See More

Taking another look at Accommodation

ashrouder — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 15:10:28 +0000

This week Michael Bach (Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at KPMG) spoke with Matt Galloway on Metro Morning. In 7:19 minutes he covered a lot, but the thing that struck me most was in the first minute.

Hats off to you Michael, for astutely pointing out that workplaces accommodate everyone.

As ‘Diversity in the Workplace’ has increased in awareness and practice, it amazes me how often accommodation is still seen almost as a dirty word – synonymous with inconvenience. I smiled when I heard Michael say “lights are an accommodation for sighted people. If you are blind you can work even with the lights off”.

Woot! How many times have we thought of that?

The fact is that the Canadian workplace has been structured with certain people in mind – meaning that the accommodations required for the Canadian worker of the past are already (conveniently) built in. Think about it – why doesn’t the work week start on Sunday, for example?

There was much more to this conversation, so it will likely be fodder for a few more blogs. But thanks Michael, for not letting that one go by.

See more.

Black History Month Rant

ashrouder — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:05:14 +0000

Ugh. Black History Month.

For the next 22 days, venues across the city will pack as many Black, Black-focused, Black-directed events as they can on stages, and behind podiums and microphones. For this month I can easily jam my social calendar with plays, movies, interviews, readings, musicians, etc. featuring people who look like half of my heritage. I may even have to make some tough decisions about who I really want to see on a given night.

Easily and frequently.
Not two words that come to mind for the rest of the year in terms of sussing out Black artists and contributors, or Black-focused events.

Why is that in a city as diverse as Toronto?
Oh right. Because they were booked in February.…

I hate Black History month.

See more.

Oh God!

ashrouder — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:16:19 +0000

A couple of weeks ago I received an email suggesting that CBC had opened the debate about keeping “God” in the Canadian National Anthem, and most of those polled were in favour.

My reaction: “Really?!” (But a weary one.)

Whether or not this is actually true (and I wasn’t able to find it when I googled) someone took the time to craft an email about this topic, include poll statistics, and ask people to forward it if they agreed. Again, really?!

It reminded me of the CBC program I heard at the end of November. It was in response to the public outcry at what was deemed an inappropriate Remembrance Day program that included other wars and Other people’s experiences. The Other is capitalized on purpose. What I heard that day was an awful lot of xenophobia thinly disguised as holding on to tradition.

Listen people. We are either in or we are out. We are either working on a multicultural, inclusive country, or we are not. But we can’t espouse to be tolerant (Oh how I hate that word) and accepting and then choose when it’s convenient. We can’t proudly talk about how the mosaic is better than the melting pot to the South and then choose which parts of the fabric feel okay to us.

It doesn’t work that way. But so often this is exactly what happens. Whether it’s about whose stories and pain belong to Remembrance Day or if God should still be in the anthem, the bottom line is this: we haven’t figured out how to live together yet in a way that values all of us. But we keep patting ourselves on the back like we have.

Until we take a good hard look at that, we will continue to be a living breathing example of the difference between diversity and inclusion.

See more.

Happy New Year!

ashrouder — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:45:34 +0000

No, I’m not 23 days late.
Today is Chinese New Year – celebrated by about 1 in 7 people worldwide.
So while 2012 began 23 days ago, it’s wasn’t the new year for everyone.

Although the Gregorian calendar is used and recognized by people, businesses and schools around the world, and New Year’s Eve parties are popular in many parts of the world, the start of the Gregorian calendar year holds less significance than other years’ beginnings for many people.

January 1st is not the only marker for a new year. And for some the change is more than another number and a new calendar – it’s culturally or religiously significant.
Here are three examples:

Chinese New Year
This Gregorian year, Chinese New Year falls on today’s date – January. 23. The Chinese calendar predates the Gregorian calendar. The Chinese Zodiac consists of 12 animals and each year is the year of a particular animal in the zodiac order. This coming year is the year of the Dragon. Chinese New Year is celebrated on the second new moon after the winter solstice, therefore the date on the Gregorian calendar that corresponds with the Chinese New Year shifts yearly. The year of the dragon will be year 4709 according to the Chinese calendar.

