hrough the lens of Industry Experts

Talks with Puja Mitra he/Her)

ersity and Inclusion Manager, Ark, UK

The biggest thing for me is well-being was compromised during covid and I think none of us globally were before this talking about well-being in such depth. Look, we're all in different places and understanding what wellbeing means to each of us and how do we cope with this can be very different for everyone So when well-being was impacted adversely, most of us did not know how to respond, or whom to go to for support

The last thing I would say is I think between personal and professional spaces the boundary was lost. There are pros to it. For example, in virtual calls, you could see lots of people were wearing a blazer however if they stood up to open the door you could possibly see they were wearing shorts and pyjamas instead of trousers. I’m not doing that now (ha ha), but lots of people were doing it and it was accepted which was brilliant However, on the other side, the human touch was lost in other spaces People took fewer breaks during work hours and interacted less with their teams very often and those were cons.

Combinations of the above things are the workplace evils which are still there even after the pandemic is slowly vanishing right now, hopefully vanishing.

2. Since 2019, you have been an active worker in the field of DEI. As a leader in inclusion and diversity, what has been your greatest obstacle and what have you learned from this same?

I think I have been my biggest obstacle. I never paused and celebrated myself and the wins I was making. So, when it comes to diversity, equity and inclusion, a lot of things we are dealing with, which are sexism, racism, and homophobia, have been there for 500 years or more now. Nothing is going to change in the next 5-10 years. Or maybe it will, but it's a slow process. I think this is something I've spoken about with lots of peers in this area as well, we do not pause to celebrate ourselves and the wins. That denial is exhausting and the self-care is missing. So, I think one of the biggest things I've now learnt is that I need to commit myself to self-love, self-care, and being kind to myself.

I have accepted that progress can be slow and things might not change overnight. A few years back, in England, how many organizations were celebrating Diwali? How many organizations knew about fasting for Eid? This awareness is there now and this is great news. I know there are lots of other things that need to be done but small things make big impacts. Seeing people in offices wearing traditional wear during Diwali, Eid or Lohri is a joy and I am enjoying these moments.

3. One of the primary reasons for the presence of workplace evils is a lack of clear-cut policies. In your experience, what are the major challenges a leader faces while trying to implement a new and improved HR policy that has organization-wide implications?

So I agree with you that having policies, having processes, having the foundation, those need to be there, and they're key to the work of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. However, I also think a blanket approach is not helpful. So, for example, when you're writing a dress code policy for an international bank, and then one of the key things is you have to wear formal clothing, which is fine but imagine, there are departments of work say IT and Digital. I'm just putting an example. I'm not stereotyping but a lot of people have possibly worked in the past before joining the bank working in casual wear Now for an IT or a digital leader to implement that policy is going to be hard. Impact analysis needs to be done when a policy is launched which has an organization-wide impact. So that's one thing The second thing is when the policy is launched with a new policy or revised policy there needs to be a clear process to embed the policy. There needs to be training and resources for the line managers. There needs to be an implementation plan. If it's not an HR policy, the owner of the policy, the HR colleagues and the leaders need to share a plan, and own a process - how do they implement it at different stages, and when and how do they do audit impact? I think if the plan is done well and if the impact analysis is done before launch of policy, it usually helps with removing the challenges to a huge extent.

4. The true essence of a diverse workforce is that every employee has the opportunity to be authentic to their true selves. Beyond policies, what can a manager, or big leader do to ensure that every employee is empowered with tools to do the same?

In my experience and it's a very personal opinion - I would say everyday inclusion matters It's small things that create some of the biggest impacts. The structured things matter too like policies, structures and other things. But I think it’s the small things that leave an impression on people’s work lives. One thing that has always worked for me is how we make sure storytelling at work which is initiated by leadership is done We always love to hear the inspiring stories, and the success stories of leaders, but at the same time, we want to know the human side, and the lived experiences as well Not that we are particularly curious about failures but people can relate when leaders share their share of failures and vulnerable moments. People love to know how leaders overcome difficult situations.

Those human elements are one of the pros that we witnessed during the pandemic. During meetings, we saw people managing their kids in the background and this became a norm to not appear perfect and formal during work hours I’m going to share a personal experience I once had a leader who spoke about their experience of domestic abuse in their life, and for me, that person is a very strong and assertive person and I was very surprised to hear the leader share one of their most vulnerable experience. And I think that was the turning point for me and a lot of people in the organization to understand each of us including the leaders have different stories in our life Once storytelling is done at the right time and in the right manner, I think this impacts people in the organization to resonate with their leaders and their lives. Everyone gets the confidence to be themselves.

