WorkPride day four: panel recap and best bits

Day four of WorkPride 2024 continued to engage participants in stimulating discussions and panels aimed at advancing diversity, inclusion, and equality in the workplace. Here is a summary of the panels that took place.

Inclusive Language: Promoting Respectful Communication 

The day began with a focus on promoting respectful communication through inclusive language, emphasizing the importance of fostering an environment where all individuals feel valued and respected. 

“Inclusive language avoids bias, be it conscious or unconscious. And inclusion allows us all to feel like we belong, and we connect. Inclusion should be at the heart of all our policies. - Christine Budhan-Mills, She Creates Female Builder and Educator 

“Language is so powerful. It’s almost a bit of a paradox of sorts, in that it can create safety, but it can also create harm as well.” - Christina Peach, Fleishman Hillard 

Creating Inclusive Workplaces for People of Ethnically Diverse Backgrounds 

The session on creating inclusive workplaces for people of ethnically diverse backgrounds delved into strategies for promoting diversity and equity within organizational structures, highlighting the significance of representation and inclusivity. 

“A really easy way to just keep an eye on what's happening in the world of people of color, people of faith, of different cultures, is just to have a calendar together that reflects all these different holidays of people in your team to really make them feel reflected. And also, beyond that as well, you're just generally educating yourself on different cultures.” - Sabah Choudrey, Freelance 

 “The good thing about reverse mentoring is that it empowers younger people to speak up. Sometimes, some people may not feel that they have enough power or authority to do something like that." - Raquel Flórez Escobar, Freshfields 

Combatting Hate Speech and Discrimination Online 

Combatting hate speech and discrimination online took center stage in the next panel, where participants discussed the impact of online behavior on perpetuating harmful ideologies and explored ways to promote a more inclusive and safe digital space for all. 

“Free speech doesn't mean you're free from consequences. Hate speech can incite acts of violence that actually infringe on the victim’s rights. There is a greater moral imperative to protect against those acts of violence and you can do that easily by regulating against hate speech.” - Carly Peterson, Charles River 

“It’s ironic that the spaces that were built for the purpose of bringing people together are actually the ones causing more divisions, even within communities. Suddenly you have to kind of find your own niche and you basically are there creating more and more divisions, rather than trying to help us to see other people's perspectives.” - Marta Lima, Vodafone 

Promoting Socioeconomic Diversity: Breaking Barriers 

Promoting socioeconomic diversity and breaking down barriers was the focal point of the following session, addressing the importance of creating opportunities for individuals from all economic backgrounds to thrive and succeed in the workplace. 

“Everybody needs to feel like they belong to a part of a community, or multiple communities. We spend most of our time at work, so belonging is an organization is not only the right thing to do, but it is an essential human need.” - Callie Strickland, The Trade Desk 

“It’s small behaviors, you know? There’s a million forks and knives at these events and that can be quite exclusionary and confusing when you feel that everyone else is getting on with it and everyone belongs there.” Richard Chapman-Harris, Marsh McLennan 

Diversity and Inclusion in Sports: Olympics Edition 

Diversity and inclusion in sports, with a special focus on the Olympics edition, sparked conversations around representation, equity, and inclusion in athletic spaces, emphasizing the power of sports to unite individuals from diverse backgrounds. 

“The greatest joy for me was being able to play for a predominantly lesbian team, because I'd also just come out. For me, that was a really enjoyable environment to be within. And I know that not everybody has that, but with the gay games we offer people that option.” - Joanie Evans, Gay Games 

“The Olympics is such a great opportunity for everyone to be celebrating diversity for a couple of weeks. We have so many athletes coming together and looking to the best years seeing how many LGBTQ+ athletes there are. This representation is very good, it's a great display for the rest of the world to set examples.” - Vitor Olivera, Synechron 

Fostering Inclusive Mentorship and Sponsorship Programs 

Fostering inclusive mentorship and sponsorship programs was another crucial topic of the day, highlighting the importance of providing support and guidance to individuals from underrepresented groups to help them advance in their careers and achieve success. 

“When you are in a position of power, there is an altruistic element or a darker side of altruism, which means that you're going to be influenced and driven by what you like, by personal traits. It’s those biases can sort of influence decision making and behaviors and potentially need to unintentional exclusion or favoritism within mentorship programs.” - Nailah Logan, Pink Lantern Therapy Services 

“For me, it's about representation or rather the lack of representation in the corporate space for the LGBTQ+ community. So, having a mentor or sponsor who shares your lived experience and who's been successful in that career in spite of or thanks to their, you know, many layers of their identity is super important.” - Marie-Helene Tyack, Allianz Commercial 

Building Culturally Competent Educational Institutions 

The day culminated in discussions on building culturally competent educational institutions, emphasizing the need for schools and universities to create inclusive environments that celebrate diversity, promote equity, and provide all students with the resources and support they need to thrive. 

“Things have certainly changed, there’s a lot more representation going on, and we’re see curriculum changes where students are seeing themselves represented more. But homophobia, heteronormativity and biases are still a real thing. Students today are coming to our classes with the same kinds of concerns and doubts about themselves that I had 40 years ago.” - Josef Vice, Purdue Global 

“It’s all about the idea of an inclusive classroom. When you have a class of 30, 40 students, especially in a city like London, they’re all going to have a variety of lived experiences. Education doesn’t take a one-size-fits-all approach, everybody connects, communicates, learns differently.” - Joe Lewin, Kennedys