Rosh Hoshanah: Jewish New Year
Rosh Hoshanah (Head of the Year) is celebrated on the first two days of the month of Tishrei – the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar. It celebrates the anniversary of the creation of Adam and Eve. Rosh Hashanah marks the beginning of 10 days of repentance which culminate in Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement). The date on the Gregorian calendar that corresponds with Rosh Hoshanah shifts yearly. This year it will begin on the evening of September 16 to the evening of September 18.

Islamic New Year
The first day of Muharram – the first month in the Islamic calendar – marks the Islamic New Year. The date on the Gregorian calendar that corresponds with the Islamic New Year shifts yearly since the Islamic calendar is 11 to 12 days shorter than the Gregorian calendar. This year it will fall on November 15.

Happy New Year!

See more.

Happy Holidays…?

ashrouder — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 13:18:27 +0000

It’s that time of the year. There are a few celebrations converging, even though in Toronto we are only really bombarded with one. Everywhere. From the music in the shopping malls, to the beer ads in the bus shelters, you can’t get away from Christmas. And if you step into a dollar store, you might just feel overwhelmed by the gift bag section alone.

Makes me wonder where people go to get Hanukkah gift bags (Hanukkah starts tomorrow at sundown), or Kwanzaa paper (Kwanzaa starts on Dec. 26th). For that matter, what if you wanted some Christmas gift wrap that was actually religious?!

And then there is the Solstice. Wednesday Dec. 21st is the shortest day of the year. I’m not sure it’s a gift-giving day, but it’s the event that inspired the date for Christmas, and probably other festivals of light.

My point? There is more going on in the next few weeks than Christmas. Although you might not know it to look around. And “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas” is a great way to acknowledge this diversity, and still share the joy.

See more.

The niqab and Canadian citizenship

ashrouder — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:29:33 +0000

I first heard Immigration Minister Jason Kenney on the radio on Monday night, talking about his decision that women wearing a niqab must show their faces during the citizenship ceremony in order. I couldn’t believe my ears when he used the fact that women are required to be unveiled when they participate in the Hajj. ‘Really Jason?’ I thought. ‘You’re comparing a religious pilgrimage to a citizenship ceremony?!’
I had to shake my head.

Surely there is some way to have women wearing a niqab verify their identity in private with a female before entering the room for the ceremony. Seems like a perfectly reasonable compromise to me. In fact, when I checked with a friend who is an Ontario Human Rights Commissioner, that is exactly what happens at airports. So…?

When I read the article in the Toronto Star, I was stunned when I came across the following: “This is not simply a practical measure. It is a matter of deep principle that goes to the heart of our identity and our values of openness and equality,” Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said Monday as he announced the changes in Montreal.

I don’t know about you, but to me, “values of openness and equality” mean that we recognize difference, acknowledge people’s needs, and find ways to make it work. That’s what diversity and inclusion is all about. This decision is the antithesis of openness and equality.

See more.

Faith at Work III

ashrouder — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 15:16:55 +0000

Sometimes at a conference, we are challenged by the people in the seats, as well as by those on the stage. The Diversity@Work conference put on by Skills for Change on November 9^th was no exception.

The panel discussion (When is a hat not just a hat?) was interesting; we heard from a Minister, a former Buddhist Monk, and Immam, and a Rabbi. To me, there was a common message of taking more time to talk, to listen, to ask questions, and to get to know each other, and to not be afraid to name and talk about the things that are happening around us so that we can learn from and support each other; all amazing calls to action.

But there was something nagging at me that I couldn’t put my finger on until someone stood up and asked a question about power and privilege. Ah…

She pointed out that we were still using words like “tolerance” and “ethnic” and “hospitality” in this discussion that suggest an Us and Them approach. What we weren’t talking about, she continued, was the way the dominant culture has been woven, seemlessly, into not just what we do, but how it is done. When, and how were we going to talk about that? she asked.

Yes!
There was applause.

Sadly, although there were responses, no one actually addressed her question. I think we just don’t know how to have that conversation. And I think we spend so much time talking about accommodating and recognizing the other that we don’t realize that this in itself is perpetuating the Us vs Them. Until we see that and recognize it, we will continue to welcome others into our space, but not really create spaces for all.

