Gray Areas: How the Way We Work Perpetuates Racism and What We Can Do to Fix It – An Essential Antiracism Study with Solutions for Equitable, Multiracial Organizations

by Adia Harvey Wingfield

NEXT BIG IDEA CLUB's November 2023 Must Read Books  • LIBRARY JOURNAL EDITOR PICK • "This vital and accessible study is a must-read for anyone concerned with workplace equality." —Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) A leading sociologist reveals why racial inequality persists in the workplace despite today’s multi-billion-dollar diversity industry—and provides actionable solutions for creating a truly equitable, multiracial future. Labor and race have shared a complex, interconnected history in America. For decades, key aspects of work—from getting a job to workplace norms to advancement and mobility—ignored and failed Black people. While explicit discrimination no longer occurs, and organizations make internal and public pledges to honor and achieve “diversity,” inequities persist through what Adia Harvey Wingfield calls the “gray ” the relationships, networks, and cultural dynamics integral to companies that are now more important than ever. The reality is that Black employees are less likely to be hired, stall out at middle levels, and rarely progress to senior leadership positions. Wingfield has spent a decade examining inequality in the workplace, interviewing over two hundred Black subjects across professions about their work lives. In Gray Areas , she introduces seven of Alex, a worker in the gig economy Max, an emergency medicine doctor; Constance, a chemical engineer; Brian, a filmmaker; Amalia, a journalist; Darren, a corporate vice president; and Kevin, who works for a nonprofit. In this accessible and important antiracist work, Wingfield chronicles their experiences and blends them with history and surprising data that starkly show how old models of work are outdated and detrimental. She demonstrates the scope and breadth of gray areas and offers key insights and suggestions for how they can be fixed, including shifting hiring practices to include Black workers; rethinking organizational cultures to centralize Black employees’ experience; and establishing pathways that move capable Black candidates into leadership roles. These reforms would create workplaces that reflect America’s increasingly diverse population—professionals whose needs organizations today are ill-prepared to meet. It’s time to prepare for a truly equitable, multiracial future and move our culture forward. To do so, we must address the gray areas in our workspaces today. This definitive work shows us how. Gray Areas includes 15 black-and-white images and a photo insert.

Genres: Nonfiction, Social Justice, Adult, Business, Audiobook, Management, History

304 pages, Hardcover

Published October 17, 2023

About the author

Adia Harvey Wingfield is the Mary Tileston Hemenway Professor of Arts & Sciences and Associate Dean for Faculty Development at Washington University in St. Louis. Her research examines how and why racial and gender inequality persists in professional occupations. Dr. Wingfield has lectured internationally on her research in this area, and her work has been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals including Social Problems, Gender & Society, and American Sociological Review. She is a former President of Sociologists for Women in Society (SWS) and the current President of the Southern Sociological Society (SSS), the largest regional professional sociological association in the US. In addition to her academic scholarship, Professor Wingfield has written for mainstream outlets including Slate, The Atlantic, Vox, and Harvard Business Review, and is the recipient of the 2018 Public Understanding of Sociology Award from the American Sociological Association. Her most recent book, Flatlining: Race, Work, and Health Care in the New Economy, won the 2019 C. Wright Mills Award.

Reviews

[Lizzie S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gray Areas: How the Way We Work Perpetuates Racism and What We Can Do to Fix It is the newest book by Adia Harvey Wingfield, a Sociology professor at WashU in St. Louis. As the title suggests, Dr. Wingfield discusses some of the ways in which racial disparities persist in work settings through the "grey areas" of employment, including mentorship, networking, and evaluation of performance. Through a series of interviews with people in a variety of occupational settings, Dr. Wingfield lays out the cause of some of these disparities and suggestions for addressing them.

A fascinating book about racism in the workplace that would be especially beneficial for hiring managers and supervisors.

Thank you so much to Adia Harvey Wingfield and Amistad for this ARC through NetGalley. Gray Areas is available now!

