| OVER THE PAST THREE YEARS...
we've shifted our policy on wages at GFJ. From no longer accepting low paid internships to requiring that all Good Food Jobs pay at least $15/hour, the changes have been welcomed across what feel like some of the longest years in our lifetime.
All the while, we've had conversations in this forum, as well as countless ones behind the scenes, on the importance of how job postings are written. (If you haven't refreshed yourself on our free guide, How to Write a More Equitable Job Post, it's never too late to check it out.)
And this week, those conversations have culminated in a new round of policy change that we enact, as always, in the spirit of changing a culture that creates barriers to the simple but fundamental human need of making a living.
Again and again, we see the following phrases pop up in job posts:
/ "reliable transportation"
/ "drivers' license required"
/ "clean driving record"
Because each one carries its own history and nuance, we'll be covering them over this - and the following two - newsletters. But it's also true that they work in tandem, like so much coded language does, to convey the bite of racist systems in the hiring world, all while appearing to communicate a simple and straightforward requirement.
We're here to say: they're not simple, and they're not straightforward. How can we be so sure? Because we've spent the past three years asking employers to add context or explanation to these requirements, and the responses have been almost identical across the board. This indicates to us that not only are many employers copy/pasting them into the job description without thinking about what they mean, but that there is a lurking complacency around including requirements like this in a job post - one that speaks to the very real, and regularly examined barriers to employment for a vast portion of folks in the United States. Why, if those barriers are known to so many of us, do we keep using these phrases in our job posts?
We hope to get to the heart of that question in the coming weeks, when there will be more - so much more - to discuss. But for now, let's talk about number one: "reliable transportation".
As we write to every job poster who includes this phrase in their post, the words "reliable transportation" are the kind of requirement that seems so obvious as to not need stating in the first place. And as we shared with you all in November 2020, "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."
At the time, we referenced Earlene K.P. Dowell's article for the U.S. Census Bureau, in which she elaborates on how desirable jobs in suburban or rural areas are harder to access for low-income populations in cities. Segregation between urban residents and rural or suburban jobs has been documented in many books and articles, including one we reference continually, Michelle Alexander's The New Jim Crow.
Although we haven't managed to get a truly satisfying answer as to why this phrase seems so necessary to employers, we have come across some solutions that resonate. Namely: provide context and detail.
For example, if you want to ask for punctuality, as so many employers do, go for it - but not without context, such as why timeliness is so important to the work being done.
And if you want to share details about the local landscape and options for traveling to and from work, by all means - but let that information speak for itself, instead of letting a phrase rooted in racism speak for you. Here are a few good examples for you to use or build on...
/ Because our business is located in an area without access to reliable public transportation, we only recommend that applicants with access to a vehicle apply.
/ Our location is only accessible via car.
/ We are located in a rural setting. Public transportation is extremely limited and does not correspond with our hours.
In addition to the above guidance, we're updating our policy to require that all employers refrain from using the phrase 'reliable transportation' as a stand-alone job requirement in future job posts.
Providing context is the first step in transparency that builds trust with your future team members. Here's to better job posts - which lead to better jobs - for everyone.
Yours in food justice,
Tay + Dor
photo by Lise Metzger @groundedwomen
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