Managing diversity and prevent hate crimes and racism

The social fallout from the ongoing global economic crisis must not become an excuse to allow racism and prejudice to go unchecked.

Racism and discrimination have continued and in some places even increased, despite laws prohibiting them. It is a sad truth that violence, discrimination and hate crimes directed against ethnic minorities and migrants remain a daily reality throughout the UK. But people from diverse backgrounds, cultures and religions/beliefs bring a diversity to our societies that we know to be a driver not only for social change, but also for economic growth. This is an abundance of untapped potential that we would be ill-advised to ignore.”

The skills and talents of members of diverse groups in our societies – whether they are citizens of the countries in which they live or more recent migrants – need to be acknowledged, and furthermore to be better utilised.

A proactive approach that appreciates diversity while furthering inclusion would help to reduce racial discrimination and increase security, as well as helping to boost growth.

Periods of severe economic downturn can result in greater social exclusion, which often leads to a search for scapegoats – and it is then groups and individuals from diverse backgrounds are often the first to suffer.

In the countries most affected by the consequences of the economic crisis, there has been an increase in the appeal of extremist parties that are rooted in a profound hostility to ethnic, religious and cultural diversity.

We all need to think about how we manage diversity and challenge inequalities within our society.

Managing diverse teams

It is fun and exciting to work in a diverse working environment. There is so much to learn, understand and grasp. A whole new world of possibilities, different points of view, wisdom and experience is open to each one of us who are willing to receive it with an open mind.

 

Go into the work environment with a focus on behaving, interacting and working in a professional manner, while respecting people in the way they want to be respected.

 

People come into professional work environments with three to seven different language backgrounds, with English as the common language. Chances are that miscommunication, the inability to translate words correctly into English, and the wrong context of tone and language can cause unnecessary barriers and tensions.

 

In these situations where there are diverse issues, never take sides based on your own personal understanding. Always clarify what was meant, expected or discussed. In many cases, it is very easy to misunderstand, blow a simple matter out of proportion and make it an inequality issue. 

 

What are the problems that you are likely to face in a diverse environment?

 

The challenges you are likely to face will be human interaction issues. Some of these include fear, personal feelings, beliefs and emotions related to past programming, anger and misconceptions based on our political and personal histories and experiences. 

 

People are bound to be in conflict regardless of what their personal characteristic/ background is because each person has a different personality, experiences, expectations, leadership style, communication style and values:

 

1. People of different diverse cultures, religions/beliefs and  backgrounds also greet each other at various times of the day. This allows them acknowledge each other’s presence and humanness. If you do not greet people in the way they wished to be greeted, then they feel hurt and withdrawn. 

 

2.  One of the common challenges facing employers is that people are not catered for at work functions in terms of what they can, can’t and sometimes eat according to their dietary, religious or personal beliefs. This makes them feel left out and not valued.  

Remember that we are working with human beings with feelings. Learning how to adjust our behaviour to be more inclusive also improves professional interactions tremendously. 

 

 

New and different ways to solve challenges in diverse working environments

 

1. Create an environment that allows you to listen thoughtfully and resolve potential issues amicably without it becoming a personal issue
2. Learn communication skills that will assist you to adjust your personality type, learning style, body language, eye-contact and tone of voice to suit the person you are interacting with to achieve better results.  
3. Greet people in their own languages as appropriate. It’s fun and incredible how you warm their hearts and improve your working relationships. 
4. When you have work functions, be aware of religious or traditional backgrounds and adjust the dates and catering accordingly. Otherwise, people feel isolated and rejected. 
5. Don’t judge entire groups of people based on your limited knowledge of other peoples’ experiences. Research, question, experiment, visit and find out as much as you can about diversity and difference in groups and individuals so that you can connect at a deeper level. 
6. Steer clear of stereotyping. Rather speak to a person directly and ask the relevant/appropriate question with the intention of really learning. 
7. Interact on a social basis. This breaks a lot of fear, builds relationships, removes gossiping and allows you to connect with the person as a human being who is valued for their personal qualities, skills and intelligence. 
8. Above all, respect the person in front of you and treat them as a person, not a colour, nationality, age or religion.

Equality and Diversity in the work place: We all recognise the importance, but do we really need training in Equality and Diversity?

Equality and Diversity in the work place: We all recognise the importance, but do we really need training in Equality and Diversity?

The answer from me is yes, we do need training. The reason is that we all come from different backgrounds, have different sets of values and many of us only mix with people who are like us. The employer has a responsibility for staff and customers and therefore needs to ensure that staff have up to date training and skills. Skills are not just linked to the job in hand but include people skills, diversity management, managing own behaviour and prejudices.

