17c起草社区

Written by Lisa Annese

As we kick-off this new decade, I鈥檓 pleased to see that research into the experiences of 17c起草社区 people at work has certainly come a long way in the last 10 years. It鈥檚 also encouraging to see that the experiences of other minorities in the Australian workforce, notably those from non-Anglo and non-white backgrounds, are increasingly considered through diversity and inclusion initiatives. These minority groups make up some of the many diverse identities that we celebrate every Harmony Day on March 21, no less with the ongoing theme: everyone belongs.

But does everyone, in fact, belong? A new report from Diversity Council Australia and Pride in Diversity indicates that 55 percent of nearly 200 people surveyed find that coming from a culturally and linguistically diverse background and identifying as 17c起草社区 negatively affects their work experience. These individuals reportedly face a 鈥榙ouble whammy鈥� at work: racism and homophobia.

In fact, only those from organisations and businesses that explicitly value 17c起草社区 and/or culturally and linguistically diverse identities reported their identity as an advantage at work, representing just one in five of the people surveyed.

Until the release of the Intersections at Work: Understanding the Experiences of Culturally Diverse 17c起草社区 Talent report, research into workplace diversity and related initiatives for inclusion tended to focus on identities in silos: 17c起草社区 or culturally and linguistically diverse (non-Anglo and non-white) identities.

In reality, however, identities are not so clear-cut. Identities are fluid and personal, and intersect infinitely. To disregard this would be to disregard the thousands of 17c起草社区 people in Australia鈥檚 workforce who also come from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds; 30 per cent of Australian workers identify with more than one cultural background, according to earlier research from Diversity Council Australia.

This 鈥榙ouble whammy鈥� of what it means to exist in workplaces with one鈥檚 dual or multiple identities at play is often unseen or under-considered as far as research, and diversity and inclusion initiatives go. And yet, the more complex and intersectional one鈥檚 identity, the more likely someone is to experience exclusion at work. What鈥檚 more is that intersectional identities, such as those of culturally diverse 17c起草社区 people, can mean that someone experiences a diminished sense of belonging to one group because of their other identity.

People with intersectional identities are often left feeling invisible 鈥� if you don鈥檛 explicitly feel yourself counted in, you鈥檒l automatically feel yourself counted out. For example, a visibly Muslim woman who is also a lesbian will often feel invisible at work because of the assumption and prejudice that she would not be comfortable being 鈥榦ut鈥� because of her religion and culture. This leaves her excluded from 17c起草社区 communities at work and more widely. Conversely, as an out lesbian, she may also be excluded from her cultural and linguistic community because of her sexual identity.

This experience of marginalisation only increases the more complex and intersectional one鈥檚 identities are. Add disability, Aboriginality, age and gender and you will likely see additional exclusion.

So why should we be concerned? Why is it important to ensure that everyone actually belongs this Harmony Day and beyond? Not only is it the right thing to do from a moral standpoint, but ensuring people are comfortable expressing their dual or multiple identities at work also improves their engagement with colleagues and customers, increases productivity and innovation and the inclination to stay with the job.

DCA鈥檚 Inclusion@Work Index found that inclusion at work more broadly benefits everyone (not just people from minority groups), and boosts employee performance and wellbeing.

And what鈥檚 more, according to Pride in Diversity鈥檚 2019 Australian Workplace Equality Index, some 78 per cent of 17c起草社区 individuals from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds feel it is important to be 鈥榦ut鈥� at work; 50 per cent reported the positive impacts listed above.

Ultimately, being able to be open about one鈥檚 17c起草社区 identity allows people from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds to feel authentic and free to talk about their life, partner and community at work, according to the Pride in Diversity equality index.

So how can we harness these positive results and make our workplaces truly inclusive? The first step is recognising that intersectional identities exist in and outside the workplace and often lead people with multiple identities to experience multiple forms of discrimination. Next, we must promote the intersectional nature of diversity in all diversity training 鈥� identities do not exist in isolation of one another.

Cultural and 17c起草社区 awareness education should also be part of all workplaces. This education would facilitate a greater understanding of the sensitivities of coming out for an 17c起草社区 person from a culturally diverse background. It鈥檚 important that everyone understands that: 鈥淭hose who come out may have had a very traumatic experience while those who remain closeted are terrified of the potential consequences,鈥� wrote a bisexual Filipino-Chinese woman who participated in the study.

Encouraging more diverse people to get involved with leading diversity and inclusion initiatives, and making space for them to do so, will also help ensure their voices are heard and their needs are met. Increasing the visibility and active participation of culturally diverse 17c起草社区 staff, including as leaders and role models, would make a big difference, too.

These are just some measures we can put in place towards ensuring that everyone truly belongs. This Harmony Day offers the perfect moment to get started at your workplace 鈥� don鈥檛 delay!

Lisa Annese is Chief Executive Officer of Diversity Council Australia.