Values to Work With

Diversity. Equity. Inclusion. These may sound like trendy terms, but DEI concepts have been around long enough for multiple studies to show that organisations that embrace them are better for it in the long run.

Emphasising the point with a range of examples, the four panellists at the NUS Be A-HEAD: Inspiring Inclusion – Fostering a Culture of Respect and Diversity in the Workplace event held on 6 March were clear that DEI has to be an integral part of everything that is being done to drive the whole people experience in an organisation, and should not be perceived as being supplementary or nice-to-have. The session was moderated by Ms Renita Sophia Crasta, Head of Legal, TGR Real Estate (Law ’06, Public Policy ’20).

Although ensuring DEI seems simple on the surface, it is complex and difficult to achieve in practice. Panellist Dr Yvonne Gao, Principal Investigator, Centre for Quantum Technologies, and Assistant Professor, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore (NUS), noted that the spectrum of humanity includes much more than the eye can see. 

“There’s also identity, sexuality, ideology, religion etc., that cannot be seen, that people don’t wear identifying labels for,” she explained. “Real DEI must take this into account, even if it does not serve the easy optics of making it look like the organisation has embraced diversity and inclusion.”

Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar, Associate Professor (Business, Communication and Design Cluster) and Director of the Community Leadership and Social Innovation Centre at the Singapore Institute of Technology (Science ’98, Public Policy ’08), agreed that DEI must be genuine — and that is why it is such hard and difficult work. 

“It must be more than an effort to just do representation; (the idea that) ‘as long we have all groups represented, it’s all good’,” she emphasised. “This is concerning to me because it is nothing more than tokenism. (To me) DEI is really about what the person brings to the table, be they male, female, typical or atypical, old or young… we want to have this range of experiences and insights.”

Mr Dane Lim, Executive Director of Group Human Resources at DBS, said that the onus is on organisations to ensure that DEI is a core part of operations. “It must also go deep, in starting conversations about difficult subjects with staff; things that may make people uncomfortable to discuss openly. Is the organisation creating opportunities to have these conversations?"

Mr Lim, who was previously the External Affairs and Marketing Director at the NUS Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, added, "Many senior executives worry about (stoking) conflict. How we talk about these subjects is important; to ask people what kind of culture they want to see in the workplace, and to accept that there will be disagreements.”

Equity vs Equality

Given that conversations about diversity and inclusiveness could potentially be tough ones, the panellists agreed that the key is in the ‘E’ part of DEI. “We are striving for equitable solutions, not equality,” said Dr Gao. “There is no ‘one-size fits all’ strategy and that is what makes it such hard work.” 

Dr Intan added, “It is really important to consider what fair looks like; it is not that everyone will be treated the same (because) it is often not possible to satisfy everyone at the same time. Individuals in organisations need to work together to understand one another.”

Dr Gao presented a concrete example of when ‘fair’ might be different for different people. “We can look at workplaces — many of which still have more men than women — but have restrooms that are the same size. This seems (more than) fair,” said Dr Gao. “But women need more space and more time in restrooms (by virtue of simple physical needs) so just having restrooms that are the same size is perhaps not equitable.”

DEI in Practice

At the end of the day, success comes down to how individuals practise DEI.

On a day-to-day basis, the panellists said this comes down to showing kindness and empathy to the people around us, manifested in small actions. For instance, speaking up to support colleagues or be an ally for someone who may feel excluded. Dr Gao shared that in her experience, efforts were made to use colour themes in Powerpoint presentation slides that were discernible to colour-blind colleagues. “It’s a very small thing but it made a big difference,” she said.

Dr Intan agreed. “If we wait for change to happen, change will never happen. Every one of us has to play an active role.”

Text by Ashok Soman. Photographs by Kelvin Chia.