Promoting D&I in the Workplace

By Kajal Aswani, Partner, Gall Solicitors

BritCham Women in Business committee member Kajal Aswani shares her views on diversity and inclusion and how we as a community can do more to promote diverse workplaces. Kajal is an Indian lawyer born and raised in Hong Kong and is a Partner at independent dispute resolution law firm Gall. Her early days serve as an inspiration to young ethnic minorities in Hong Kong as well as global communities who aim to promote diverse and inclusion in the workplace.

Challenges as Ethnic Minorities in Hong Kong

I am fluent in Cantonese and yet faced tremendous hurdles when studying at a local school in Hong Kong in the 1990s. The opportunities to fully integrate into a Chinese learning environment were limited and in fact restricted in my case due to my school’s lack of experience in teaching Chinese to ethnic minorities. I clearly recall that during my Chinese lessons, I was told that instead of learning Chinese like the rest of my Chinese classmates, I should focus on completing my homework. This went on for 4 years until my school realised that the system was not working. They then began segregating ethnic minorities from Chinese, grouped them in separate classes and taught ethnic minorities French instead. Unfortunately, not only did I miss out on the opportunity to learn Chinese but I was also separated from my Chinese classmates, giving me very little opportunity to interact with them and learn about their culture.

Upon graduation, I enrolled in a part-time legal diploma course offered by the School of Professional and Continuing Education at the University of Hong Kong, whilst working full-time at a large magic-circle UK firm. I saved up sufficient funds to pay for my tuition at the University of Sheffield to complete my law degree. I went on to complete my Postgraduate Certificate in Laws at the City University of Hong Kong.

At the time, very few women from the Indian community pursued a career, and even fewer had the courage to pursue a career in the legal industry. Despite having the requisite qualifications, I did not secure a single job interview due to my lack of Chinese proficiency. Fortunately, through the referral of my PCLL course leader, I secured a training contract with a notable independent law firm in Hong Kong and became a partner of the firm 10 years later.

Building a Network for South Asian Lawyers

The Hong Kong Police Force has also enhanced ethnic diversity by offering Chinese classes to help NEC youths who wish to join the disciplined forces or civil service.

Furthermore, the Equal Opportunities Commission has recommended that the Government intensify the review of Chinese language proficiency requirements by introducing in-service language training programmes for NEC candidates not meeting the Chinese Language Proficiency Requirements (“LPRs”) but excelling in other skills Whilst these actions are steps in the right direction, more needs to be done to help the underserved community of Hong Kong

Given my own struggles in finding a training contract, I was eager to make a change and improve the integration of South Asians in the legal industry. Therefore, in 2006, I co-founded the South Asian Lawyers Group (“SALG”), where I support South Asian law students and legal professionals by connecting them with others in the industry. With over 150 members, I have helped multiple South Asians secure internships and interviews at well-renowned law firms in Hong Kong.

Kajal Awani with an SALG Gall winter intern

SALG networking drinks

Another way I have been involved in supporting ethnic minorities in the workplace is through my new role serving on the Executive Committee (ExCo) of EMPOWER by local NGO The Amber Foundation. The EMPOWER program serves marginalised, university attending or recently graduated ethnic minority women in Hong Kong – seeking to increase the visibility of these young women to potential future employers through the creation of professional networks and skills training workshops.

The Business Case for Promoting D&I

Diversity in the workplace is about embracing what makes people in an organisation different. It is a well known topic that helps companies differentiate themselves from others, encouraging staff commitment and loyalty, decreasing attrition and, if implemented correctly, can become a crucial part of a company’s growth strategy.

In the 2020 “State of the Candidate Survey” by Monster, more than 4 out of 5 Gen-Z jobseekers (83%) view commitment to diversity and inclusion as an important factor when choosing an employer.

Furthermore, in a 2020 report McKinsey & Company put together entitled “Diversity Wins: How Inclusion Matters”, findings demonstrate that:

• Organisations with the most diverse executive teams were 25% more likely to have above-average profitability than those with the lowest levels of diversity;

• This is up from 21% in 2017 and 15% in 2014;

• Firms in the top quartile for ethnic diversity were 36% more likely to financially outperform those in the bottom quartile.

Earlier, McKinsey reports also show clear evidence of the commercial advantages companies can achieve by building diverse teams, particularly at senior level.

Embedding D&I Into a Firm’s Culture

There are many ways that firms can foster a diverse and inclusive workplace Some suggestions are:

1. Have open discussions with employees and other stakeholders about what D&I means to them and why it is important;

2. Set a solid D&I strategy and plan with clear targets that can be achieved within a specific time frame. The EOC’s 2018 “Racial Inclusion and Diversity Charter for Employers” serves as a useful reference and provides interested employers with a checklist of policies and practices which can be implemented to further their initiatives;

3. Involve people from a diverse range of backgrounds in the firm’s interview process. Consider re-wording job descriptions, for example, if a role doesn’t specifically require Chinese language skills then consider removing this point and stating specifically that Chinese language is not a requirement to attract a wider group of applicants;

4. Encourage inclusive behaviour in the workplace by way of talks, events or celebrating important religious events of staff from multi-cultural backgrounds This helps instil a sense of belonging and togetherness;

5. Collaborate with groups and organisations whose membership are comprised of under-represented talent;

6. Attend conferences, events and community outreach initiatives that align with your firm’s values

D&I initiatives should push the agenda forward for change because the benefits of inclusivity are shared by everyone.

About Gall Solicitors

Gall is a leading independent Hong Kong law firm focusing primarily on dispute resolution. We specialise in handling highly complex disputes, many of which involve multi-jurisdictional litigation.