Diversity and Inclusion

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Diversity and Inclusion

Strengthens collaboration and learning by bringing in new and various ideas and experiences.

A better problem-solving process is achieved by having various ideas and perspectives.

Improves creativity and encourages meaningful conversations.

Allows us to be open to others' values and beliefs.

Diversity most especially stimulates learning about different and maybe better ways of doing things.

Diversity is respecting the world around us and recognizing our teammates differences as strengths.

Experience changes our perspective. Our different experiences make us a more effective organisation.

Let's not forget... Inclusion goes hand-in-hand with diversity. It is important for us that YOU know that you can be yourself, and expect acceptance and the utmost respect that you deserve from our organization.

1Four Types of Diversity

Internal diversity Characteristics that we are born with, and are impossible to change.

External Diversity Characteristics or attributes that are influenced by the external environment and can change over time. Personal interests Education Appearance Citizenship Religious beliefs Location Familial status Relationship status Socioeconomic status Life experiences

Organizational Diversity Also known as functional diversity refers to the variety of characteristics based on what is assigned by an organization. Job function Place of work Management status Employment status Pay type Seniority Union affiliation

Worldview Our individual worldview is formed by our internal, external, and organizational diversity characteristics. Our perception of the world is unique based on our experiences and learnings about ourselves and other people. Some examples are: Political beliefs Moral compass Outlook on life Epistemology

Gender Diversity

3 Equal access to rewards, resources, and opportunities is what gender equality in the workplace means.

With minimal effort and cooperation worldwide, the gender gap is still prevalent. There are still places where cisgendered women earn less than cisgendered men, given fewer opportunities and benefits.

4 64% of cisgendered women experience microagressions in the workplace. While recognising this, it's also important for our organisation to recognise genders beyond this binary of "men" and "women." Gender is a spectrum that should be embraced in our words and actions. Because of this, we will commit to use preferred pronouns of our teammates.

There is a need for all of us to be part of an inclusive, safe, and respectful workplace.

Expression of sexual orientation is vital in any workplace.

There are various groups comprising the LGBTQIA+ community with different views, backgrounds, interests, and experiences. Members of the community must feel safe to express themselves freely without any fear of judgment or discrimination.

9**"Diversity in the workplace is all about creating an inclusive environment, accepting of every individual’s differences, enabling all employees to achieve their full potential."**

Unconscious Bias

1Bias

"Bias is a prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another usually in a way that’s considered to be unfair. "

"Biases may be held by an individual, group, or institution and can have negative or positive consequences."

2Common Unconscious Bias Examples AFFINITY BIAS CONFIRMATION BIAS ATTRIBUTION BIAS CONFORMITY BIAS THE HALO EFFECT THE HORNS EFFECT CONTRAST EFFECT GENDER BIAS AGEISM NAME BIAS BEAUTY BIAS HEIGHT BIAS WEIGHT BIAS

AFFINITY BIAS Also known as similarity bias is people's likelihood to interact with others who have similar interests, backgrounds, and experiences.

CONFIRMATION BIAS Making assumptions and conclusions based on a conflict of beliefs, desires, and personal prejudice.

ATTRIBUTION BIAS Judging another based on previous encounters or engagements that justifies a person's own opinion of them.

CONFORMITY BIAS Refers to a person's tendency to adjust or act like the people around them even if it goes against their own beliefs or ideologies, also called peer pressure.

GENDER BIAS Preferring one gender over another.

AGEISM Treating other people differently and negatively based on their age.

NAME BIAS Judging other people based on their type of name commonly happens for Anglo origins.

BEAUTY BIAS Preferring to interact with people based on their looks, and making assumptions that they may be more successful.

HEIGHT BIAS Also known as heightism, is the likelihood of a person to judge those who are either shorter or taller than the accepted human height based on society's standards.

WEIGHT BIAS Is the likelihood of a person to judge those who are either heavier or thinner than the accepted human weight based on society's standards.

If you want to learn more and measure your personal attitude and beliefs, you may take the test below: Harvard Implicit Association Test

Which of the following are ways to decrease unconscious bias?

Cultivating an Inclusive Organization

Recognize Your Unconscious Bias—and Be Humble About It It is okay if you don't entirely understand the values, beliefs, norms, and rituals that are important to every person, but take note that trying to be better and open about it can go a long way. Work on understanding your own unconscious biases. Awareness about your unconscious biases is the first step.

Make the Unwritten Rules Obvious Ensure that your cultural norms are written down so that new members of a diverse group would know them.

Don’t Overlook the “Small” Stuff Call-out someone who is being dismissive and rude, but make sure to share your suggestions for improvement or alternatives instead of emphasizing the fault that was made.

Understand the Advantages You’re Born With A diverse group has different levels of access to privilege. It is best to recognize each privilege-be thoughtful and understanding with those who are doing something different.

Believe That People Are Created Equal, But Not The Same Acknowledge our differences and celebrate our individualities!

Inclusive Language

1Inclusive language is defined as “language that avoids the use of certain expressions or words that might be considered to exclude particular groups of people.”

Through the use of inclusive language, we can avoid offending our coworkers.

It values our differences and our identities, perspectives, and ideas.

It provides a safe space for everyone, without worrying about being judged or looked down upon for being ourselves.

It establishes mutual respect with our coworkers.

3Ten General Guidelines for Using Inclusive Language Respect Boundaries Follow Leads Recognize Nuance Understand Conversation Complexities Reflect on Your Intent Recognize Bias Avoid Preaching Build from Mistakes Nurture Inclusive Culture Begin Difficult Conversations

Speaking is so natural for us that it can be challenging to make sudden adjustments to how we converse.

It would take continuous effort to adjust our unconscious beliefs and perceptions to sustain our conversational growth.

References