TRUTH BE TOLD

EQUITY AND INCLUSION, WHEREVER YOU ARE

Image credit: SHUNIYA STUDIOS on Unsplash.

By DR VICKI BISMILLA

I have been writing for Desi News magazine for almost a decade now and in that time many young readers have likely grown into their careers.

I would like to offer some insights into how to infuse fair-mindedness, equity, diversity and inclusion in your workplace.

Whether you work in an entry- level position, middle management or senior executive level, remembering the human rights of colleagues and those you serve is a critical skill.

In everything you do, be it an everyday task like taking notes or a more onerous undertaking like writing policy, it is important to remember the human rights codes of our country.

The human rights of each individual must be respected be they gay, straight, able-bodied or people with disabilities regardless of skin colour, language or ethnicity.

As a member of a team, a manager or a senior leader, it is important that you verbalize and communicate why inclusion is important for the organization.

If you are a senior executive, ensure that human rights, equity, diversity and inclusion form part of your organization’s strategic plan with clearly written commitments.

Be visible and always present, not only for public relations  events but on front lines, actually talking to workers and understanding their work lives.

Hiring people of diverse backgrounds and experiences must not merely be an exercise in bestowing a “tap on the head” for a minority. Including people in your organization from a wide spectrum of diversity is good for any organization.

It brings multiple new lens and points of view and increases your network’s reach into remarkable communities that can benefit your organization.

It is also important as human beings to understand bias, discrimination and the history of oppression that millions have suffered in the world. There will likely be in your organization people who have suffered oppression in their lives or whose parents or grandparents have and those scars remain in families. So in everyday communications be aware that what you say will be interpreted differently by different people.

I remember working with a man on our team who resisted the organizations goal of hiring people of merit from diverse backgrounds. 

When I sat down with him privately and gently probed his resistance, it turned out that when he was a boy, his peers thought that he was gay and treated him really badly. He suffered beatings and humiliations and grew up with those scars. So his resistance had to do with, “Why do I always have to be considerate toward other people – what about the humiliations that I have suffered as a white male?”

He had a point.

Regardless of discernible histories of oppression, we need to remember that people will come to an organization’s priorities from different places. You will never always know what their scars are, nor can you always ask or probe. But we cannot assume that people who resist are bad.

We need to bring them on board from wherever they are on their journey to where we need them to be in understanding human rights.

Sometimes their reasons will be revealed and sometimes not.

On the other hand, not everyone who resists inclusion will have a compassionate reason. Sometimes people who have enjoyed privilege all their lives do not want to let go of those privileges and allow other people to enter their teams. It takes subtlety and experience to recognize when people are just being hard-nosed and selfish. Those are the folks with whom you need to use your equity and inclusion policies and warn them of the consequences of breaching human rights protocols.

It is imperative for all organizations to have clear policies and procedures based on the province’s human rights codes that guide inclusion practices.

If you are a manager, it is of utmost importance for you to develop cordial working relationships with the unions in your organization.

A large organization will likely have two or three different local unions each with their own local leadership. Usually, the provincial union headquarters understand human rights codes and the importance of equity and inclusion principles.

So bring your local union leaders on board with your organization’s inclusion priorities. Meet with them regularly and show that you understand the impact of racism, classism, prejudice, bias and homophobia on their members.

Make your organization a safe place where people who are experiencing prejudice and hate can come to your team and disclose those infractions.

Guard against the minor gripes that sometimes people who have lived with privilege constantly natter about; be skilled enough to differentiate between the repeat gripers and those who have a genuine concern.

Be sure to have proper policies and procedures developed for a respectful workplace and follow them.

The frequent gripers will soon learn that written procedures do not cater to frivolous complaints, but are serious processes that require proper steps which will be hard work for them and will flush them out.

Finally, if you are responsible for hiring a leadership position for your organization, remember that merely hiring a diverse candidate does not mean that the person understands anti-bias and anti-oppression systems and can implement your human rights goals.

Fair hiring means that you hire a person with a proven track record of implementing human rights systems and creating proper infrastructures to achieve equity, diversity and inclusion outcomes for your organization.

Human rights principles and evidence that your leaders practise them need to be woven into the performance appraisals of managers and leaders at all levels to ensure that respect for diversity and inclusion is actually being practised.

And if you are in a position to help others then mentor staff at every level.

Establish mentor groups to give a hand-up to those who want to learn about the organization and progress up the promotion ladder.

That kind of goodwill will go a long way toward making your organization a good place to work.

Remember that a leadership position is not about you; it is about doing the best for the organization.

Whether we are team members, managers or executives, the principles of human rights, equity, diversity and inclusion must inform all our interactions be they at work or elsewhere. This is just the right thing to do as human beings.

 • Dr Vicki Bismilla is a retired Superintendent of Schools and retired college Vice-President, Academic, and Chief Learning Officer. She has authored two books.