Who's Ready to Play the Privilege Game!

Welcome to my first newsletter and 69th LinkedIn article. I am running a series on Inclusive Leadership and this is the third, after two last week. If you like my irreverent humour (I think it's a great way to learn) as I get you to see different perspectives, then please, click subscribe. This is for anyone who wants vibrant and healthy work cultures and is willing to do the hard reflective work to make it happen. Warning: my posts can challenge your comfort zone at times. That's what I want. To light a little fire under your b- chair, to get you to do sit up and do something.

If your reaction to seeing this is ohhh not another person nagging me to check my privilege, stop reading. This isn’t meant for you. It’s meant for people who are leading or aspire to lead people.

I enjoy games, particularly There’s a Moral in Here Somewhere type of games so here’s one I made for all of us.?

Watch out for the not at all subtle teaching moments. Actually that’s the whole point of this post. You are supposed to be learning something.

We will call this the Privilege Snakes and Ladders game. For every privilege you have, go up a ladder. If you don’t have that privilege, slide down a snake.?

For snakes and ladders pedants, no… there is no neutral standing still. I devised THIS game, so I make the rules. Yes, I am playing too, and like you, I don’t know what my score will be so I approach the board with trepidation.

The board:

Pic: Succession, courtesy HBO

Everyone at that board table climbed up ladders and encountered few snakes. Role the die to find out why.

You’re a man

Go up a Ladder

You are assumed to be the leader, the expert, the person who will not be interrupted midway because what you have to say is important (even if it’s rubbish).

You aren’t asked to take notes or make tea. People pay attention when you speak. People shake your hand first, before your female colleagues. When you assert a point, you’re not being bossy or aggressive. People understand when you’re angry - you’re not being emotional. You are believed when you speak.

You don’t know what a manel is or what is wrong with this picture:

The recent G7 photoshoot. Photo by Michael Kappeler /Pool via REUTERS

You are shocked when a woman explains manspreading.

Photo courtesy of No 10.

Your natural instinct is to explain things to women because of your protective nature and need to fix things. You’re astounded when she doesn’t accept your graciously given advice.

People who are not men move out of the way when you walk down a pavement because you have the right of way. You don't think about this. It just happens.

No one blames you for what you wear if you’re assaulted or if you “asked for it”.

You don’t queue for toilets. You can find toilets anywhere whether it's the C-Suite floor or an oil rig. You can drink as much liquids as you want because there's always a toilet nearby.

PPE, vehicles and equipment were designed to fit you (or the average sized you). You don’t have to spend time, energy or money adjusting equipment or working round it.

Your boss and HR don’t assume you’re not interested in an overseas assignment or a tough this is a man’s job. Because you get a wider range of assignments and are more visible to decision makers, you are considered faster for promotion and salary increases.

You’re not a man??Slide down a snake.

If you climbed the ladder: consider, what were you unaware of? How can you be more inclusive at work?

You’re White

You’re white? Go up a ladder.

In a mixed room, you get served first. People defer to you. You are assumed to be intelligent, as long as you don’t say too much - unless you have a posh accent. Then you are eloquent and Always. Make. Sense.?

You are easily forgiven. You are not assumed to be violent, unless you have a hoodie covering your face. You can’t be a crook if you look like this:

Photo: Ocean's Eleven, Warner Bros

The way you look, cut your hair and dress is professional. You look the part in a corporate world. You don’t have to change anything. Your name is easy to pronounce. And spell. And said in the correct sequence. You don’t have to change your name. People don’t mistake your name for that one other brown face in the company.

Screenshots from the ITV drama DI Ray where the receptionist gave her the wrong lanyard because she could not tell one South Asian face from another. To make it worse, DI - Detective Inspector, is more senior than PC - Police Constable. This is an example of racial microaggression which Black, Indigenous and People of Colour face everyday.

You fit in comfortably into the corporate world as everyone looks like you, right up to the board room. You are not representing your entire race whenever you speak or hold a view. No one will look at you as the token white person. You can make a mistake without feeling that you have let your entire race down.

You don’t have to change the way you speak or code switch.?

People don’t praise you for your good English or imply that you don’t belong here (unless of course you’re an expat).

You’re always an expat when overseas. Never a migrant.

You are the centre - of the room, in timezones, in the way things are organised. If you are made to wait for a person who is not white, you get annoyed and consider your business culture more professional.

Not white? Slide down the snake. If you're bi-racial and white passing, then stay where you are.

If you climbed the ladder: consider, what were you unaware of? How can you be more inclusive at work?

You’re from the West

People pay attention to you. You are paid more. If working overseas, you’re an expat, not a migrant worker. You get benefits. You expect to sail through immigration queues and are shocked or get angry when you don’t.?

You have easier access to funding and venture capital.

