My interest in Diversity and Inclusion arose during my final year of university, off the back of the Black Lives Matter movement. It was a turning point for the entire world. As a Black woman, I was mourning the deaths of Black people we lost to the hands of police brutality. As a Black university student about to start my career, I feared for what my first job would be like based on everything I’d been consuming about other Black women’s experiences at work. I knew then that I wanted to be part of the movement that would work towards making minority groups feel safe at work, and once I got my first job after Uni, I got stuck into this straight away.
Over the last two years, since starting my career, I’ve learnt that Diversity & Inclusion can be pretty complex. Intersectionality, defined as: the ways in which systems of inequality based on gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, class and other forms of discrimination “intersect” to create unique dynamics and effects. A business or organisation is made up of a group of people all working towards a common goal or mission, and that same group of people come from different walks of life, experiences, values and more. Intersectionality creates a different experience for everyone in the workplace, this can impact the level of inclusion individuals feel at work. Considering the complexities of intersectionality, how can we create more inclusive working environments?
“Hiring diverse talent isn’t enough – it’s the workplace experience that shapes whether people remain and thrive.” – McKinsey. When organisations foster an environment of inclusion in the workplace, it allows for increased employee engagement, collaboration, a wider range of perspectives, and more. A white paper by Cloverpop has found that inclusive teams make better business decisions up to 87% of the time, and they make those decisions twice as fast within half as many meetings.
One of the powerful ways we can create more inclusive working environments is to cultivate connection through empathy and curiosity. Some may feel that this is not necessary or a priority when there is a common goal of the business that everyone should be working towards, but it’s important to remember that our relationships with others at work can be impacted by our biases, and knowledge (or lack thereof) of the inequalities and/or experiences that different characteristic groups face. Feeling that our identity matters at work creates a sense of belonging that will lead to greater productivity, more innovation and better business results. It’s a win-win situation for everyone involved!
I’m Denise, a woman in my twenties. When you look at me, my name, gender and age are not what first comes to mind, my race is. It can be easy to assume what my experience at work and in life is like based on everything we consume about Black women in the media and other interactions we’ve had. While some of our experiences are similar, mine differs because I’m a Black woman with an Essex accent, who grew up in a majority white area, and a Christian. These are key parts of my identity, but on the surface, to my colleagues, I am a Black woman. If I did not build meaningful connections at work which allowed me to share about how those parts of my identity impact my experiences, then it’s likely that I might be misunderstood by those around me.
When we intentionally build connection with others and get to know them for who they truly are versus who we perceive them to be based on their characteristics, we leave less room for assumptions and cognitive shortcuts based on our biases and more room for a nuanced understanding of others. There are two approaches to this: Empathy and Curiosity. Empathy is an interpersonal approach – putting yourself in other people’s shoes, and drawing on your own experiences to understand theirs, even if it’s to a lesser degree. Curiosity is an intellectual approach – asking insightful questions, truly listening for responses, and building a conversation from those responses.
I’m able to apply this at work, where I am lucky enough to get to know my colleagues, and learn about a vast range of cultural holidays, religions and characteristics that allow me to build my awareness of what different walks of life look like, celebrate those differences, and share knowledge that others might not have yet. Without understanding the value of this, I would not be able to support employees in feeling included at work. It’s key to note that you do not have to work in the D&I space to understand and act on this. Diversity is a powerful tool and cultivating that connection with others different to us is a valuable step in creating an inclusive environment for those around us.