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting overview of the way work culture in the USA makes it difficult for people of color and women to get hired and advance in prestigious companies/ accademia/ traditionally male and white workspaces. The author focused on Black communities, but the points brought up are applicable to other minority communities as well.
However, I felt like this book worked better as an introductory text on the ways overt and unconscious bias affects racial and gender minorities. It did not provide any big "aha!" moments, like Linda Villarosa's "Under the Skin", or Jessica Nordell's "The End of Bias." As an immigrant woman, I recognized Wingfield's scenarios from my own experience (there is a lot of overlap between the way people of collor and immigrants are treated, unfortunately).
Unfortunately, Wingfield didn't do as much deconstruction of Western work places as I'd have liked. I profondly disliked the use of "male" and "female" work spaces, which was repeatedly mentioned without any challenging of gender norms. I understand that some jobs are more male or female dominated, but a little questioning of these norms would have been greatly appreciated (see Eugenia Cheng's "X+Y"). I also deflated when I realized that the author did not plan on digging deeper into the use of networks for job hubting--we challanged the gendered and racial segregation of the networks, not the dependency on networks for getting a job. I migrated from a Eastern-European country that tried to avoid over-relying on networks after so much nepotism was channeled through these networks in communism. Networking to get a job may be the way to do things now, but it promotes sexism, xenophobia, and excludes neurodivergent and introverted individuals. Networking to get a job is so much removed from meritcracy it's not even funny. The author did not seem to wish to rock the boat too much. In many ways, this was realistic: we are unlikely to see major changes in the way we seek jobs and hire people in the near future. But a more courageous dream on how we can reorganize workplaces would be nice. Sometimes, we need to spell our dreams out repeatedly before we can start turning them into reality.'

[Rach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook is easy to listen to, and this book covers an actual interesting perspective on gig workers as a respite from the bias and racism inherent in more social workplaces.

[CJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely worth reading, but perhaps a bit lighter than I would’ve liked. A little deeper interrogation of the norms in play would’ve been appreciated, instead of just how the norms apply to Black people. Should the norms exist at all?

[Calla S · Rating 3 out of 5]

Closer to a 3.5/5 since I liked overall but I felt like some of the chapters didn’t go as deep as I would have wanted (really wanted to read more about the gig worker) and the book was more focus on law/business execs vs education/healthcare/etc than I thought it would be

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just as "soft skills" are less tangible and harder to see and measure than "hard" skills, so are the "soft" forms of racism that Wingfield delves into in this book. Implicit bias, microaggressions, informal social segregation, and similar. She calls these cultural, social, and relational aspects of racism the "gray areas."

Work continues to perpetuate racial inequality. This no longer happens through openly declared intentions and actions; instead, it occurs because of the gray areas associated with work--the cultural, social, and relational parts of employment. The organizational cultures built with white workers in mind, the reliance on networks when making hiring decisions, the outsize roles that mentors and sponsors play in advancing careers--these are the mechanisms that drive how we work in the modern economy, but they are also key reasons why we have yet to see racial equity in most workplaces. Gray areas help explain why Black workers remain so underrepresented in many prestigious professions and among the top ranks of many organizations.

Wingfield is a sociologist, and the core of her book is interviews she conducted with a diverse group of Black people from a wide variety of professions, surrounded by exploration, analysis, and conclusions. Though I did not find her writing particularly engaging, the content and ideas are vital. She describes with names and faces a host of subtle dynamics which most of us remain generally unaware of.

A couple of sample sections:

Far too many companies take an approach where they purport to value diversity, may even hire a few Black employees, but fall short of considering how the organizational culture may be unwelcoming or even hostile. We see this in Constance's experiences in her department and Kevin's encounters in the nonprofit and the bank. Today's large multiracial companies can change their culture by being attuned to the reality that Black workers' experiences will include stereotyping, discrimination, and racial bias and factoring this reality into their norms and expectations. Relatedly, companies can also establish a culture where they support and affirm Black workers rather than marginalizing them. This could mean avoiding appearance codes that ban hairstyles disproportionately worn by Black workers (dreadlocks, braids, twists), facilitating discussions of racial matters when they arise, or establishing concrete sanctions for fellow colleagues or customers who engage in racial mistreatment of Black employees.

