One of the workshops I attended at the Nov. 9th Diversity@Work conference put on by Skills for Change was by Nadir Shirazi. He spoke about dedicated spaces in offices for quiet time, prayer, meditation etc.

Nadir’s presentation was very interesting; he shared the challenge for companies to name these rooms, and the lack of follow-up to see who is using them and how they are used. He confirmed that most of the requests for such rooms are made my Muslim employees. And he explained that complexities arise when these rooms are used by many people with different beliefs and needs. Providing a room, as the title of his workshop suggested, is just the tip of the religious accommodation iceberg.

What stood out for me most, however, was the inequity Nadir shared of where these rooms often are. In their commitment to diversity and inclusion many companies have such spaces in their corporate offices. This is wonderful for the executives and employees who work there, but doesn’t help the staff in the company’s call centres, or retail stores, or franchise outlets (for example).

It was an interesting manifestation of privilege within the context of attempting to be equitable; of how easily people can be overlooked even when we are trying to be inclusive. I’m willing to bet it’s largely unconscious that the men and women at head office have a meditation or prayer room while the workers “on the front lines” of these companies may not. But if this is the case, what do our accommodation efforts really amount to?

It sure made me wonder when I placed my order for tea at the Toronto Airport last week before boarding my flight, and noticed that not a single person working there was White.

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Copyright 2011 Annemarie Shrouder
author, speaker and facilitator on issues of diversity and inclusion

Last week Wednesday I was at the Diversity@Work conference put on by Skills for Change about faith in the workplace. It was a thought-provoking day. The next few posts will share some of the things that stood out for me.

What struck me most about the panel discussion was the theme of getting to know people. I have long believed that political correctness (while perhaps well-intentioned) did us a great disservice because people became afraid to offend and so stopped talking and asking questions. Two particular things stood out:

We were encouraged:

1. To know how to read, listen, and attune to others so we can celebrate diversity

2. Through the spirit of listening and understanding, to develop a childlike curiosity about others, to have an interest to learn and dialogue and get to know people.

This last “call to action” was accompanied by an acknowledgment that we will likely make mistakes along the way, but that this is not the end of the world if we are, in fact, coming from a place of childlike curiosity.

Hooray! Asking questions and speaking with our colleagues (respectfully, obviously) is the only way we will get to know them. Getting to know someone helps to break down barriers as well as challenging our bias and stereotypes so we can actually see them rather than seeing who we think they are.

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copyright 2011 Annemarie Shrouder
author, speaker and facilitator on issues of diversity & inclusion.

Tomorrow I’m going to the day-long conference  http://www.diversityatwork.org/ put on by Skills for Change. The topic is faith in the workplace – an issue that is on the radar more often these days in the world of diversity and inclusion.

I’m looking forward to the panel discussion on the difference between faith and culture (because I think we often confuse the two when we don’t have enough information), and to the workshops in the afternoon. I’m hoping to attend Nadir Shirazi’s workshop on balancing assimilation and integration (moving beyond meditation spaces at work) and Immam Michael Abdur Rashid Taylor’s session on accommodation (a common sticking point with HR and other employees).  Of course these are only 2 of the 4 workshops available, so if I can’t get into those, I will have other great choices. 

I’ll report back on Thursday to tell you all about it!

And for those who think there is no place for religion at work, or that it has no impact - consider why our work week is Monday to Friday…

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Copyright 2011 Annemarie Shrouder
author, speaker and facilitator on issues of diversity & inclusion
www.beeing.ca

Last week I read Toronto Star columnist Rick Salutin’s column (The Ramadan kids go to the cottage). What struck me most about what he writes is how words alone fail us.

He writes about having 2 Muslim children spend a few days at the cottage with his son and himself, and the experience of fasting alongside them since it is Ramadan. He mentions the slower pace and the quiet that settled in after the first day; a sort of meditative state, he says.  And then he goes on to discuss slowing down and the deliberateness it brings with it.

Which got me thinking of how little words tell us without context – except that we often don’t realize this is the case. By having a small experience, he was able, in a few short paragraphs, to connect me with this month in a way I haven’t before. Because of this column, I can connect to the quiet that I experience on a slow walk with my dog, or canoeing or sitting in nature – and I can now feel some of the essence within the month. He wasn’t sharing facts, or just using the word Ramadan to stand for it all, he shared his experience.

As we hurry through life, and the busy-ness and bottom lines of work – how often do we brush aside opportunities to share experiences and stories because there is no time or we think we “get it”.

What opportunities are we missing (and who are we missing) as a result?

