My thoughts on Diversity (1)
From 2016 to 2019, I worked for a non profit organization Dr. Reddy's Foundation. It was here that I began to develop a deep understanding of and appreciation for Diversity.
“Appreciating Diversity” was a Core Workplace Behavior and being a part of the HR team, I was responsible to drive this culture for the organization.
To drive the culture of Appreciating Diversity, we asked our employees to participate in writing a statement of oath. Our hypothesis was that if the oath were to be practiced by everyone, it would lead to a culture that celebrates diversity. Many employees participated in framing this statement and it was interesting to see what appreciating diversity meant for different people.
Here’s what some of them wrote:
I respect and value the dignity of all my colleagues, and I am committed to building a work environment which is free from discriminating people's disability, gender, caste or religion.
I will never degrade my colleagues in the name of Gender, Religion, Socio-Economic Status or by any means.
I will protect the rights of my colleagues irrespective of their personal attributes or beliefs.
A small group of us read all the statements and compiled them to frame the final Core Workplace Behavior statement for Diversity:
“I will be consciously non-judgmental about the choices, beliefs and traits of every individual. I appreciate Diversity.”
This statement changed my life for the better. In my limited understanding, Diversity was about Gender, Religion, Race, Disability. This statement however, expanded the definition of Diversity to include Choices and Beliefs of individuals and I suddenly realized how judgmental I have been all through my life.
What I like about the statement is that it is realistic. We tend to be judgmental by nature and therefore we need to put in “conscious” efforts to be non-judgmental.
Perhaps it was the obligation to practice what one preaches, I developed a comprehensive understanding of Diversity and started to look at people differently. I reflected on the times in my life when I have myself been judgmental about people. I felt ashamed.
The following exercise really helped me gain perspective:
Try to figure out the extent to which, and in what ways, your thinking has been influenced by the following factors:
- Your culture
- Your family
- Your personal history
- Your friends and colleagues
As you do so, try to imagine how your thinking might be different if you had been born in a different culture with different influences than those you have had in your life. Obviously you cannot know precisely how you would differ, but the idea is to step outside yourself and imagine that if the above factors were different for you, your thinking would differ accordingly.
I realized our thinking and actions are influenced in so many different ways - Genetics & Heredity, Social Groups we belong to, Economic Conditions under which we live, our Personal Experiences, Education... Is it justified to judge others based on OUR standards?