When Maxim Buise (30) entered the job market in his early twenties, he read disturbing reports about the acceptance of trans people in the business world. “It was quite difficult at the time.” Although Buise knew that his birth gender – female – did not match his gender identity – male – he decided not to tell his colleagues that for the first few years. “I didn’t know how they would react and wanted to be judged mainly on my work.” Colleagues assumed he was a lesbian.
In the years that followed, it started to gnaw, also because Buise had experienced his coming-out as a trans man in his private life. When Buise became overworked and frequently sick, it was his therapist who shook him awake. Did you know, she told him, that pretending to be something you are not takes a lot of energy?
So when it was coming-out day in 2019 at insurer Aegon, where Buise now worked, he decided to give a speech for his forty colleagues present, with his new first name on the nameplate: Maxim. His high heart rate was unnecessary: his colleagues almost all reacted positively.
After the euphoria, it was time for the practical part: how did Buise’s new first name get on his paycheck and email address? Dead naming, the use of the former name, many trans people dislike because it reminds them of a time when they couldn’t be who they were. And could he get medical leave for his treatment at a gender clinic? During this period, his employer Aegon was put to the test: how inclusive was the company?
Urgent theme
Recruiting staff from diverse backgrounds is one thing. But what’s the next step? More than ever, companies seem to be concerned with this question: how do you ensure an inclusive corporate culture? For example, consultant McKinsey published last year the report Diversity gains. How inclusion matters and you can see on Google Trends that since 2019 there has been a relatively high level of search for ‘diversity and inclusion’ in the Netherlands, with 2020 as the peak for the time being, the year of the Black Lives Matter protests. The book was published this month The Inclusion Marathon by Kauthar Bouchallikht, Member of Parliament for GroenLinks, and investigative journalist Zoë Papaikonomou, about equality in the workplace.
That it is an urgent theme is also apparent from the recent unrest at streaming platform Netflix. Some of the American staff went on strike this month in protest against the broadcast of the new show by comedian Dave Chapelle. He is accused of making trans and homophobic jokes. And that while Netflix presents itself as extremely inclusive.
Diversity is about the ways we differ from each other, visible and invisible
Marita Bruning Consultant
First of all, what is the difference between diversity and inclusivity? “Diversity is about the ways in which we differ from each other, visible and invisible,” says consultant Marita Bruning, who advised social organizations and also large companies such as ABN Amro. “In the workplace, you think of diversity of personnel from different backgrounds, who are a reflection of society: from skin color to gender identity, and from education level to physical capabilities.”
Inclusion goes one step further. “It is about the question: how do you embrace that diversity. How do you ensure that everyone feels seen and heard equally?”
An inclusive company culture includes an uncomfortable conversation with yourself, according to Bruning. “You can check for yourself what the norm is in your workplace. Who determines it? Who needs to adapt and who doesn’t?”
That a diverse workforce is insufficient for an inclusive corporate culture, consultant Danny Sanders of The Inclusion Studio noticed in practice. “Once I advised a government agency – super diverse on paper – about skin color. But if you looked around you during the break in the canteen, you could see that the different groups were all eating separately from each other.”
According to Bruning, in order to become diversely inclusive, it is important that “everything” in a corporate culture breathes this characteristic and that changes are made at policy level. “A company should ask itself: how accessible is the workplace for people with disabilities? What food do you serve in the canteen? Is there a breast pump room? A quiet room? What about the pay gap in your company? Do partners continue to be paid one hundred percent during a partner’s leave? Will you make sure you don’t organize a team day during the Sugar Fest?”
Company clothing m/f
With subtle cues, Bruning says, you can make everyone feel safe. “At my previous employer, ABN Amro, you were given the choice of a clothing package for men or for women when you came into employment. That changed last year: you can now put together your own mix of the total clothing package. For most people nothing will change, but for people with a different gender identity than man or woman, something so small makes a world of difference. This way you get the feeling that you are being seen. This way you can adapt to the company culture and at the same time remain yourself.”
Unfortunately, says Bruning, there is no such thing as inclusion quick fix, which can be reached with one training session by the HR department. “It is a constant process, in which you have to talk to colleagues, employees and yourself. Are you aware of your own position? And how do you behave towards people who are not like you?”
According to Cheyenne Smaal (39), HR manager at Waternet, you don’t have to enter into this conversation in a forced way. “I work for a government company, with mostly older white men. As a Hindu-Surinamese trans woman, I fall outside the norm. When I became a team leader in 2015, I thought: how can I bring people into my world? I decided to cook for my team every quarter. While we eat Surinamese, we discuss the most painful topics. They can ask me anything, if they are respectful. I tell my colleagues about my world, and they tell me about theirs. The collaboration has improved enormously.”
There is no for inclusion quick fix, which can be reached with one training
However, when introducing an inclusive corporate culture, you can also expect resistance, such as grumbling about positive discrimination. Danny Sanders: “Sometimes you have to fight inequality with inequality.” Marita Bruning: „It is important that the top of a company properly substantiate why it makes certain choices. Positive discrimination is necessary to ensure more equal opportunities. It has been shown that this does not happen automatically. Sometimes you hear the response: but it’s all about quality, isn’t it? Then I answer that it seems as if quality is only represented by one type of person – when you see how white and masculine most boardrooms are.”
Inclusiveness is not only about the company culture, but also about the product that an organization delivers: how inclusive is that really? A good example, says Danny Sanders, is the American newspaper The New York Times. „This year it published a report stating that in order to do the very best journalism it is essential to have journalists from all backgrounds, and that they have so far been lacking in that, compromising the quality of their product.” The company promised improvement.
Another example is LinkedIn: on your profile you can indicate how you want to be addressed and how you pronounce your name. Or think of a make-up brand that offers products for all skin tones.
In addition to a safe working environment, there is also an economic aspect to inclusiveness: it generates more money. A 2020 report from consultancy firm McKinsey shows diverse and inclusive companies perform better. They are more financially successful compared to homogeneous companies. Organizations where the ratio between men and women at the top is more equal are 25 percent more likely to make above-average profits; for inclusive companies this is even 36 percent.
Consultant Danny Sanders recognizes that. “Recently I advised a heavy industry organization – think of building bridges. Due to the new sustainability requirements, an enormously innovative way of working is required. In such a case, it also pays to be inclusive. Because if you think in the workplace: I am being marginalized, then you keep your creative ideas to yourself.”
Maxim Buise of Aegon noticed after his coming out what the positive effects are of an inclusive working environment, he became chairman of the interest group for LGBT people at his company. Of course not everything went perfectly right away: in the beginning some colleagues accidentally called him by his old name, but when he confronted them about it, that stopped. “For example, the fact that I could confidentially indicate to my manager that I was starting hormonal treatment gave me a sense of security. I have become much more confident in recent years. Knowing that I’ve faced hotter fires, I’m more daring. I even got a promotion.”
A version of this article also appeared in NRC Handelsblad of 30 October 2021
A version of this article also appeared in NRC in the morning of October 30, 2021
#ensure #inclusive #workplace