Diversity Matters: Strengthening diversity and inclusion (D&I) during remote working

For Diversity Month we would like to share with you the Diversity Matters columns and interviews that were published in our staff magazine Febrations. The column and short interviews below about diversity and inclusion and remote working were written in December 2020.

Enjoy the read!

By Henrietta Doe and Ella Sebamalai

The workplace changes implemented in response to the coronavirus pandemic have made working remotely more commonplace. As we continue to navigate through the evolving realities of covid-19, the emphasis on staying safe and healthy during these challenging times, has become more essential.

However, during times of crisis, the focus on diversity and inclusion must also be embedded and integrated in all aspects of our work and not downsized. Thanks to online platforms, we are now connecting in totally different ways, often experiencing different levels of connectivity than we did before covid-19. This mostly has to do with the amount of collaborations versus individual work, whether we have jobs that require presence in the office (or not), etcetera. As a result of our new normal way of working there is a challenge for our organization in terms of inclusiveness in the work environment.

Targeted D&I practices are vital in counteracting non-inclusive dynamics

Targeted D&I practices and forms of communication are vital to promote inclusive and healthy interactions among staff in a remote working environment. For example, our ways of interacting mainly with familiar colleagues, rather than building new connections with other colleagues, could be much harder to overcome when in-person interactions are no longer possible. This dynamic is evident for new staff and staff who may feel at a distance from the organization.

Our adapted efforts to the reality of covid-19

Every small step is getting us closer to increase connectivity, and thus inclusiveness. At FEB, the following activities are available to you, either FEB-wide or in your departments/programmes:

The Call for Inclusivision is re-opening this winter. If you would like to read about previous initiatives and get inspiration for ideas you could deliver, click here.
In collaboration with the staff association BEAST, FEB organizes an online social quiz.
Within several departments and programmes, online coffee breaks are a way to stay in touch.
‘Praatjesmakers’ is organized to practice Dutch in an online setting with both international and Dutch colleagues. If you would like to participate, you will be asked to fill in your information in a Google Form. We are planning to organize next sessions after the winter break and will inform you accordingly.
FEB is re-starting warm welcome activities in the online space, such as but not limited to a workshop on cultural difference and a workshop on educational standards at FEB.
FEB is organizing the Season’s Celebrations online, to wish you happy holidays and reflect on the year 2020. The celebration takes place on Thursday 17 December from 4:00 pm – 4:30 pm.
The Board would like to stay connected and gather your input via the newly established ‘Let’s Connect’, monthly meetings between FB and staff.
Funded by Inclusivision, EBF is organizing a ‘We Are Human’ exhibition about diversity & inclusion.
Within your department, you may wish to set up more regular one-on-one meetings with your supervisor, or sub-team meetings with your colleagues to catch-up.

In support of Diversity and Inclusion at FEB, hear from some of your colleagues in our community.

Susanne Täuber, associate professor and Rosalind Franklin Fellow

Why do you think diversity matters?

I was born and raised in East Germany. Those in power propagated state-ordered conformity. Everyone had to think alike, be alike, and behave alike. ‘The other’ was typically synonymous with ‘the enemy’. People risked punishment for expressing opinions that deviated from those approved by the state. Dissidents – those disagreeing with those in power – were the ones speaking up when it was still dangerous to do so. They faced severe repercussions. However, dissidents were important forces of the opposition that eventually brought millions on the streets in 1989, resulting in the reunification of East and West Germany.

To me, therefore, diversity matters because it signals something important: Being surrounded by people who feel comfortable and safe to express their being different from the majority means that you are a free person in a democratic system. When you are annoyed by someone disagreeing with you, or doing things different from you, don’t lash out on them. Instead, consider how exceptionally lucky you are to live in circumstances allowing you to meet people who differ vastly from you. By the same logic, if you feel unsafe to express an opinion that differs from the majority’s opinion, or if you or people around you are being punished for ‘speaking truth to power’, you might be less free than you think. After all, freedom is always the freedom of dissenters, as Rosa Luxemburg put it in her most famous quote.

Tips and recommendations on creating a meaningful, healthy and lasting diverse and inclusive workplace/community at FEB.

Meeting someone who has a different opinion than us, or does things differently than we do, can cause great discomfort. Without us even realizing it on a conscious level, ‘the other’ poses a threat to our social reality. Simply by being different, the other invalidates the ‘truth’ we’ve grown attached to through socialization. This discomfort can lead to a knee jerk reaction to people who differ from us. If we are to value and recognize every voice, we need to overcome this knee jerk reaction to opinions and behaviors that differ from those of the majority. Just because everyone does it, doesn’t make it right or true – history is replete with examples for that. We need to educate ourselves to see someone who differs from us indeed as different, instead of seeing them as worse or as inferior. Oftentimes, though, the others are silenced, ignored and even punished for speaking up. This ultimately deprives us from opportunities for learning and growing. In a healthy, inclusive and safe environment, all voices are being heard and valued. Acknowledging and overcoming the discomfort of being confronted with ‘the other’ takes courage. FEB needs that courage for creating an inclusive and safe workplace.

Bart Los, professor of the Economics of Technologiacla Progress and Structural Change

Why do you think diversity matters?

In evaluating everything that we do and don’t, it is important to take as many perspectives into account as possible. Diversity enables us to learn about alternatives that we wouldn’t consider if we would only evaluate options in groups of very similar people.

Tips and recommendations on creating a meaningful, healthy and lasting diverse and inclusive workplace/community at FEB.

I think that the work pressure at Dutch universities has increased so much that hardly any time is left to talk informally about differences in attitudes/cultures. An example: I like the internationalization of FEB’s staff over the past two decades very much, but didn’t have much time recently to talk with my (foreign) colleagues on how matters of personal freedom vs. collective health tend to be viewed in their home countries, issues that have been more important than ever.

Reinder Dallinga, coordinator Business Research Lab

Why do you think diversity matters?

I believe that diversity makes a team stronger, will take away preconceived notions of race, gender, age and will lead to better decision making.

Tips and recommendations on creating a meaningful, healthy and lasting diverse and inclusive workplace/ community at FEB.

At FEB, I think we are on our way to a better work space on the whole. More women are recruited and more female professors are announced. There could be more different nationalities at leading positions.

Conclusion

As we continue to respond to the coronavirus pandemic, diversity and inclusion efforts can be the means by which FEB not only overcomes this global crisis but comes out on the other side of it with a much stronger, connected, diverse and inclusive FEB community. Indeed, physical distance and a sense of disconnection can result in the overlooking of underrepresented groups. Often D&I efforts are put on the back burner during times of crisis, but FEB is working on this despite the pandemic, which is reflected by the objectives listed in the FEB Strategic Plan.

We hear our colleagues (Susanne Täuber, Bart Los, and Reinder Dallinga) refer to the importance of alternative perspectives but also about the need to have a safe space to share those perspectives. It’s therefore FEB’s continued commitment to work on an inclusive work environment, also in times of crisis. All in all, Winston Churchill’s quote to “never waste a good crisis” is more applicable to D&I efforts at FEB. We appreciate your efforts to get (re-)connected, to understand how your colleagues are doing, how their experiences may be different from you, and learn from that together. To deliver suggestions about general inclusiveness at FEB and/or specifically about connectivity during these trying times, please reach out to inclusion.feb rug.nl.