When it comes to diversity and inclusion, we are continuously learning but one area where there is a significant gap is cultural sensitivity and empathy. For many businesses, efforts will be focused on making specific areas of the workplace more diverse, but people must be protected from discrimination and encouraged in every aspect of their role.
However, we must tread a thin line when protecting employees and there must be a balance in place. Protecting them from any aspect of the job where we think they could face discrimination may feel like we are doing them a favour, but this could inadvertently make them feel excluded even further. Cultural awareness is really what we need to help bring people together. But how do you increase awareness?
Breaking down barriers with exposure
More often than not, the stigma around diversity comes from the people who have never even met the person they are discriminating against. As humans, we have a natural fear of the unknown and this is no different when it comes to people. During these extended stints of home working, this is likely to be even worse than before. Without the natural exposure to other types of people, we’re comfortably stuck in echo chambers – not being exposed to people that look different to us is likely going to have a massive impact on our cultural awareness too.
One way to help alleviate some of these issues are mixed focus groups. To do this, there must first be diversity throughout your organisation. Different faces, voices and thoughts are going to have a number of benefits, including stronger and more diverse ideas. These mixed focus groups can help release people from their echo chamber while mitigating the cultural insensitivity. In the past five years, transphobic hate crimes in the UK have quadrupled. It is estimated that there are around 600,000 people who identify as trans and non-binary – that’s roughly one in every 110 people. We’re hearing more about the trans and non-binary community, but not enough from the community itself – exposure and even education can help to alleviate this in the longer term. Essentially, by exposing people to what they are afraid of, it will not only rationalise the fear, but it will also show them that people are just people, regardless of how they look, their gender expression, their sexuality, or their race.
Doing the work and making a difference
Part of the solution to these problems is to live and lead with empathy in all aspects of the business, especially within management training. We learn from our managers and look to them for support, ensuring they are aptly trained in empathy and leading as an example is essential. We need to learn to not only become better at our jobs, but also become better people. Diversity is not a metric to be measured, it is a human need. We’re all susceptible to unconscious bias, so as much as the intention is to create a workplace culture of sensitivity, we also have to do the uncomfortable personal work. Get up close and personal with your bias, have those uncomfortable conversations, and work to ensure your bias doesn’t get in the way of your decisions and treatment of others.
Most of the time, when it comes to diversity, you can’t see it but the person experiencing it can feel it. It’s the little comments, like saying “bring your husband/wife to the party” rather than partner or addressing teams as “guys” or “ladies”. These seemingly small things can inadvertently step on people’s toes and make them feel not only uncomfortable but unwelcomed. And the majority of the time, you don’t know you’re doing it. Our language is so natural to us but it’s these small aspects that are the easiest to change. It’s a case of thinking about diversity and using inclusive language before you send that particular email or chair a meeting or even just invite someone out for drinks after work.
Adapting and creating a culture of sensitivity to work on cultural inclusion doesn’t necessarily require the big changes. Sometimes it’s not about setting up the big workplace initiatives and sending the company on training courses, it’s about being a better person and taking the time to really care about the people around you – only when the whole team is comfortable and expressing their authentic selves in the workplace can the business really flourish.
By Alexandra Anders, Senior Director of Talent and HR at Cornerstone OnDemand
