Beyond diversity, inclusion buzzwords: How to be more inclusive at work

Observing with empathy, asking the right questions and listening will go a long way to charting out how to give meaningful support.

Synopsis: Every first and third Monday of the month, get a headstart in your personal finance and career with The Straits Times.

Diversity, equity and inclusion are aspirational ideals that have permeated conversations of work life and good employment.

Yet, there is still room for improvement when it comes to putting these aspirations into practice, if a survey on diversity issues commissioned by The Straits Times and release in August is anything to go by.

In this episode, ST journalist Tay Hong Yi finds out how employers and employees both have their part to play in making workplaces more inclusive in meaningful ways without patronising those who benefit.

His guests are:

Ms Winifred Ling, a couples therapist and relationship coach who has lived with an invisible disability for close to two decades

Ms Hsu Yi Peng, a young leader who helmed an initiative to provide students with diverse needs internship opportunities at her company, HSBC, on top of her day job as a product specialist.

Highlights (click/tap above):

1:46 How did the idea of diversity, equity and inclusion come to the guests’ attention?

5:01 What was the learning curve like for Yi Peng when she took on the initiative?

9:20 Should employers or employees lead the charge to promote inclusion?

13:20 How did HSBC devise the support moves for students in the initiative?

19:12 How to balance between providing accommodations and seeing individuals for who they are beyond their traits?

Read the feature by Rosalind Ang discussed on the podcast: https://str.sg/x4oC

Read Tay Hong Yi's articles: https://str.sg/w6cz

Follow Tay Hong Yi on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/AAxy

Host: Tay Hong Yi (hytay@sph.com.sg)

Produced & edited by: Amirul Karim

Executive producers: Ernest Luis, Lynda Hong & Joanna Seow

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