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copyright 2011 Annemarie Shrouder

Religion or Faith  may be the last thing you expect to hear about at work. Faith is still seen as something private and something which has nothing to do with your work life. But think again.

Religion or Faith can inform someone’s values and how they move through the world. This, in turn  can impact leadership, team work, and work ethic (to name a few). So it’s closer than you think. Many decades ago, when most people in Canadian workplaces were Christian, we arguably didn’t need to talk about it, since there was (assumed) common ground and holidays were acknowledged and taken care of.

A few days ago I wrote about Ramadan and some of the things employers can do to acknowledge this holy month for Muslims – and I used the word accommodation.

I can’t help but think that accommodation has become a bad word – at least for Human Resources. I can imagine the eye rolling, the heavy sighs and the resignation: “One more thing we have to accommodate. When will it ever end?”

All of this has me thinking about a conversation I had a few weeks ago. If we understood each other better; if we understood what Ramadan (for instance) means to our Muslim colleagues who are observing, then “accommodation” would just become a matter of fact and respect; not a burden or an inconvenience. Likewise for other faiths and beliefs that matter to our co-workers and impact their way of being. But then we’d have to ask… and sadly we still seem to have trouble with that.

Want to learn more?
Check out the upcoming Faith@Work conference put on by Skills for Change and expand your understanding!

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copyright 2011 Annemarie Shrouder
www.beeing.ca

If you are Muslim, or know someone who is, you likely know that Ramadan started on Sunday night (July 31st) and that it will run for a month. While it isn't a religious observance that requires absence from work, it can impact the workplace.  For those of you who don't think religion has a place at work, think again.

Ramadan is the ninth month (and the holiest month) in the Islamic calendar. Since the Islamic calendar is lunar (using the cycles of the moon) this means that when referenced on a Gregorian calendar (used in North America and most Western countries) that is static, the dates change yearly.  Ramadan is a month of fasting and spiritual reflection. While you may be tempted to brush this aside as "not my business" there are some implications that, if acknowledged, can make this month much smoother for everyone in the office.

Fasting

During Ramadan, devout Muslims eat only before sunrise and after sunset. For some, this even includes water. The length and heat of summer days adds to the challenge. Here are three suggestions that you can implement until August 30th, to acknowledge the reality of fasting employees. I'm sure you will agree that all of these fall within reasonable accommodations in the workplace.

Schedules:
If you have ever skipped lunch because you were too busy, you know how this can affect your concentration and patience (among other things) later in the day as your blood sugar drops. Scheduling meetings in the morning means your fasting employees will have more energy. Board meetings that typically occur in the evenings, or expectations to meet with clients over dinner are especially problematic.

Get togethers and celebrations:
Although your fasting employees will likely say "don't worry about me, I just won't eat" think about it: if you hadn't eaten since the sun came up, and had hours to go, would you want to stand around and make small talk over hors d'oeuvres? If you can postpone the festivities until Ramadan is over, do so.

Flex time:
If your company does flex time, this may be something to discuss with your employees who are fasting. Working earlier in the day and/or from home may be an option they may like to consider during Ramadan.

Still think religion doesn't impact work? Think again.

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copyright 2011 Annemarie Shrouder
www.beeing.ca

I’m listening to Austrian Radio. The show is called Moment – Leben Heute (Life Today)  Today’s topic is the mosque in Vienna and the public opinion that surrounds it.

It’s worth noting that these are not solely Austrian opinions that I am hearing on this show.  I also hear these arguments in Canada (and I can safely assume one would hear them all over the world) about immigrants and people that are “not like us”.  There is a name for this: xenophobia. In this case, we can also call it Islamophobia.

The complaints about the Mosque, it seems, are not about religion, but about the things that accompany it: congested streets, lack of parking, noise.  In particular they mention the Eid celebrations with firecrackers and the lack of street parking during Ramadan. It occurs to me that these are the types of things we pick at because we don’t want to show our intolerance and racism. At one point a bus passengers complaint is shared as the bus stops to let a large crowd of Mosque-bound people cross the street. His fellow passenger replies “My God, they are just going to pray. We’ve been doing that for ages.” And I have to smile. Because in a predominantly Christian country, I’m sure there are parking issues at Easter and Christmas (and maybe every Sunday, depending on the size of the town), and I can imagine there are firecrackers at New Years. And I wonder who complains then.  You see, it’s not about that. It’s about the fact that we as a human race continue to have trouble accepting difference – and seeing the common humanity beneath it.
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© Annemarie Shrouder 2010