-----

One process [for reviewing applications when hiring new employees] involves creating a story or narrative about potential workers. When managers receive applications, in the absence of time to gain detailed information, they turn to questions that allow them to fit the limited data they do have into a coherent framework. Does anything about this person indicate that they are likely to be a reliable, consistent employee? Are there warning signs that suggest they will be a problem if hired? What explains why a worker has spent time unemployed? What accounts for the years they spent working for a temp agency instead of full time for a company in their chosen field?

This ambiguity can lead hiring managers to fill in gaps with stories that both draw from and reinforce racial stereotypes. For instance, Black men are routinely perceived to lack soft skills such as congeniality, amiability, and affability and suffer an extensive amount of employment discrimination as a result. Consequently, managers may not be surprised when job candidates who are Black men have long periods of unemployment because "it's expected of African Americans to be more unemployed more often." Relatedly, Black men with work histories at temp agencies may fare better than other groups because of the perception that temp agencies go through rigorous screening and will ferret out problem employees. These stories do not necessarily reflect Black men's work abilities, commitment to jobs, or potential for succeeding in a given career. What they do reflect are the pervasiveness of racial and gendered stereotypes and the ease with which these presumptions shape how Black men fare in the hiring process.

For Black women, similar processes are often in place. Hiring managers do not necessarily have the same low expectations for social skills that they assume of Black men, but Black women encounter stereotypes that present difficulties in the hiring stage and create discriminatory outcomes as well. For instance, managers often assume they will have extensive childcare responsibilities that will prompt frequent absenteeism. In some cases, this is linked to the belief that hiring Black women means dealing with "that single mother element"--the expectation that Black women will be unmarried mothers who lack childcare and cannot fully devote themselves to the needs of their jobs.

[J Kromrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to the publisher for this eARC.

In “Gray Areas: How the Way We Work Perpetuates Racism and What We Can Do to Fix It,” Adia Harvey Wingfield delivers a compelling and insightful exploration of the subtle yet pervasive racial biases that continue to shape the American workplace. With a sharp sociological lens, Wingfield dissects the nuanced ways in which discrimination manifests, moving beyond overt acts to uncover the implicit attitudes and informal practices that systematically disadvantage Black workers.

The book is structured around the personal narratives of seven Black professionals, each representing a different sector of the workforce. From Constance, a chemical engineer grappling with academia’s hidden prejudices, to Max, an emergency medicine doctor facing racism from the public he serves, Wingfield paints a vivid picture of the challenges Black employees encounter. The inclusion of Alex, a gig economy worker, is particularly resonant, highlighting the false veneer of equality that independent contracting can present.

Wingfield’s analysis is rigorous and relatable, making “Gray Areas” an accessible read for anyone. Her examination of the gig economy and the deceptive progressiveness of academic institutions is enlightening, offering a fresh perspective on familiar issues. The book’s strength lies in its ability to connect individual experiences with larger systemic problems, thereby humanizing abstract concepts like institutional racism.

One of the most valuable contributions of “Gray Areas” is its actionable solutions. Wingfield doesn’t just diagnose the problem; she prescribes a series of practical steps that organizations can take to dismantle the barriers faced by Black workers. These range from rethinking hiring practices to reshaping organizational cultures to prioritize the experiences of Black employees.

While the book’s focus on Black workers provides clarity, it also leaves the reader curious about the experiences of other non-white groups. An exploration of these dynamics could have added another layer of depth to the discussion. Nevertheless, “Gray Areas” stands as a definitive work on the subject, offering a roadmap for creating a truly equitable, multiracial future in the workplace.