It’s time to change the conversation!

See more.

The Power of One Word

ashrouder — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 15:52:04 +0000

Language is an important part of creating and sustaining safe and inclusive space. It’s also relatively easy to change, so can start to make a difference quickly (unlike some changes that require policies, or that can get stuck in organizational red tape). Checking your language requires awareness and commitment. It’s a decision you can make and start doing right away.

One of the examples I like to share with workshop participants is the choice of using the word “partner” instead of wife, husband, girlfriend or boyfriend – like when you are inviting the new person and their significant other to the company social, for example. If they are lesbian or gay, it suggests that you may be an ally, and provides the opportunity to come out if they wish to. “Partner” is a clue that a space may be LGBT inclusive, and clues are important.

Last week, I was returning some music equipment. The sales person was looking for the pedal, and I mentioned that I couldn’t confirm its presence since this was my partner’s rental and I was merely returning what I had been given. The response? “Let me look in this pocket to see if maybe they put it in here”.

Did you catch it? He said “they”! While not grammatically correct, it was a simple way to side-step assumptions, and a powerful example of how easy it can be to make someone feel more comfortable, and possibly make a space safer. One choice, and one word made all the difference.

See more.

Faith @ Work II

ashrouder — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 17:32:30 +0000

One of the workshops I attended at the Nov. 9^th Diversity@Work conference put on by Skills for Change was by Nadir Shirazi. He spoke about dedicated spaces in offices for quiet time, prayer, meditation etc.

Nadir’s presentation was very interesting; he shared the challenge for companies to name these rooms, and the lack of follow-up to see who is using them and how they are used. He confirmed that most of the requests for such rooms are made my Muslim employees. And he explained that complexities arise when these rooms are used by many people with different beliefs and needs. Providing a room, as the title of his workshop suggested, is just the tip of the religious accommodation iceberg.

What stood out for me most, however, was the inequity Nadir shared of where these rooms often are. In their commitment to diversity and inclusion many companies have such spaces in their corporate offices. This is wonderful for the executives and employees who work there, but doesn’t help the staff in the company’s call centres, or retail stores, or franchise outlets (for example).

It was an interesting manifestation of privilege within the context of attempting to be equitable; of how easily people can be overlooked even when we are trying to be inclusive. I’m willing to bet it’s largely unconscious that the men and women at head office have a meditation or prayer room while the workers “on the front lines” of these companies may not. But if this is the case, what do our accommodation efforts really amount to?

It sure made me wonder when I placed my order for tea at the Toronto Airport last week before boarding my flight, and noticed that not a single person working there was White.

See more.

LGBT-Inclusive Workplaces

ashrouder — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 14:51:31 +0000

This week’s article in the Toronto Star about the changes in Canadian workplaces for LGBT employees is encouraging. It is good to hear from large corporations who are making a difference in the daily lives of their LGBT employees.

In our quest to further inclusion, invisible diversity is often much harder to address because we don’t see it. For lesbian, gay, bisexual or trans-identified employees there is another layer: fear. What will change when people know? Will I be safe? Comments like “that’s so gay” and homophobic jokes (as well as silence about these rather than clear messages of inappropriateness) poison the work environment for LGBT people and send a message that it’s not safe to be out. For workplaces to be safe for LGBT employees there needs to be solid expectations about zero tolerance for homophobia, transphobia and heterosexism in policy and practice, awareness-raising, and support.

The Toronto Star article mentions several examples of how to move towards more LGBT inclusive workplaces: Employee Resources Groups with executive champions (RBC), forums to discuss what it feels like to be LGB or T in the workplace (IBM), supporting community initiatives (TELUS), and including relevant benefits (TD). Strategies and commitments such as these help increase visibility, and create awareness and opportunities for dialogue that enable us to make the changes necessary for the inclusion of LGBT colleagues in our workplaces.

Leadership, of course, is key; without commitment from leadership, these programs lack the impact necessary to help create lasting change.

Hats off to the companies listed in this article, and their employees who are helping to make LGBT inclusive workplaces a reality across the country!

See more.