5. Even though most social problems can be fixed with strong policies, microaggression is one problem that often goes unnoticed from a leader's point of view. What do you think is the best way to handle microaggressions at work?

Yes, I think you're right Microaggression is that one topic which is spoken about a lot but not necessarily addressed So, I think many things can be done but two key things that I felt worked for me is following this two-step process. One is education - educating people about what it means, and how it impacts people. It is important that people understand the same person can be both a victim and perpetrator of microaggression.

For example, as a woman I can be at the receiving end of a sexist comment and at the same time as a heterosexual person I can end up making a homophobic comment to my colleague Also it is important to explain some of these microaggressions, especially language is directly a result of systematic discrimination.

For example, the word “guys” is possibly a genderneutral term now but initially, the word guys were not gender-neutral.

We say “Hi guys!” even though there may not be any man in the room but a meeting full of women However, the assumption was meeting rooms will have mostly or only men. At the moment this expression is not used to make anyone uncomfortable or disrespect anyone but it is used as remnants of systematic discrimination in the past. It's no time to place guilt on anyone or a particular community.

It's just that we need to understand the nuances of systematic discrimination in language Second, I think there need to be honest conversations We need to create those safe spaces where people from diverse backgrounds are having those conversations - where they can share how they're feeling and then what best can be done about it. If we move to a world where these microaggressions are addressed in society as a whole, it will reflect in the workplace as well.

For example, a question often used in the UK or to be honest across the globe – “Where are you from” can be triggering Someone who has lived all their lives in London or say Bangalore will strongly feel they are from those places even though they might have diverse heritage or nationality of a different place. Asking them where they are really from is something that can immediately make them feel excluded.

So, it's just understanding and having those conversations about intent vs impact These two things really worked for me but I'm sure there are other awesome things people are doing

I think we need to have more laws in India where microaggression can be challenged as discriminatory behaviours and hence not acceptable Unless we have the legal framework, people are going to have many conversations, but action might not happen. Its time for actions not just words.

6. What are your thoughts on the current trends in tokenism and attrition in the core corporate sector and startup culture?

I think this question and subject are extremely complex. To be honest, I have never been involved in this particular area of work, which makes it very difficult for me to give the right answers. But, I'm going to try to answer based on how I would feel as a person in that situation First, I think an honest conversation is the best thing to do here And it's a bit off-topic, but see how the relationship between doctor and patient works You have to be honest, even if it's bad news. People deserve to know the truth as early as possible.

Second, I think it’s important to give dignity to any person, dignity each of us deserves. Respect is key. It is important to check on their needs as much as possible. Everybody has their own needs and circumstances So, be human about this whole process I think it is important to make sure that not only HR managers but also the leaders who are not part of the HR team do this It will still hurt, but it may make people's life as better as possible from that point.

7. There is a lot of concern among employees around the world due to the persuasive tendency of large-scale downsizing. This unpredictability creates mistrust and disrespect both inside a team and towards management. How should an HR manager approach this situation?

I think tokenism genuinely impacts adversely on the well-being of people If somebody experiences tokenism, it leaves them feeling isolated

To be honest, the spotlight can sound good, but then there's so much additional pressure and scrutiny on this person's life, performance, and behaviour, and they have to be on their best behaviour Also, a lot of times we see that their achievements are not celebrated. If they are identified as a token, their good work is not acknowledged. And I think they're also being pigeonholed. So, if somebody says they’re transitioning at work, it's expected that they will answer all the questions, people will go and consult with them and that leaves the person very exhausted It's a very exhausting experience and you just feel a lot of pressure It just feels that nobody sees them as a person

They feel they are just part of that particular identity for which they are taken as a token So, I feel this leads to lots of burnout for lots of people depending upon how they're coping with it I think it leads to burnout, anxiety, and depression and it leads to attrition as well. People who are seen as tokens do not feel valued at the end of the day. And if you look at data for long-term sickness you would realise people are not only leaving their jobs but it also results in adversely impacting people's long-term health - both mental health and physical health I genuinely think tokenism has adverse effects on people’s lives and tokenism is not something anyone deserves