What’s Intersectionality In The Workplace?

Welcome to Hire Potential with Indeed, a series of fireside chats with experts in diversity and inclusion, employer branding, recruiting, HR and more.

In many workplaces, the term intersectionality is becoming more popular in discussions of diversity and inclusion. But many employers aren’t sure what it means — or why it matters in their workplace. 

Kimberlé Crenshaw, a professor of Law at Columbia University and UCLA, coined the term almost 30 years ago in the context of social justice. Crenshaw argued that anti-racist movements were framed around Black men, while feminist movements centered around white women. Both movements overlooked the unique challenges faced by Black women and therefore further isolated them.

In a nutshell, intersectionality is the idea that people have more than one identity – and how those identities are inherently combined. Many HR approaches to building equality tend to focus on one type of discrimination at a time. But people themselves aren’t one-dimensional.

In this episode, along with our guest Anu Wettasinghe, Diversity, Inclusion & Wellbeing Manager at QBE Insurance, we aim to forge a better understanding of why intersectionality in the workplace is crucial to your D&I efforts, and how without it, your employees may not truly feel supported and included at your organisation. 

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Prologue

Jay: Welcome to Hire Potential with Indeed. A welcoming workplace is built from the ground up with attention to diversity, inclusion, accessibility and openness. But the way many leaders and companies approach this is full of gray areas, uncertainty, and quite often fear. Hire Potential with Indeed is here to demystify the process through the most powerful channel possible, conversations, groundbreaking ones, too. 

I'm your host Jay Munro, Senior Country Marketing Manager of Australia at Indeed. And in this podcast series, we'll tackle the issues we face in the modern workplace, from diversity and inclusion, to remote working, accessibility, fair hiring practices, and more. This podcast is an initiative of Indeed.com, the world's number one job site according to Comscore with over 250 million unique visitors every month from over 60 different countries.

Introduction

Jay: Welcome to the second episode of Hire Potential with Indeed. Before we dive in, I wish to acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which we're meeting. I pay my respects to their Elders past and present, and the Aboriginal Elders of other communities who may be here today. 

In this week's episode, we'll be discussing what intersectionality means in the workplace. Today, the term intersectionality is becoming more relevant when discussing diversity and inclusion in the workplace. But many employers still aren't sure what it means, or why it should be at the forefront of their D&I policies. Kimberlé Crenshaw, a professor of law at Columbia University and UCLA, coined the term almost 30 years ago to help explain the oppression black women face. Crenshaw argued that when the courts dealt with racism and sexism cases, they viewed the two separately, forgetting that a black woman is both black and a woman and thus could be discriminated against because of both her race and her gender.

As a result, intersectionality is a concept that people have more than one identity, and how those identities are inherently combined. Many HR approaches to building equality tend to focus on one type of discrimination at a time. People themselves aren't one dimensional, and neither is the discrimination that they may face. So what happens if a company doesn't prioritise intersectionality in its D&I efforts? Well, it risks building an inclusion program that's actually counterproductive. In this episode, we speak with Anu Wettasignhe, Diversity, Inclusion & Wellbeing Manager at QBE Insurance, to better understand why intersectionality in the workplace is crucial to your D&I efforts and how without it, your employees may not truly feel supported and included at your organisation. Welcome Anu.

Anu: Thank you, Jay. So good to be here today.

Jay: Anu, could you share a little bit with us about your role at QBE Insurance?

Anu: Yeah, sure. As you mentioned, I'm the diversity, inclusion and wellbeing manager. I guess my role really involves being a subject matter expert and a coach when it comes to all things D&I and wellbeing, but I do that by collaborating with a range of really great diverse stakeholders across the whole business. We deliver a range of programs across all the focus areas of D&I including gender equality, accessibility, reconciliation, LGBTI inclusion. And really, the overarching theme is inclusion for everyone, and making it a great place to work where everyone can feel safe and a sense of belonging. The other thing is, I'm really lucky to work in this space, because it aligns really nicely with my own personal values and goals, which are equity, fairness, and respect for everyone. I see it as a bit of a crossover in terms of my professional and personal life as well.

How to break down the barriers to intersectionality in the workplace

Jay: Fantastic. I mean, it's so important for us to be passionate about the work that we're doing and to have that align with our personal values. Now, intersectionality is certainly a topic that is really up there for a lot of organisations now. It's becoming more and more spoken about. What do you think are some of the ways that we can start to break down the barriers to intersectionality in the Australian workplace?

