Understanding Workplace Stereotyping, Privilege and Allyship

An Impact breakfast interactive workshop for Office Support Clients

As part of our Social Impact commitment, we were excited to host our Office support clients for an interactive breakfast workshop. This was an hour-long session delivered by Talent and Inclusion Recruiter – Daniel Asaya and organised by our Head of Support (Michelle Davies) and Temp Manager (Denise Watson).

The aim of the workshop was to improve our clients’ understanding on workplace stereotyping, its effects in the workplace and ways to reduce it. We also explored topics around privilege and how to be a supportive ally. 

What is workplace stereotyping?

Workplace stereotyping is a fixed, overgeneralised belief about a person or group of people. This stereotype may be based on your past experience with someone of a similar age, gender, ethnicity, background, education, etc., or your cultural biases and prejudices (which we all have).” Brent Watson

Privilege: What it means and doesn’t mean

“If you get upset when someone points out that you have privilege, that probably means you don’t fully understand what privilege is.” – Maisha Johnson

• Means There’s a Whole System at Work – These systems – like ableism, white supremacy, and classism – get structural support from laws, the media, and policies that affect our lives every day. Most of us aren’t taught that these systems are such an influential part of how the world works.

• Doesn’t Mean You Didn’t Work Hard or You Should Feel Bad About Your Good Fortune – You shouldn’t feel guilty for your success or hard work. It’s just important you’re aware of the access your privilege gives you over others.

How to be a supportive ally

In a 2016 tweet, Kayla Reed co-founder and executive director of Action St. Louis (a grassroots racial justice organisation that seeks to build political power for Black communities in the St. Louis, Missouri, region of the United States), laid out what it means to be an effective ally: 

A – always centre the impacted

L – listen & learn from those who live in the oppression

L – leverage your privilege

Y – Yield the floor

Franchesca Ramsey also explained 5 tips to becoming an ally in this short YouTube video

A big thank you to all our guests and we look forward to continuing this important conversation in our upcoming events.  If you are interested in joining our future discussions, please email daniel.asaya@impact-london.com

How to Identify and Prevent Workplace Bullying

This #AntiBullyingWeek we look at how to identify and prevent workplace bullying to create a positive working environment for all.

What is workplace bullying?

Workplace bullying is repeated, and perverse behaviour directed towards an employee or group of employees that creates a risk to mental health and well-being in the workplace.

Bullying can happen in any type of workplace, and to people in any type of role from part-time employees to CEOs.

It can also take lots of different forms, from verbal or physical abuse to online harassment and in some cases can extend to out-of-work-hours harassment.

Examples of workplace bullying: 

• Spreading rumours or insulting a colleague
• Excluding an individual from group activities
• Abusing positions of power
• Preventing an employee from progressing at work
• Criticising an employee without valid reasoning
• Physically threatening abuse
• Intimidation

The negative implications of bullying in the workplace include:

• Bad relationships between colleagues
• Driving down productivity
• Hostility between colleagues
• Losing staff
• Lack of respect
• Mental health risks such as anxiety, stress, and lack of sleep
• Lack of self-esteem and a feeling of isolation

What steps can you take to prevent workplace bullying?

• Open door policy
  Encouraging your team to feel they can talk to you about a situation, whether a victim or witness.  
• Address the root of the problem
  Talking to individuals and encouraging them to express their vulnerabilities can be a powerful way to reform behaviour and make sense of their actions.
• Provide training for all employees
  Gives employers, managers and employees to all have an equal understanding of what bullying and harassment are and what they should do if they are being bullied.
• Positive workplace culture and good working relationships
  The best way to stop bulling in the workplace is to implement a positive culture with a mutual respect between employees.
• Lead by example
  Pave the way for acceptable workplace behaviour and set an example to employees.
• Become a better ally
   A key step to building a supportive and inclusive workplace culture for everyone, regardless of their background.

It is important to note that single incidents of unreasonable behaviour are not considered bullying. However, it is still important to deal with these issues correctly and monitor them accordingly.

For more information on dealing with workplace bullying, head to the National Bullying Helpline webpage.

Inclusive Hiring Workshop at Impact

Inclusive Hiring Workshop at Impact

Impact are huge advocates of driving positive change around Diversity & Inclusion within the media and creative industry and we consistently welcome the opportunity to enhance our skills.

A huge thank you to Jennie Child who facilitated a fantastic and informative session with our team last week.  Jennie is DEI specialist for Recruitment Network, an ex Talent Acquisition Director within WPP agencies and she now runs her own diversity consultancy, Balance.

Collaborating in small groups, we firstly took the time to acknowledge the barriers and bias that feeds into the hiring process.  Guided by Jennie, our focus was then spent discussing positive solutions and how we can continue to positively influence our clients through the recruitment process.

We shaped our thoughts with:-

• Transparency throughout the recruitment process with our clients and our candidates
• Ensuring we understand our client’s position around inclusivity
• Understand potential adjustments a candidate may require
• Encouraging a diverse interview process

We wrapped up by creating a clear action plan that is both achievable to consistently deliver on and importantly, aligns with our values.  Thanks again to Jennie for helping us stop and reflect on this important topic.