If you say you’re from London or New York, people are excited to speak to you (except people from London, New York, Scotland or France).

King George III in Hamilton, played by Jonathan Groff representing British imperialism. He lost the new independent United States of America.

You speak English well (in mainly English speaking countries, even globally)

Everyone understands you. You don’t need an interpreter (which makes you feel you take more time in meetings). You don’t have to repeat yourself or speak slowly because you don’t have a conventional English accent. You feel at home because English is your first language and you don’t have to struggle to think of the next word. In a non English speaking country, people are flattered when you try to speak their language and give you leeway (it doesn’t work the other way round).

Timezones suit you (unless you’re from New Zealand or Australia - those poor souls stay awake for the rest of us - thank you!!) because Greenwich is the centre of the world. If you’re from USA you don’t include your international dialling code when sharing your phone number with people outside the US, because the USA is the centre of the world.

At school, I learnt geography with this map, because Asia is the centre of the world.

If you climbed the ladder: consider, what were you unaware of? How can you be more inclusive at work?

You are Non-disabled

Climb a ladder. You physically can.

The whole world is designed for you. You can drive, cook, watch videos, hear music, get to and move around your office without a second thought.

You can walk into a meeting or event without informing anyone days or weeks in advance that you need access. You don’t need to plan, get anxious or take more time in travelling new routes. You don’t have to explain to countless clueless people about your needs, sometimes over media which is inaccessible to you. You can watch or listen to presentations and talks without needing captions, interpreters or audio aids. You can attend interviews easily.

You don’t worry about whether or not to disclose a disability at interviews, knowing it could jeopardise your chances, even if it’s against the law.?

People don’t talk down to you, or over you, or to your non-disabled, companion assuming you have no agency.?

People don’t ignore you or feel uncomfortable around you.

You can access toilets and pantries easily.?You don’t need to ask anyone to help you make coffee or use the photocopier because no one thought of arranging them to make them more accessible.?

You see people like you on TV presenting the news, hosting shows and in dramas.

Liz Carr in Silent Witness. Photo courtesy of BBC.

Liz Carr is probably the most prominent disabled actor who plays a role which has nothing to do with being disabled. She plays forensic examiner Clarissa Mullery in BBC's Silent Witness, smashing the low ceiling, in the UK at least.

You’re disabled? Slide down a snake.

If you climbed the ladder: consider, what were you unaware of? How can you be more inclusive at work?

You are neurotypical

Climb a ladder.

You can juggle multiple tasks. You know what people are referring to when they speak fast or implicitly. Accomplishing goals and KPIs are easy for you. You don’t get overly anxious about what other people think or say or judge your work.

You don’t feel awkward around people and can easily collaborate on projects.

Your bosses and colleagues understand you. You don’t have to explain to them how your mind works at the risk of being stigmatised or put on a performance improvement plan.

Your body and mind synchs. You can follow talks, trainings and presentations easily even with multiple materials like slides, visuals and handouts. You can keep your camera on zoom or team meetings and focus on what everyone is saying.

You can work in open plan offices, under bright fluorescent lights and can filter out noise like colleagues’ chatter or sirens.

You can focus on a task at a time without getting distracted by - oh look, is that a hawk that just flew past my office window??

You can sit still, keep your head down and work.

Or you can sit still, keep your head down, work and not want to scream at everyone who has rushed to look at the hawk that’s just flown past an office window.

You are still reading this piece in one sitting.

Note: neurodivergence is very broad, there is no one type

The essence of this section is: conventional office work spaces, a strong KPI culture and overemphasis on team working don’t necessarily work for neurodivergent people who are a significant number in workplaces.?

Slide down a snake if you know for a fact that you are neurodivergent.

If you climbed the ladder: consider, what were you unaware of? How can you be more inclusive at work?

Are you still counting your snakes and ladders?

I'm not done yet.

You are Straight

Climb a ladder.

You feel comfortable bringing your spouse or partner to work events. You are comfortable having photos of your loved ones on your desk or office walls. You don’t worry when your significant other walks past the screen when you’re on a virtual call, or hide photos from the screen camera.

You don’t have to hide talking about family life or what you did on the weekend, or spend mental energy worrying keeping up with how you described your partner.

Your company’s healthcare benefits and insurance cover your family. You don’t worry about being posted in locations where being LGBT is a crime or whether your same sex spouse will be granted a visa.

You don’t worry about people finding out your sexuality and whether that would affect your career.

Photo, mine, taken during Pride Month outside John Lewis on Oxford Street in London. The colours of the Progress Pride flag with the words "Proud to be ourselves" signifying that for many people they have to hide their authentic selves (called covering) at work because of the adverse impact it has on their career.

Are you LGBTQ+? Slide down a snake.

