Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace: LGBTQIA+

June is Pride Month, a month dedicated to uplifting LGBTQIA+ voices, celebrating LGBTQIA+ culture and supporting LGBTQIA+ rights. It commemorates the years of struggle for civil rights and the ongoing pursuit of justice, equity and equality for the LGBTQIA+ community.

LGBTQIA+ is an inclusive acronym that describes either a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity such as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning/queer, intersex, asexual/aromantic/agender, pansexual, and allies.

Gender identity describes a person’s internal sense of being female, male, or someone outside of that gender binary, while sexual orientation refers to ‘a person’s sexual and emotional attraction to another person and the behavior and/or social affiliation that may result from this attraction.’

People from the LGBTQIA+ community face discrimination and hate regularly in their personal lives, workplaces and in public spaces. Furthermore, the intersectionality of traits such as race, ethnicity, religion can influence their experience and lead to discrimination on multiple fronts. In the workplace, they’re subjected to microaggressions like being asked inappropriate questions and hearing homophobic jokes and comments. Conscious and unconscious bias can prevent them from being hired or getting a promotion or opportunity at work. Many LGBTQIA+ individuals feel the need to hide their identity in the workplace for fear of discrimination, which causes high levels of stress, anxiety and other mental health issues among them.

During this session of Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace, we will discuss how workplaces and organisations can create a genuinely inclusive culture for LGBTQIA+ employees. On an individual level, using pronouns in email signatures, on social media profiles, and stating them in meetings, being mindful of using gender neutral language and calling out discriminatory behaviours are some of the ways to be active allies.

For companies, using gender neutral language, diverse visuals on the website and options beyond male and female on the job application can help attract a more diverse workforce, while including anti-discrimination and harassment policies that address sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression as prohibited grounds of discrimination can help retain this workforce.

In this session, we will discuss

• How can we ensure that workplaces have strong inclusive policies and practices in place?
• How can they attract, successfully recruit and retain LGBTQIA+ talent?
• How can companies create a safe environment for employees of all sexualities and gender expressions to reveal as much or as little as they want?
• How can we, as individuals, be active allies to the LGBTQIA+ community?

Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace: Mental health as a key topic in your D&I strategy

Mental health, especially in the workplace, is often overlooked and stigmatized. Most people will experience a mental illness or mental health issues in their working lives. In the wake of the pandemic, the sudden transition into remote and subsequent readily changing work situations have drastically affected mental wellbeing of people across organisations. It is important for employers to recognize this and understand that the mental health of their employees and of themselves is as important as their physical well being. Work stress and pressure can often aggravate and cause depression, anxiety and other mental health issues in employees. Further, people of colour, racial or ethnic minorities, women and the LGBTQIA+ community can face lack of representation, microaggressions, unconscious bias, and other stressors that negatively impact their mental health. With a majority of our lives spent at work, it is important for workplaces to focus on mental health as a part of their DEI strategy.

In this session of Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace, we will discuss how to destigmatize mental health in the workplace and promote open communication.

• What systems and resources must be put in place to support employees with their mental health?
• How to raise awareness of mental wellness and break stereotypes regarding mental illness?
• How to prevent employees from feeling overwhelmed at work due to the pressures and stress that they may be facing?

Neurodiversity describes the idea that people experience and interact with the world around them in many different ways; there is no one “right” way of thinking, learning, and behaving, and differences are not viewed as deficits. (Harvard Health)

The word neurodiversity refers to differences within ALL people. However, it is often used to refer to those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), as well as other neurological or developmental conditions such as ADHD or learning disabilities, where differences in behaviour and learning can be more apparent.

During this session of Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace we will explore how workplaces, recruiters and we as individuals in our everyday interactions can become more aware of neurodiversity. By making conscious “accommodations”, neurodivergant people can be better included. With this awareness of neurodivergant ways of learning and behaving, neurodiversity can be accepted and celebrated, rather than excluded.

These accommodations can be things such as:

• the way we communicate (avoiding sarcasm, euphemisms, and implied messages)
• paying attention to what words you use (person first language)
• the set up of a workplace to be considerate of sound sensitivity and movement (allowing regular breaks or the use of fidget toys, for example)

Join us to hear from our panelists about their lived experience and to learn what can be done to create a more inclusive workplace and society.

Diversity and inclusion in the workplace is imperative for a sustainable, competitive and innovative company and society at large. Diversity also goes beyond the outward perception of a company – it includes how the internal structures work and signal the value systems of an organization’s management or leadership team.

This series is designed by Diversify to centre Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace. We look forward to seeing you!

Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace: Creating a Human-centric Hybrid Work Environment

Technology has been a saviour during the last two years, allowing us to continue to work, learn and stay connected.