Wingfield’s “Gray Areas” is a must-read for anyone invested in understanding and combating racial inequality at work. It’s a timely reminder that the path to equity is not through grand gestures but through addressing the everyday “gray areas” that continue to uphold systemic racism.

[Rowan's Bookshelf (Carleigh) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good framework to how to take steps towards eliminating workplace discrimination. Used case studies to explain "gray areas" where black workers aren't specifically being discriminated against, but the nuanced reasons they are not hired, advanced, or accepted socially. It's well written and I appreciate the hard data studies that back up these discussions of Gray Areas. I especially loved that there are concrete ways people can work to eliminate the biases.
I did strongly disagree with the author's use of "feminine" and "masculine" workplaces. These are treated to be facts and there is not any discussion on why these ideas of teachers/social workers/nurses being "feminine" while bankers, lawyers, corporate jobs are "masculine" is extremely limiting and outdated. Wish the author would at least discuss this or come up with another term (as many have). Also the chapters about gig work were not really compelling. The case study subject Alex didn't have much to add to the complexity of work, because she doesn't actually interact with anyone. There are only brief mentions of gig work like Uber or Postmates being limited in any advancement or benefits. It could have been a single chapter rather than a recurring topic.
Overall I would greatly recommend it as an introduction to the nuances of bias and steps to take to make a workplace actually more diverse.

[chemistryreads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book should be a must read for anyone, especially in a professional workspace. The “gray areas” are rarely ever addressed, and trainings provided in workspaces often show extreme examples that are very black and white. However, many issues are actually “gray” in current times. This book is the perfect guide for navigating what those gray situations are and how to improve. Each part specifically addresses different roles in the workplace and what they can do to improve. It is incredibly well organized and researched and I love that it includes stories from many different people to guide the learning process. I learned many things and one of the biggest lessons I learned was making sure black colleagues have access to the same information as their white counterparts, as well as the same level of feedback. The roles of mentors and advocates are also huge in making sure black colleagues have equal opportunities for success and growth in their roles and fields. Overall, this is such a well-done book and an excellent guide for navigating gray areas. It was also lovely to listen to as an audiobook! 5⭐️

[AnnieM · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a timely and relevant book for all of us in any type of organizations to understand how entrenched are systemic issues of racial inequities. Through interviews with black professionals in many types of roles and industries she examines how work drives racial inequality through ,cultural, social and relational aspects - what she describes as the "gray areas." They are called gray areas because they are the unwritten rules and ambiguous behaviors and not overt so difficult to identify, pin-down and change. The book is divided into sections under each of the three aspects. At the end of each section, she identifies actions we can take - whether you are an employee, a leader, a HR leader or DEI practitioner. These actions are helpful to help address these gray areas because it will take multiple levers to address the underlying systems. Hopefully this book helps lead the way for each of us to start taking action to create a better present and future for all.

Thank you to Netgalley and Amistad for an ARC and I voluntarily left this review.

[Luc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a well-researched and essential study of how unconscious bias is pervasive throughout white-dominated workplaces, and Wingfield's emphasis on data through interviews with seven Black professionals helps combine logic and emotion to make (I hope!) a big impact with readers. Her checklists of tangible takeaways for HR professionals, colleagues, and other roles at the end of each section gave me, as a colleague without much decision-making power in my workplace, concrete strategies to work toward a more inclusive future.

Choosing 4/5 stars, though, because there was a curious reliance on designating workplaces as "masculine" or "feminine" spaces, which felt gender-essentialist and binary, and the lack of discussion about racism toward other peoples of color (besides Black peoples) also felt limiting to the book's potential wide, wide relevance and impact. Still a crucial read, though.