Anu: Yeah, I think it can be easy to see people as one dimensional, but if we actually take the time to peel back the layers beyond what's on the surface and what we might assume about someone based on what they look like, we can all say that we all have multiple layers and identities. If I just use myself as an example, I'm a woman, but I'm also a working parent. My cultural background is Indian. All of those different interconnected identities shape who I am. If you meet me for the first time, you might make assumptions by the way I look or even how I sound on this podcast for those listening. You wouldn't probably have considered all those other identities that make up who I am.

I think really to break down the barriers, it's critical, firstly, to recognise the diversity that exists with all the different groups we might classify people in. Another example, we often talk about the LGBTIQ plus community, but that in itself is so diverse and such a huge broad spectrum of people. The challenges and the stereotypes and discrimination faced by people in that community is so great. If someone was to identify as transgender, for example, they would most likely face such different challenges to someone who might identify as gay or lesbian.

Jay: I think, you know, this whole concept is really complex as well. We shouldn't be pigeon holing or placing the person into the first box that we put them into, but it makes it hard for all of us, particularly in the workplace. Some of the great work that companies are doing is forming employee resource groups. What are the advantages and limitations of employee resource groups, such as those for employees with disabilities, or for LGBTQI plus employees that you can see?

Anu: That is an interesting one, because there are advantages and limitations to those groups or networks. I think the advantages are clean, or they include people and are led by individuals in the organisation who probably have lived experience or a real connection to that particular issue or topic, and they’re lead from the grassroots level. It's really empowering people across all levels of the organisation to really use their voice, and play a part in shaping some of the organisational culture from the ground up. I really do think there are certain limitations, too. I think they can be at risk of creating silos rather than creating broader inclusion. If you had those networks operating in silos and not cross collaborating across various initiatives, then you're probably not considering the real impact of intersectionality.

If you have separate groups for gender equality or LGBTI inclusion, and they're not talking to each other, they're not collaborating to amplify each other's voices, then you're probably excluding parts of the community and going against what you set out to achieve in the first place. I think another limitation is that they can sometimes raise false expectations of what resources to prioritise in the organisation. They can be challenging to sustain that momentum, if there's no clear purpose for the group as well. If they don't link to the organisational strategy and they don't link to the people's strategy, then they might just come across as tokenistic rather than driving real culture change.

Jay: It's okay, and we need to make sure that it's seen as okay for people to be members of more than one group, right?

Anu: Exactly. Yeah, because they have all those different identities that make up who they are.

Jay: Even if they don't, I mean, it's about creating allyship, as well. You don't have to identify as being in one of those groups to be in an ERG. People should be free to identify across a number of groups. What kind of training do you think companies are able to provide to their employees around inclusion and intersectionality, in particular?

Anu: Yeah, training is an interesting one, because I don't think a one-off training session can solve all the answers and can raise all the awareness. So sure, it's good in the short term in terms of some of that awareness raising, but I really think to be truly effective, it has to be embedded across the organisation and your broader plans. A few years ago, a lot of organisations were doing bias training. It was kind of done as a one-off exercise, tick a box, but then it wasn't embedded in their broader inclusion initiatives. I think that's a real risk.

For us, it's really effective when we embed things like that in our broader inclusion programs and our ways of working, and just part of your rhythm and culture. At QBE we like to call that our DNA. It's really part of our values and who we are as an organisation. We don't deliberately run, say, inclusive leadership training. We feel that to be a great leader, you not only have the right technical skills and experience, but you show empathy. You're curious about other people. You're a good listener, you're a coach. You have self-awareness, emotional intelligence. All of those different things make up a really effective leader, and let's face it, and a decent person as well. I think it has to be part of a broader conversation and plan for the organisation.

Tips for showing employees that you value intersectionality and intersectional thinking

Jay: In terms of the intersectionality, again, it can be a really difficult topic to get across. How do we start to show employees that we value intersectionality and intersectional thinking? What are some tips that you have there?

Anu: Yeah, I think there's a few key things that aren't over complicated. Keep it simple. I think the first one which comes to mind, and I'm a huge advocate of, is storytelling. I think there's so much power that comes from storytelling to get a message across. You can ask people if they're willing to share their lived experiences and use different channels to get your message across, whether it's a written interview, or a blog, or a podcast or a video. I think when you're sharing stories of your own people and placing the spotlight on intersectionality, that can be really powerful. Also, just be mindful that you're not going to the same people every time when you're talking about a specific topic, because they might not want to be your go to person. There's others which have broad reaching experiences and views, who could offer a whole lot to the conversation as well.

I think another way is to be really deliberate in terms of the symbols you use. Even if it's the images, or the speakers that you might engage with for certain events, deliberately focusing on the diversity of mental health experiences, or how family and domestic violence can impact and look in different cultures or communities. Another example which comes to mind is just the breadth of families, which come from all walks of life. Whether they're nuclear families, rainbow families, single parents, you name it, there's so much diversity in those groups. Just be deliberate in terms of the symbols you use, and your images and the types of speakers that you engage.

I think also, visibility really matters. You probably know that old saying, you can't be what you can't see. I think it's really important to look for role models, both internally and externally so people can see your authenticity and your commitment, and that you do walk the talk and they're not just words on a page that you forget about, after a certain point in time.

Jay: I think that's really interesting. Do you think we maybe should be injecting or leading with the thought of intersectionality, when we're creating programs for education and training? For example, if we were to identify a guest speaker to come in to talk about disability, that we put their intersectionality lens on it to begin with, rather than doing it in a siloed approach, that they come in just to talk about disability? Should we be saying, "Okay, let's talk about disability plus everything else all at once to really show what intersectionality is?"

Anu: Absolutely. I definitely think that. I think that might help people view it and understand that it's not in isolation, right? There's so many compounding effects, and so many different layers to add to it. I think what would be even more powerful, or maybe just as powerful, if you do have a speaker who might have a disability, don't engage in to just talk about disability. Talk about a whole range of other business-related topics as well, to show that real depth of that conversation.

Jay: Now, still the concept of intersectionality. It still can be quite a difficult concept to grasp because it still is unfamiliar to some employees. What kind of language and tools do you think we could implement to try and make it easier to help our employees understand the concept of intersectionality and make it a bit more accessible?

Anu: Yeah, I think definitely, in terms of language. I think keep it conversational in the way that you're sharing experiences, and help support people shift from a concept that might be really theoretical or a word that they might not really understand to just that everyday language that you use as part of your ongoing communications. I think it's really the stories that people remember, and not those concepts or theories. Yeah, look at your language and your communications and really think, "Are you being inclusive in the way that you're framing your words?" I think in terms of the tools and the symbols, some of it we've covered, but think about the speakers that you engaged and what they're there for. Not just having them talk about one particular silo or one particular layer of their identity, but thinking more broadly to that.

Another thing is, listen and respect multiple voices across your organisation. I think there's so much power in just asking people to share their stories, and particularly people who might not be from metropolitan locations. So, regional or remote communities, because the things they experience or challenges or discrimination even, is probably very different to someone else who are in a totally different location to them. I'm thinking specifically, say, a First Nations person, from a remote community who might have mental health experiences as well, is probably quite different to others who don't have those different identities.

I think another thing you can do is look at your workplace practices and your policies, and really try to understand if they have inherent biases within them. Again, I think the language is so important in terms of how those policies, procedures, or practices are framed.

The other thing I'd like to kind of think about is your employee data. Do you have engagement surveys that you run on yearly or bi annual basis? Can you cut the data in different ways to look at the multiple perspectives? One that's quite regularly looked at is from a gender perspective. You're also tracking or asking questions about say, caring status. Is that showing you challenges or discrimination or biases, potentially, that women with caring responsibilities might be facing, compared to those that don't have those caring responsibilities? I think you probably need to look at it from a range of different perspectives, to truly understand the impact that it's having in the organisation.

Jay: Now, I think something that comes up from many leaders like yourself, is that, you mentioned it before. The power of storytelling is immense, and having employees tell their stories is something that really, really helps to inform the rest of our business. We can't always put the full responsibility or onus on employees and those within marginalised groups. We really need to encourage leadership to do that as well. Do you believe that we need to lead and have leadership sponsor this and really empower this through the organisation as well?

Anu: Absolutely, it won't work if your leaders don't believe it. I think from the very top, from your board, your CEO, the C suite have to be completely on board, understand why it's important. I think, you can also relate it to your customers because at the end of the day, leaders at that level, want to think about the overall impact to the customer, too. It doesn't just relate to diversity and inclusion related initiatives, but have you considered maybe your vulnerable customers who might identify with multiple intersecting identities? How do your products or services meet their needs? I think definitely, you absolutely need executive sponsorship, and buy in from the top. Otherwise, any cultural initiative like this, is not going to work. I think it's everyone's responsibility, I truly do think that's the case because it comes down to the inclusion, and it's the way we feel and the way that we feel we belong in an organisation. We all have a responsibility to play in that.

Jay: It's a really good point. You mentioned before, about the two-way communication. I think that's so so important. Sometimes we get so, I guess caught up in getting our jobs done, and we will create a policy or throw something together and just send it out there and forget to ask our end users, "Is this something really of value? Or is it appropriate?" It's important to gain their feedback and get their input into whether it is, and is it valuable? Is it right? Do you have any advice or tips on ways to capture that feedback? Or is it really important in the process, particularly around understanding intersectionality and how to educate our wider employee base?

Anu: Absolutely, it's so critical. I think an example comes to mind in terms of something we do in our organisation, and we have quite a big focus on reconciliation and Indigenous inclusion. We're currently now at third Reconciliation Action Plan at an innovate level. We work really closely with our RAP Committee or Reconciliation Action Plan Committee, which is made up of members from across the organisation, including some employees who do identify with Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander heritage or ancestry. If we're rolling an initiative out or even an awareness raising piece, I won't just decide on what's happening with that particular program. I will consult with that particular group of people. Am I actually understanding the issue? Am I solving the problem? Am I hitting the mark? I think it's really important to speak to the people that actually had that lived experience because I'm not a First Nation's person. I can't make the assumptions that I know everything about what they've experienced, and the way future for our country as well. I think that's really, really critical. Yes.

Jay: In terms of taking everyone's identities into account to build an inclusive workplace, now, of course, you'll need to invest in resources. With that in mind, what would you recommend as the most vital investments that a company really needs to make?

Anu: There are a few that come to mind, but I think we talked about advocacy from the very top. The board, the CEO, the senior leaders, that has to happen. I think, gone are the days when we just focus on diversity. I think now the conversation has evolved, and it's more about how we sustain inclusion and what that looks like for different people. I think, not just the board and the CEO buy in, but executive sponsors are really necessary. You need to know who's in your corner? Who's got your back? Who's going to advocate for you, when you don't ask for it because they just know that it's the right thing to do? I think overall, it really needs to be integrated and embedded in your culture in a really authentic way. It has to be just part of the way you do things for it to really work and be most effective.

What will it ultimately take to ensure a better and more inclusive workplace in the future

Jay: Great, and the final question, which is how we finish every episode of Hire Potential with Indeed. What will it ultimately take to ensure a better and more inclusive workplace in the future?

Anu: Yes, so I was thinking about this one, quite a lot. I think what it really comes down to, for me is having inclusive practices and demonstrating these behaviors right across the employee lifecycle. It doesn't just sit with the diversity and inclusion team or human resources, but it's embedded in all of your people, processes, and policies. For example, how you attract potential talent to your organisation through your onboarding process, through your employer value proposition. It's also the breadth and access to developmental opportunities and networking. Is it just the same people over and over again, who are getting tapped on the shoulder for certain opportunities? Or do you have a strategy in place to make that really effective, and not subject to bias? I think it comes down to also who's in your talent pool? What is your succession plan look like? Yeah, I just think it has to be embedded across everything you do in the organisation for it to truly be sustainable in the long term.

Jay: Thank you, Anu. It's been an absolute pleasure to have you here today.

Anu: Thanks so much, Jay. It's been great.

Conclusion 

Jay: Thank you for listening to Hire Potential with Indeed. Before you go and start building a better workplace, don't forget to hit subscribe and leave a review if you found this podcast helpful. If you'd like to read our full D&I report, click the link in this episode's description and fill out the form.

Just a quick note, the information provided on this podcast does not and is not intended to constitute legal advice. Instead, all content we discuss is for general informational purposes only, and you should consult with a legal professional for any legal issues you may be experiencing.

The data in this podcast references Indeed’s 2021 D&I report. 

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Sources: Indeed is the world's #1 job site according to Comscore, Total Visits, March 2021.

Sources: Over 250 million unique visitors every month, Google Analytics, Unique Visitors, February 2020.

Sources: The research in the report referenced in this episode was commissioned by ThatComms Co on behalf of Indeed and conducted by YouGov. The study was conducted online between 11 - 17 February 2021, involving 2,060 working age Australians (aged between 18-64) currently in either full or part-time employment, or actively looking for work.