However, the online platforms, like zoom and teams, were not designed to replicate the working environment in every regard. They lack a space for casual human interactions, kitchen talk and the opportunity to feel the energy in the room. Subtle body language is also often lost, impacting how we receive and interpret information.

Furthermore, like humans, these platforms were not prepared for our sudden and oftentimes complete transition to remote working in early 2020. With the instant increase in use, has there been the opportunity to humanize the way in which these systems operate? And have we made a conscious effort to change the way we use and communicate to one another on these platforms?

In many cases, hybrid working is here to stay, and there are many benefits. Accessibility, efficiency, and increased opportunities to collaborate across geographic distances, to name a few. So how can we centre people in hybrid working environments to ensure that diversity and inclusion continue to be upheld and developed?

During this edition of Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace we will look at the experiences of those coming from across organisational structures and varying stages of business development. We will discuss strategies to ingrain best practices for the future of hybrid work to ensure to incorporate Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging values. Join us!

Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace: Racial Equity

"Racial equity is about applying justice and a little bit of common sense to a system that's been out of balance. When a system is out of balance, people of color feel the impacts most acutely, but to be clear, an imbalanced system makes all of us pay."~ Glenn Harris, President, Race Forward and Publisher, Colorlines.

Equity has been a big topic for us since the start of Diversify, and the beginning of the Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace discussions, with the topic of our second meeting being "Equity vs. Equality".

Equity is the acknowledgment that while people should always have equal opportunities to resources like jobs, health care and education, we live in a world that is far from equal. Social equity takes into account systemic inequalities to ensure everyone has access to the same opportunities and outcomes.

Racial Equity is the acknowledgment that in many cases, this unequal distribution of resources is driven along racial lines, leading to the systemic discrimination that exists within many structures, including the workplace.

Racism is often an uncomfortable topic to address. In some cases, denial or ignorance is seemingly bliss. Many people deny the existence of racism against people of color on the assumption that racism is a conscious and calculated byproduct of hate. Racism can however occur without conscious intent. Where racist experiences of people across racial lines are concerned, racism happens more often than many people, especially white people, are aware of. How then can companies address the issue of racism as they move towards racial equity in the workplace?

This month we ask the questions:
- What have recent surges in anti-Black racism and Asian-hate shown us about the situation today?
- What is the relationship between racism, micro-aggressions and gaslighting and how do they show up?
- What is the difference between subtle and overt racism?
- Do we have the skills to talk about racial, bi-racial and intersectional identities?
- What degree of race confidence do we need to be able to navigate this topic without causing harm?
- How and when can bystanders intervene in harmful scenarios?
Join us to explore these questions and many more.

This topics acknowledge Black History Month and LGBTQIA+ Month, celebrated in February in the US and UK.

Diversity and inclusion in the workplace are imperative for a sustainable, competitive, and innovative company and society at large. Diversity also goes beyond the outward perception of a company – it includes how the internal structures work and signal the value systems of an organization’s management or leadership team.

This series is designed by Diversify to center Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace. We look forward to seeing you!

Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace: Putting Knowledge into Action

For over a year now we have been having conversations about various themes, concepts and elements of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB). The New Year presents an ideal time to discuss how we go about putting these ideas into practice. As the saying goes, “Action speaks louder than words.”

For this edition of Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace, we will explore where and how to begin. Are you in a leadership role and responsible for enacting strategic change? Are you an employee who would like to see measurable progress at your workplace? Or would you like to make a conscious effort, on a personal level, to assess how your actions might contribute to the ripple effect that springboards a positive and sustainable DEIB culture?

The conversation will explore the following points and more:
- Why are you embarking on this journey? Why now?
- How should you begin enacting change to foster and sustain DEIB in your workplace?
- What should be considered when creating a DEIB strategy?
- What goals should be incorporated into the strategy?
- What are the incentives and the risks?
- How can accountability be integrated to ensure the strategy comes to fruition?

We look forward to engaging with you, as we collectively commit to ACT, where DEIB in the workplace is concerned.

Welcome to Episode 11 of 'Is Everyone In The Room?'
In this episode, we are exploring the intricacies of disability inclusion. One of the many things that the Covid pandemic has taught us is that work can be redefined and it can be much more flexible and inclusive for all than we ever imagined. Notwithstanding, a report by the Return on Disability group from the USA shows that 90% of companies claim to prioritise diversity, but only 4% consider disability in those initiatives. This is a huge loss, as the disability market is larger than the population of China, with 1.85 billion people, and $1.9 trillion in annual disposable income.

So what can companies and businesses do to incorporate and include persons with disabilities in their workspaces? How can employers understand the barriers that discourage people with disabilities from working for them? How might we play a part in dismantling ableism? These and many more questions will be addressed by our three very insightful panelists: Lucy Mason, Gagan Chhabra, and Chisom Udeze.