In climbing that ladder, what are you doing to make sure that your workplace is more inclusive for your LGBTQ+ colleagues.

Are you keeping score of your snakes and ladders? You’re so wonderfully sporting! It’s likely you do have more ladders than snakes. In other words, while you may be demanding inclusion where you don't have privilege, consider how you can be more inclusive where you do have privilege! That's allyship.

You are CIS gendered

Ok, this needs an explanation as it’s not widely understood.

If you are cis gendered, it means you identify with the sex that you are born as. Cis is latin for “this side of” while trans means “the other side of”. A person who does not identify as either a man or a woman is called “non binary”, i.e they do not subscribe to the concept that a person can only be male or female. The binary gender and stereotypical roles of male and female are predominantly Christian Western concepts which have spread across the world and are now being challenged.

Go up a ladder if you are cis gendered or feel outraged even reading this.

You are comfortable in your own skin and body. You don’t get misgendered. No one questions why you are in the single sex toilets. You don’t get exhausted or anxious having to explain your gender to anyone.?

If you have changed your name (perhaps through marriage), people don't purposefully get your name wrong and use your old name. They are not hostile if you point this out and are quite apologetic.

People don't demand to give you a gender which is not yours. People get your pronouns right and don't get hostile if you correct them.

You are not the in the highest category of people who get harassed and assaulted (besides disabled people).

If you are trans or non binary, slide down a snake.

If you climbed a ladder, consider, what were you unaware of? How can you be more inclusive and respectful of trans and non binary people at work?

You are on a permanent contract

Climb up a ladder

You are paid monthly and get benefits including annual/paid leave, sick leave, paternal leave, healthcare. You don’t worry if you have to take time off to nurse a sick child.?

You are probably paid a decent wage and don’t need a second job to make ends meet. You probably have enough savings to get by in case you do lose your job.?

Your boss doesn’t imply that you will lose your job if you don’t come in tomorrow because you have covid.

Are you on part time or day rate contract? You know the rules.

If you climbed the ladder: consider how you can make things more equitable for co-workers who are not on permanent contract. This includes people in your supply chain.

You are documented

You have citizenship in the country where you work. Even if you lose your job, you don’t have to move country and uproot your family. Your employer is not holding your passport which forces you to continue working even under exploitative conditions.

Climb up a second ladder if you have access to universal healthcare where you live even if you lose your job.?

If you don't have the proper documents or are on a work visa where your ability to live where you are now is dependent on your current job, slide down a snake.

If you climbed the ladder, consider how you can support non citizens who work in your midst.

You have a “professional” accent.?

In UK terms this means you don’t have a Northern accent. In North American terms, it means you don’t have a Southern one. Historically, people without posh accents were regarded working class and looked down upon. This is still evident in the UK today.

If you speak with a “proper” accent, you are assumed to be from a good background, well educated, more intelligent and therefore whatever you say is taken as authority. People are less likely to argue, disagree, or disobey you. If they do disagree or disobey, they make sure you don’t know about it, so you can continue to think you are right. As you are of course.

If you speak in clear crisp English tones and can easily imitate the Queen or Jacob Rees Mogg and still sound you, I’m going to ask you to climb two ladders.?

Image of Prince John and Sir Hiss in Disney's Robin Hood. Pic: Disney

You sound Northern, Southern or Australian; or have any accent other than French, slide down a ladder.

If you climbed the ladder: consider, what were you unaware of? How can you be more inclusive and respectful of people with different accents at work?

So what's your score? Did you reach the top of the board?

You probably will have a mix of ladders and snakes. If you’re on LinkedIn, it’s highly likely you will have more ladders than snakes. The point is we all have privilege in some ways. That’s not bad and it’s not something to be ashamed of or to deny. It’s as factual as the sky is blue (is it blue?). We are getting to a point where people are denying White Privilege and Male Privilege because they think it undermines their hard work or talent. It doesn’t, and I will explain that another time.

A vintage Harlesden snakes and ladders board. If you know this one, you're a boomer, or an older Gen X and therefore.... Privileged!

As I tallied up my score, I discovered I had climbed many many ladders and slid down only two snakes. I am indeed privileged and until I started Speak Up and learnt more about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion - listening to hundreds (yes, hundreds) of stories from people who did not have my privilege I realised how imbalanced our world is, depriving billions of people from being heard, seen and stepping into the space we privileged ones have taken away from them, to shine, live their lives and showcase their talents in the ways we privileged ones have taken for granted.

So what do you do now?

Read this piece again, and reread from time to time as you look at how your company is designed and operates. Does it work for each of the categories I've mentioned? What changes can you make? What can you take to the decision makers or those who hold budgets in your company?

This is the third in my Inclusive Leader series. Read parts 1 and 2 here: