OnShift Stands In Solidarity With The Asian American & Pacific Islander Community

The recent attacks on the Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) community stress the urgency of condemning the prejudice, racism, xenophobia and violence targeting the AAPI community. Last week, a series of mass shootings at Atlanta-area spas killed eight people, six of whom were Asian women. This senseless violence against the Asian community sounds an alarm for the critical need to stand in solidarity against all Asian hate.

According to a recent report by Stop AAPI Hate, a reporting center for anti-Asian hate incidents, nearly 3,800 documented hate incidents occurred from March 19, 2020 to February 28, 2021. The findings note that women report hate incidents 2.3x more than men. Last year, The Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan fact tank, found that “…about three-in-ten Asian adults (31%) say they have been subject to slurs or jokes because of their race or ethnicity since the [COVID-19] outbreak began…”

The United States has seen an alarming rise in anti-Asian hate incidents since the beginning of the pandemic. There is no place for hate, racism or violence in our workplace and our communities. OnShift is deeply committed to creating a diverse and welcoming workforce, and that starts by standing up against discrimination and continuing to embrace diversity, equity and inclusion.

A diverse workforce is common among senior care and healthcare organizations. One report found that “the majority of direct care workers (59 percent) are people of color, including 30 percent who are Black/African-American, 18 percent who are Hispanic/Latino (of any race), 7 percent who are Asian or Pacific-Islanders, and 4 percent who identify as other races or ethnicities.” As we reflect on the attacks against the AAPI community, here are some things to consider to help make meaningful changes within your organizations:

1. Educate Yourself, Your Organizations & Team Members – Research and share best practices with your teams on how to stand up against AAPI hate. With more than 35% of AAPI hate incidents occurring on a work location, it’s important to make sure your employees are properly trained should they witness a hate event. Anyone can sign up for bystander intervention training, read safety tips for those experiencing or witnessing hate and access a comprehensive list of hate crime resources. Additionally, it’s important to make sure hate incidents are reported.
   
   
2. Evaluate Your Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Practices – Last year OnShift launched our internal diversity, inclusion and belonging initiative. We have a dedicated team of employees helping to educate all team members with diversity and hiring best practices, eliminate unconscious bias and encourage employees to speak up. McKnight’s shared an article focused on combating racism in long-term care.
   
   
3. Check In On Your Employees – The pandemic has been a challenging time for many, especially minorities, frequently bringing out racial disparities. Check in on your employees to see how they are feeling. Make sure your employees feel heard and supported by their managers and by your organization. You can learn more here about how to specifically provide support to your AAPI employees.
   
   
4. Get Involved – There are many ways for your organization to be a part of positive change. You can look for and connect your employees to local resources. The National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association provides a series of resources to help connect employees to service providers. Also, you can access a list of service providers in all states.

When faced with discrimination, racism and violence, we must speak out and stand up for and with those experiencing hate. Thank you to all of the organizations, providers, associations and employees who are making diversity, equity and inclusion a priority already. It is our deepest hope to see a more diverse, welcoming and accepting world – and that starts with us.