Cultural Diversity in the Workplace: Allies Matter

Welcome to the first edition of my LinkedIn Newsletter, Alex Advocates for DEI @Work , where I will be exploring Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at work. My name is Alex Correa, and most of you will know me as a Brisbane based Legal Industry Recruiter. With more than 20 years in executive recruitment working with some of Australia’s leading firms, I am the Founder of the recruitment brand Alex Correa Executive (ACE). You may or may not know I am also the Founder of ACE’s sister brand, the diversity, equity and inclusion training consultancy, Developing Talent | Diversity + Inclusion . But more about that later, let’s talk first about how I got here.

In this month’s newsletter I explore my own story and the stories of others in terms of our lived experience with racism in the workplace and elsewhere. It is not always comfortable to share these stories, and reflecting on my own experiences, as a child of primary school educated, Colombian immigrant parents, has stirred many memories of the racism I experienced growing up, and when I moved to Brisbane and entered the workforce.

These experiences and the stories I have come across, in helping hundreds of lawyers navigate their career, are the reason I am a passionate advocate of diversity, equity and inclusion. By sharing these experiences and the perspectives of others with you, it is my hope to help you better understand and embrace DEI at your workplace.?

Growing up a child of immigrant parents

I was a child of primary school educated, Colombian immigrant parents, who moved to Melbourne in the mid 1970s, looking for a better future for their children. My family worked in blue collar roles, as cleaners and factory workers until taking on a family run Mexican restaurant. My school, perhaps surprising for some, was in fact full of immigrants. This was Springvale in the 1980s – we had Vietnamese, Sri Lankan and Indian new arrivals and also the second-generation kids of German, Italian and Greek migrants from the 60s. So- whilst I was not unique in being a foreigner, my family was one of the very few Colombians in the school. All I wanted in the world was to fit in and be an “Australian.”?

I stood out from the others in the school yard with my broken Spanish, playschool-based-English and Colombian leftovers for lunch. The other kids all ate vegemite or peanut butter sandwiches on white bread, something that to this date I’ve never really developed a taste for. My industrious mum solved this problem by making what some of you might know as dulce de leche, which is a delicious caramel made from a can of condensed milk. We used this as a spread disguised as peanut butter to help me blend in and feel like somehow, I belonged!?

Kids of course, latch on to what they know and the only thing they knew about Colombia at the time was that it was the centre of the cartel drug wars, something further amplified and perpetuated by Hollywood. . . Like most kids fitting in or at least not standing out was something I craved. ?

The one value drilled into my siblings, and I, was the need to better ourselves via education. It was hard to imagine at the time what this meant. We knew it meant working hard, but how could you aspire to be what you cannot see? All my mentors and role models within my community were incredibly hard-working individuals, all living pay check to pay check in blue collar jobs. I was the first to graduate University in my family. Not having role models in higher education or professional roles made it very hard to imagine what that life would be like or even to know if it was within reach. My parents however, having sacrificed so much, would accept nothing less.?

Working in Brisbane in the late 1980s

After moving to Brisbane, my first experience of racism in the workplace was life changing. I was doing work experience in a major Brisbane hotel, and it was going well. On day four I was asked to waitress at a corporate event. As I was serving the food, an older man muttered “You bloody Turk, go back to where you come from”. I was astounded. Had I heard him correctly? It was hard to comprehend what I was more offended or embarrassed by – the incorrect nationality or his rudeness. I returned to the kitchen in tears and was asked to explain what had happened by a supervisor.?

What that supervisor did next floored me. Without any hesitation whatsoever she marched out to the man in question and politely asked him to leave! Let’s put this into some kind of context, this was Brisbane in the late 1980s and the actions of this supervisor were perhaps ahead of her time, but what a woman and what an ally! She made an immediate difference in my life. I came to understand in this very important life lesson, the value of cultural allies, and the huge role that we can all play in calling out bad behaviour.?

Talking to Lawyers about their lived experience with racism

My recruitment brand Alex Correa Executive runs a regular podcast called Friends in Law and we spoke some time ago to Sudanese born, commercial and public interest lawyer Nyadol Nyuon OAM . Nyadol is an advocate for the Sudanese community and is a high-profile anti-racism commentator. At the time I spoke to Nyadol she was a lawyer at Arnold Bloch Leibler . Nyadol also tells powerful stories of having workplace allies, particularly at times when she was being trolled online for standing up for her community.?

Nyadol remembers a meeting with a senior partner who took the time to pull her aside when she was struggling with the delicate balance of having a public voice and a legal career.?She was told “Don’t let people bully you into silence. Don’t stop speaking out because you are afraid of what people say. Sometimes there are just no rules when you are having important conversations publicly.” This important conversation with the senior partner proved him an ally and helped make her feel comfortable in her own skin. It also had the added benefit of making her feel supported and loyal to the firm. She knew that dealing with sensitive issues, like race relations that sometimes tipped into the political sphere, were difficult, yet she always felt empowered to speak her mind. She was encouraged to do what was reasonable for her community and what she thought was right.

In my experience as a recruitment consultant in the legal industry in Brisbane, I have often been witness to indirect racism and selective bias. I have hopes that this is slowly changing for the better and that this change is not tokenistic.?

One exceptionally talented Middle-Eastern lawyer I worked with told the story about working for a top-tier law firm where despite his office being located in a main thoroughfare not one of his colleagues would stop in to greet or acknowledge him. He would attend staff events and feel the need to drop hints that he was not an Islamic fundamentalist. His colleagues completely isolated him and never welcomed him into the fold. This was in stark contrast to the culture of inclusion he had enjoyed in the firms Melbourne office. All it would have taken was some effort on behalf of his teammates, perhaps some time getting to know him, and the outcome would have been entirely different. How can anyone thrive or develop a career in that environment? Fast forward 10 years and he is now an accomplished partner at a competitor firm that is not only culturally inclusive but one that focused on his talents rather than where he was born. ?

Reflecting once again on my experience, I was early in my career in recruitment, and I had a boss that thought it quite comical to refer to me as “snowflake.” Perplexed, I wondered whether long days, hard work and juggling family responsibilities were giving me noticeable dandruff? I was horrified when I finally came to the realisation that it was a flashback to my primary school days and the racist slurs about my country of birth. Fearing I’d risk losing my job I grit my teeth and said nothing.?Leaving isn’t quite so easy and in fact it’s not an uncommon response to stay when bills are mounting.?Just last week I heard of two such stories, a single mother enduring sexual explicit conversations and a young apprentice being bullied by his very own boss. I'll talk about these issues in future newsletters. Needless to say, I didn’t see out my career in that firm but I consider myself lucky to have been able to move on quite quickly!

Cultural Diversity in the Workplace: Allies Matter

If we’ve met, you’ll know that I describe myself as both an ally and a DEI advocate.?Inspired by the opportunity to have a positive impact in Australia’s workplaces, I founded Alex Correa Executive’s sister brand Developing Talent | Diversity + Inclusion in 2019. Developing Talent is a DEI training and consultancy firm and works with Government departments, the health and aged care sector and service-based organisations to improve their outcomes. ?

How can you explore diversity, equity and inclusion at work?

I encourage you to consider your own approach to diversity and inclusion. Are you a cultural ally? Do you have a good understanding of unconscious bias? Could your organisation be doing better??

Please subscribe to this newsletter so you can come on the journey with me and learn more about the opportunity embracing DEI in your workplace can offer you and your team.

Helping workplaces better navigate Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Developing Talent | Diversity + Inclusion runs workshops and team days delivered by experienced facilitators to address and discuss issues around racism, bullying, sexual harassment and inclusion that sparks change. Naturally curious, I discovered a tool at the UK Festival of Work in 2018 that helps leaders build the confidence and create a safe environment for challenging conversations in the workplace. Education and play is a key way to make these issues relatable and easier to explore.?

Equally Yours uses play, via a board game, and with experienced DEI facilitators, to help team members explore the conversations more workplaces need to be having around diversity, equity and inclusion. And so when I asked Akin Thomas , the creator of Equally Yours, and CEO and Founder of AKD Solutions , whether they were active in Australia, I saw an opportunity to use this as part of the way Developing Talent assists Australian workplaces.?We are proud to be the exclusive licensee of Equally Yours in Australia.

With the Respect @Work deadline looming for Australian organisations, Equally Yours offers an introduction to the conversations your organisation needs to nurture a safe, inclusive and respectful workplace.