Inclusion and diversity are the new buzz words in the modern
corporate world . Every employer vociferously emphasizes the importance of a
heterogeneous workforce where talent, expertise and character are the
main attributes that determine the worth of an employee, and never their
ethnicity.
What is truly commendable is that companies are doing the
best they can to weave cultural diversity and equality into the very ethos of
their daily interactions. This task isn’t easy, since it requires people in the
top management to cast aside many personal prejudices, most of which have been
too ingrained in their psyche as a result of societal mindsets passed down
through generations and centuries. Fortunately, the attitudes are fast changing
and more and more companies today are open enough to accept that stereotypes
can be misleading and that reality may not conform to a set of fixed beliefs
and impressions.
The most obvious stereotype to be busted in recent years is
that it is impossible for immigrants to possess anything but a working
knowledge of the English language. It is extremely reassuring to notice
that inclusive and diverse workplaces display an enhanced awareness about
the external world beyond one’s own limited sphere.
Employers in the modern age are more in tune with
international trends and acknowledge that having a non native English accent
(American/Canadian, British, Australian…etc) does not affect one’s grammar and
vocabulary and is not an indication of one’s ability to write and/or express
themselves in English. It is common knowledge today that many of the top awards
for English writing have been bagged by non-native speakers of English (Kiran
Desai, Aravind Adiga, Arundhati Roy, Ben Okri – winners of the Booker Prize are
just a few examples) and that a command over the English language is no longer
a prerogative of individuals only from English speaking countries. It is
heartening as an immigrant to work for companies that display the spirit of
multiculturalism at its best.
What I love about diverse workplaces is that they are open
to dissimilarities in cultural norms – where differences are perceived as
strengths and not aberrations. They are all about celebrating what
distinguishes people rather than trying to fit everyone into rigid, inflexible
molds just because they have, up until now, been the only benchmarks considered
to be of any value.
Our constantly changing world is giving way to constantly
changing realities. Inclusion and diversity, in their truest sense means
embracing these new realities by rising above outdated preconceptions. It means
dissociating ability and talent from race, origin and appearance by
obliterating the biases hidden within the deepest recesses of our subconscious
minds. It means cultivating a discerning intellect that is as high on the
emotional and human quotient as it is on skills and expertise.
As businesses develop the newest strategies to outpace one another, companies that whole-heartedly join in this positive wave of change will be the ones to contribute with a flourish to furthering the true spirit of globalization. In return they will reap the rich benefits of having at their disposal, a diverse pool of human resources from every corner of the world, representing the collective talent of humanity as a whole.
