✅ The Allyance newsletter provides many useful references on recruitment, diversity and inclusion. What follows are some stimulating articles about women of color in the workplace, representation in administrative paperwork, jerks getting promoted faster, product management and GDPR in recruitment.

HOW CAN MANAGERS SUPPORT WOMEN OF COLOR AT WORK?

✊🏿 On the topic of allyship, we start with a study about women of color in the workplace, about the obstacles they face to get acknowledged in their job and promoted to higher roles. Hindered by years of systemic racism and rampant unconscious biases, that never allowed them to catch up with their white colleagues, women of color could use more allies in every aspect of their career, and especially in their managers.

This article presents a sobering context before proceeding to share actionable solutions to be a better ally for women of color in the workplace. 

Quote: “They are less likely to have bosses who promote their work contributions to others, help them navigate organizational politics, or socialize with them outside of work. Thus, they’re often left out of the informal networks that propel most high-potentials forward in their careers. They lack the kind of meaningful mentoring and sponsorship that is critical for getting ahead.”

IMPROVING REPRESENTATION, ONE CHECKBOX AT A TIME

✅ We all know that representation matters, and every little bit of representation being added on any form is already a victory. Administrative paperwork is, and always will be, unavoidable. As such, it is extremely important to make sure everyone feels seen and has a possibility to choose how they want to be identified.
This article details the changes started by the Biden administration in order to add more layers for people from under-represented groups to identify themselves better. The changes also include the removal of outdated language elements, including those that could be considered slurs or insults.

This is important progress that could lead to more visibility and better representation for minorities.  

Quote: “But when there is no aspect of anyone's life that is not touched by census data and your community is rendered invisible in the data when you cannot get an accurate count about it, I think it's pretty extraordinary to understand that this initial real estate on the census form is a big deal.”

DO JERKS GET PROMOTED FASTER?

👉 We probably all know one: a terrible jerk with a massive ego, who usually gets their way through bullying and aggressiveness. From the highschool bully to the one we unwillingly share an office with, it’s a common personality both in the workplace and outside, but does their success come from that behavior? 

This study, brought to you by Cameron Anderson after he witnessed Donald Trump being elected president in 2016, gives us some really interesting answers. 

Quote: “From Ivan the Terrible to Elon Musk, there seems to be a well-documented pattern of assholes who wind up in charge. Surely, we think, they must have gotten ahead — at least in part — because of their despicable personalities. Even worse, all the cutthroat role models we're surrounded by at work make us hesitant about being nice ourselves. We worry that the bullies and backstabbers will eat us for lunch as they march their way up the corporate ladder. ”

THE PRODUCT MANAGER SURVIVAL KIT (PART I)

⚙️ According to Valentin Ménard, Lead Product Manager at ManoMano, the life of a Product Manager isn’t without tribulations.
After all, what is a Product Manager exactly, what do they do? We know on some level, but it’s not always easy to explain nor understand what it means, much less so in simple and practical terms. So, how does one do a job that isn’t quite understood, not even by the product managers themselves sometimes?

In this insightful survival kit, Valentin Ménard gives you some tips 👇

Quote: “Product Management has existed for a long time, but the way to do it significantly changed with the digital era. Tech companies shaped this role with a new view of the organization’s structure, leadership, and methods. This is because of specificities at the heart of the digital industry and the paralleled emergence of new schools of thought.”

🇫🇷 THE FRENCH CORNER

C’est très souvent une des bêtes noires du recrutement : comment collecter, traiter et stocker des données personnelles, le tout en accord avec le RGPD ?

Pour répondre à cette question tout en précisant les éléments légaux mis à jour, la CNIL (Commission Nationale de l’Informatique et des Libertés) a publié récemment un guide très complet sur les fondamentaux à maîtriser et à comprendre pour assurer une protection des données personnelles optimale. 

Quote: “L’essor des nouvelles technologies a multiplié les canaux de recrutement (réseaux sociaux, publicité personnalisée, moteurs de recherche spécialisés, etc.) et les outils de communication utilisés (visioconférence, agents conversationnels ou chatbots, applications mobiles, etc.). Il a également entraîné la constitution de bases de données d’un volume important permettant l’utilisation de l’intelligence artificielle ou encore le recours à des outils pour évaluer le « savoir être » et prendre en compte les « soft skills » des candidats.
Au regard des risques considérables d’atteinte à la vie privée des candidats, il est essentiel que les recruteurs veillent à préserver leurs droits et libertés.”