Balance Act: The Dual Impact of DEl Work on Black Professionals

By Abigail Wonga.

Reading time: four minutes

Balancing a day job with Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DEl) responsibilities as a Black professional in the corporate world can be challenging. This includes managing workloads, juggling relationships and handling office politics. Progressing as a Black professional is no easy feat. There comes the added pressure of DEl work. Although there is a desire to support others, the shifting corporate agenda and pressure to take on extra responsibilities make DEl work seem like an already heavy workload. On the 25th of November, I had the pleasure of attending the virtual event hosted by Encircle Mentoring on ‘Balance Act: The Dual Impact of DEl Work on Black Professionals’ This event, hosted by Yvonne Yeboah (Vice President of Client Relationship Management at BlackRock), discussed how best to manage the balancing act of DEl alongside careers, growth, and well-being.

The panellists included:

• Christine Meredith, CIPM – Head of Fixed Income Technology at Janus Henderson; and
• Justin Onuekwusi – Chief investment officer at St. James’s Place and the founder of EnCircle.

What is Encircle Mentoring?

Encircle Mentoring aims to reach professionals who are looking to take the next step in their careers. Events are hosted monthly through group mentoring sessions and are led by senior figures from financial and professional services who share their experiences and barriers they faced in their careers. Senior professionals recognise the barriers one faces regarding race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, and more.

In the legal world, the conversation of diversity is becoming more prominent than ever, read this article on the importance of diversity in law: https://thestudentlawyer.com/2024/09/26/the-importance-of-diversity-in-the-legal-profession/

Key takeaways

Through Meredith, I learned that DEl initiatives have been positive, although there are negatives. For example, the need to represent the whole black community and solve the problem for every single individual is negative because some issues brought to light should not have to be deemed issues, nor should there be a solution. Her employer, Janus Henderson, shows their commitment to DEl through food tasting events, hosting insight days for underrepresented groups, blood donation drives to help those with sickle cell and fireside conversations. There is an impact when you are working with people within the firm, externally and with clients. This is because many of the people you work with, clients you collaborate with and more, come from different backgrounds. In Meredith’s own words, “It is very rare to work on a project with someone who is three levels above you and below you to completion.” DEl, people can work with people from all walks of

Regarding the negative sides of DEl, it can feel fatiguing when you are required to constantly be the voice of reason for your community. That is why, learning to say no and being at capacity is so important. You have to learn what you can and can’t do in your day job. Overall, my takeaway from Meredith is, “A boundary will only work if you uphold it and keep it in place.”

More information about the DEl initiatives at Janus Henderson can be found below: https://www.janushenderson.com/en-gb/investor/who-we-are/brighter-future-project/diversity-equity-and-inclusion/

Hearing Onuekwusi’s perspective provided me insight into how the journey to DEl is a marathon, not a sprint. Onuekwusi’s journey began working at AON. During his time at AON, he put the foundational work on DEl initiatives but hadn’t seen it to its completion, as he left his role.

The murder of George Floyd in 2020 sparked conversation on how to best address racism, microaggressions and stereotypes.

Experiencing burnout in DEl work is real. Onuekwusi detailed how he experienced burnout during this time; he says “Having a good support network around you is important, especially for those who are going through a similar circumstance.” In the legal profession, DEl work has shown significant improvement, however the journey is continuing.

From Onuekwusi’s perspective, “Excellence in your job is the foundation before you do anything else.” How you build yourself in your day job, is something which should take priority over workload that can cause possible burnout. I am reminded that the work in DEl takes time and saying no does not mean that an opportunity is gone forever. Creating change will not be temporary but long-lasting. Attending this event clarified what we can do to create long-lasting change. We are empowered to inspire others by the stories of others.

For National Inclusion Week 2024, many articles have been published to refer to creating change in the legal profession, please take the time to read this one below: https://thestudentlawyer.com/2024/09/19/national-inclusion-week-2024-how-to-create-lasting-change-in-the-legal-