In my work, I often come across people in organisations who are aware of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) but do not have an understanding or any experience. Sometime people witness inequalities but don't recognise them as such; they are unable to identify discriminatory behaviour or language that is unacceptable, sometime telling me that this is just banter – it is what is used in their circles and has been for years!

Would we expect people who join our workforce to be skilled in their area of work? If the answer is yes, then we should also expect that they have not just awareness, but an understanding of the impact of good equality practice on business. They should also be aware of the significant cost to businesses of poor equality practice. Training should not be about the “do’s” and “don’ts”; it should be about the business, moral and legal case (notice legal came last!) for promoting, fostering and advancing equality and diversity.

Demographics play a significant part in all of this. In the next 5-10 years we will see a significant shift in demographics in the UK population (we are already seeing this) where women and black and minority ethnic people will be the majority workforce. Older people will also have a stake in the workforce.  Training our staff about EDI is crucial. Training them simply about legislation and laws won’t do. We need to ensure that everyone understands the business benefits, the moral responsibilities and the legal responsibilities employers hold for ensuring that staff and customers are safeguarded from discrimination based on any of the protected characteristics (as well as know their rights).

If we have to ask this question it may be that we need to personally reflect on where we stand on this issue and consider how we can embrace EDI agendas because we know it makes good business sense.

Relecting on 9/11

As the  the 10th anniversary of 9/11 approaches, I am reminded of the day I last celebrated my birthday on 9/11. The events of that day were rolled out on TV and in the media in such a way that I no longer celebrate my birthday on 9/11. What is there to celebrate? I now celebrate it on my mother's birthday which is 9/15 
I have snapshots in my mind of a day to look forward to, racing home from work to celebrate my birthday with the family and friend only to learn of the horror of 9/11  listening to the radio and then witnessing the fallout on national TV.
This was a day where I felt terror and dispair and my heart and blessings went out to the families who had lost their loved ones. These past and present snapshots remind me it is essential that  educators in school and colleges take into account that while our mental snapshots of 9/11 are our own, for some of our students these snapshots have been handed down to them in an album created by others.
Yet despite the fact that these snapshots were not taken by our students, we must realise they are affecting the conclusions students draw about 9/11. We must encourage our students to develop multiple perspectives about 9/11 and draw their own conclusions.

Threats to the Equality Act 2010

In April 2011 the Government launched the Red Tape Challenge, a website which invites members of the public to comment on statutory rules and regulations. In the first two months the Government asked simply whether the Equality Act 2010 (primary legislation of 239 pages) should be scrapped or retained. Of the nearly 6000 responses 96% said do not scrap the Act.

Then the Secretary of State for Equalities announced that the Government did not intend to repeal the Act. This approach, especially when taken with the proposed changes to the role of the EHRC (consultation on the reform of the EHRC closed on 15/6/11) suggests that the Government are considering a significant watering down of both the Equality Act 2006 (which sets out the EHRC’s duties, powers and remit) and the Equality Act 2010. Should this happen, rights to race equality will be significantly reduced.

The Runnymede Trust is concerned about the increasingly frequent classification of discrimination protection as unimportant and a ‘burden on business’, rather than as a basic right. If the Government believes that the obligation to treat people in a non-discriminatory way can be trumped by the demands of business to maximize profits, then it undermines the foundation of our democracy and risks its legitimacy to govern.

The Runnymede Trust Recommendations:

·         The Government should ensure that any person who considers they have suffered discrimination, harassment, victimization or other conduct prohibited under the Equality Act 2010 is able to receive free and `timely skilled advice on their rights and assistance in seeking legal redress.

·         The Government should adopt appropriate provisions to prohibit multiple discrimination and retain the important protection of employees against harassment by a third party.

·         The Government should provide more effective leadership on equality in the private sector, by at minimum not referring to rights to equality and non-discrimination as ‘burdens on business’ and ‘unnecessary red tape’.

Diversity issues in the learning environment

Diversity issues in the learning environment may arise because of differences between learners.

Learners may belong to diverse genders, races, ages, sexual orientations, disabilities, religions and political beliefs.

However, the success of any organisation depends on how these diverse learners work together to achieve a common goal so leaders should foster a respectful and understanding culture in the learning community.

There can be many issues in the learning environment which can be best dealt with through training and seminars

Diversity Calendar

A diversity calendar can be incredibly useful to an organisation as it provides information about the annual cultural celebrations of people from different ethnic and cultural groups.
It enables those who oversee workplace training sessions to keep track of events and festivities of diverse groups and plan a schedule accordingly.
Another benefit is to show respect to people from different cultures by raising awareness about days which are important to them.