[Rob Brock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Almost every company has some sort of dedicated diversity, equity, and inclusion activities, and yet by many metrics, the long-term effective of systemic bias still exist. This book looks at what the author calls the "gray areas", those persistent parts of a company's culture that seem immune to policy changes or corporate statements about diversity. Having studied these gray areas as a professor of sociology, the author recounts several stories to illustrate the ways that many black workers still face challenges in today's workplace. In additional to the illustrative stories, the author goes on to provide practical suggestions for leaders, diversity managers, human resources professionals, and people managers at every level. I found this to be an informative and very helpful book.

[Andrea Wenger · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book delves into the complex interplay between labor and race in America. Though explicit discrimination has declined, workplace inequities persist for Black individuals in hiring, advancement, and leadership. Through a decade of research and 200+ interviews, the author spotlights seven Black professionals' stories, revealing how outdated models perpetuate injustices.

This informative and easy-to-read antiracist book offers new insights and provides concrete solutions—like inclusive hiring, cultural change, and leadership pathways—to build truly equitable workplaces ready for a diverse future.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

[Don Heiman · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 2023 HarperCollins Publishers released Professor Adia Harvey Wingfield’s exceptional book “Gray Areas: How the Way We Work Perpetuates Racism & What We can Do to Fix It.” Adia is the Mary Tileston Hemenway Professor of Arts & Sciences and Vice Dean of faculty development and diversity at Washington University in St. Louis. Her book is the fourth in a series of books she has authored about gender/ racial bias and social justice remedies for correcting systemic racism in American work places. The book is insightful and well recognized by sociological experts in many educational organizations throughout the United States including the Martin Luther King Institute at Stanford University. I found her book comprehensive, thought provoking, and very enlightening. (P)

[Jamie Park · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know as a woman that life is harder on me than it is for white men, but as a woman pointed out at a conference, life is a lot harder for her as a woman of color that it will ever be for me.
I get away with things she can't even consider.
I decided that I needed more education and this book fits the bill. I have a sociology degree so I know about how potential employers filter out resumes if the name sounds "ethnic" and I know about the history.
However, I never thought about the modern gray areas.
Thank you for letting me read this. I needed it.
I will recommend this to others.

[Shari Suarez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sociologist Adia Harvey Wingfield takes a long look at how our current way of working and running our businesses is failing people of color.
The book is structured around seven Black people in different fields and their experiences in the workforce though it is clear that Wingfield has done more extensive research on the topic.
This book was insightful and included many ways to change our workplaces so that everyone can thrive. A must-read for managers.

[Bex · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an indispensable exploration into many of the ways DEI initiatives have fallen short, caused harm, or benefitted those who were already in the majority. This gave me so much to think about and concrete examples of evidence backed measures to advocate for in the workplace.

I’d recommend this for anyone who works with others, but especially for anyone in a decision-making or hiring position.

[Rachelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gray Areas... full of research and opinions, this book offers a range of what to expect in the workplace for people of color in lower level and higher level positions. Many of the chapters shared very similar types of information and anecdotes, much overlap in finding advocates to support entry level and intermediate level employees on the climb in leadership and employees constantly having to prove themselves and their studies to colleagues. insightful and believable in the delivery.

[Nikolas Toner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the action items at the end of each section. The author was very clear about how even though sometimes it doesn't look like racism in action or result of race, there are a lot of factors that go into decisions that can harm Black people's career advancement

[Melissa Grober · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book provides actionable insights into barriers for Black workers in the workplace and identifies evidence-based solutions for improving inclusion and advancement opportunities. Well written and an important contribution to the field.

[Katie Bruell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was engaging despite its slightly academic tone. It certainly contains a lot of great information for all of us who work on how to make a more truly inclusive workspace.

[Stacy Sines-Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

The examples were those that we see every day in the workplace. I highly recommend to all corporate leaders!

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

[Rebecca Dimanche · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very relevant book especially now more than ever with this new administration unfortunately

[Abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did not go as in depth as I would have liked. Extremely readable. Would suggest to anyone in management.

[Linda Leitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overcoming limitations around race in the workplace is vital, and Wingfield give solid examples and solutions.

[Katie ratherbereadinggg · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars