“That’s such a gay thing to do. Why are you acting so spastic? Don’t be such a retard lah.”
These are some of the ways UBS AG’s director of community affairs and diversity adviser Leona Tan says people can unknowingly demonstrate discrimination if they are not careful. “What if you made that gay comment in a group and somebody in the group is gay?”
This also applies to colleagues, who make lewd or racist jokes, thinking they are harmless fun, adds Tan. “While we may be free to say what we want, we must also be conscious that insults can come when we are too free with what we think or say.”
If a company wishes to encourage diversity and inclusion within its work environment, it needs to remind employees that “working with respect” is a top priority. Tan says, “The reality is we all have to have that level of EQ (emotional quotient) and empathy to accept everybody’s differences and accommodating those differences.”
Yet aggrieved employees working in a predominantly Asian culture have a tendency to hold their tongues. They have to speak up if they feel their colleagues have behaved inappropriately, even when the perpetrators are their superiors, says Tan. But always criticise in private and never in public. “If you think somebody done something wrong, tell that person nicely, don’t go up in arms and beat that person up.”
If employees are uncomfortable about having that conversation, they should approach their line manager, HR or the diversity officer to manage the situation instead. Otherwise, the employee can choose not to feel insulted although it’s ill-advised to keep mum about the inappropriate behaviour and let offenders get away with it. Tan says, “Don’t tolerate to the extent that you let it fester and then one day for no rhyme or reason, you completely [lose it].”
That said , diversity education is still an ongoing process. Sometimes employees are unaware when they have done something inappropriate. Tan says, “It usually takes somebody else to point that out to you.” Be open-minded enough to accept that.
