employees to connect with each other on the basis of shared interests, and values.

At a recent event organised by the Ontario Public Service, a senior Black leader called for “brave spaces”, instead of safe spaces, in the public service. In the former, people come as they are and can call out inappropriate behaviour. We need to encourage both Black and non-Black employees to create these environments. Without inclusion, diversity is just a policy.

This is how informal networks can be catalysts for change. They create opportunities for Black and non-Black public servants to gather, and practice daily acts of bravery. In doing so, we not only survive: we thrive. — Antoinette Sarpong

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