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A Colourful Workplace
A
Colourful
Workplace
Designer
Our latest Thought Leadership article
examines the importance of diversity and
inclusivity from a first-person
perspective.
According to a survey conducted by Berenschot, Performa, and AFAS software - where almost 2,000 HR professionals were interviewed - diversity and inclusivity are both topics that fall by the wayside for businesses in the Netherlands. In fact, only 20% of those businesses surveyed have an active diversity policy, while another survey conducted by NOS found that diversity and inclusivity have been at the bottom of the 'most important themes' list for years.
These are hard numbers to swallow when
you consider the fact that Amsterdam is
home to a recorded 180 different
nationalities. In fact, Amsterdam has
proudly been one of the most multicultural
cities in the world for decades. Over the
past fifty years, this multiculturalism has
been boosted by an influx of residents from
countries such as Suriname, Turkey, and
Morocco, bringing with them their cultures,
foods, languages, and traditions. This trend
is only projected to continue, with
iAmsterdam speculating that in the next
few years at least half of all
Amsterdammers will have been born
abroad, or have parents or grandparents
who have come from different countries.
Unfortunately, these stats are not limited to
The Netherlands alone. Almost every day
the news brings with it an incident
somewhere in the world where race has
been an issue, where women have found
their rights minimised compared to men, or
where diversity issues have been called into
question. Why is it that we are still dealing
with issues of race and inclusivity today, in
2021? Almost on a daily basis, we see the
Black Lives Matter movement, or the
anti-Asian sentiment that is growing
around the world, where even here in
Amsterdam I’ve had friends spat on, and
called Corona. Why is it that we’re seeing a
trend of nationalisation after a wave of
globalisation, where people are becoming
increasingly wary and intolerant of people
from other countries and cultures?
Seeing all of this, I felt compelled to share
my own experiences and thoughts about
diversity, and add my voice to the
conversation around the importance of
having a colourful workplace. I wanted to
share my side of the story and raise
awareness of the struggles minorities face
even when they were born in Europe so that
those who haven’t been on the receiving
end of intolerance can better understand
the importance of having a diverse
workspace.
As issues of equality and tolerance become
increasingly ingrained in the daily
conversation, it is worth noting the
significant role that the media plays in the
perpetuation of racial stereotypes. For
example, the language used to describe the
crimes and the suspect depend largely on
race. Most recently this was exhibited in the
recent Atlanta shooting that saw eight
people killed, six of whom were of Asian
descent. Almost as soon as the news broke,
reports of a white male who “was pretty
much fed up and kind of at the end of his
rope” began to flood in, explaining how
[yesterday] was a really bad day for him
and this is what he did.”
In the case of a white perpetrator, they’re
having a bad day, or they’re mentally ill,
while people of colour are often quickly
recorded as being a violent criminal, or
even a terrorist. In fact, even in instances
where a police officer has needlessly shot
and killed a person of colour, the media
often appear to justify the act by raising
questions about the victim’s character,
such as discussing their past records or
their behaviour on the day. This was seen in
the recent shooting of 20-year old Duante
Wright, who was shot when an officer
mistook her firearm for her taser. It didn’t
take long for articles about Duante being
“on the run” to surface, or the outstanding
warrant out on him to be discussed, both of
which had nothing to do with his being
pulled over in the first place (as he was
pulled over for having an expired
registration).
While this example is extreme, they do well
to show the difference of perception that is
shown in the news when reporting on
people of colour, versus white people.
However, they also focused on the extremes
of race, and the headline edition of what it’s
like to be a minority in a majoritively white
city or country. What they don’t tell is the
story of what goes unseen, the smaller
hurts and slights that slowly add up over
time to make minorities feel like they don’t
belong; like they’re illegitimate on the land
that they also stand on.
Even in my own corner of the media
industry, working in the creative sector,
there is more often than not a definitive
lack of diversity. My job can often involve
shaping and refining brands, moulding
them into something that people will
connect with and desire. Through research,
strategy, and creativity, we can help our
clients to better connect with their
customers in ways that reach them on
emotional levels, and make them confident
in their decisions. It sounds simple enough,
but over the years I’ve come to recognise
one very key issue: for the most part,
everyone looks the same, has the same
background, and speaks the same
language. If we don’t have diversity in our
industry, how can we connect with people
from different backgrounds if we can only
relate to a small few who look and sound
like us. The simple reality is that we can’t.
“Without
marginalised
voices
contributing
to
the
discourse,
how
are
creative
industries
-
especially
media
based
industries
-
meant
show
a
valid
portrayal
of
the
world
we
live
in?"
The hard thing about being a minority is
finding your place and your voice, as you
constantly have to fight the fear of feeling
misunderstood, or unable to stand up for
yourself. I was born in Belgium, and my
parents worked hard to integrate to the
Belgian way of life and culture, while
retaining their Vietnamese roots.
As a result, I grew up with a foot in both
worlds. I didn’t even know I was different
until I was about six years old and the other
children began to comment on and notice
my different features. From that point on,
I’ve carried the feeling of being more
outsider than an insider. Even now living in
Amsterdam, one of the most multicultural
cities on earth, I experience some act or
statement on an almost monthly basis that
makes me feel like an outsider. Over time,
big or small, these instances add up to
make me feel like I don’t belong.
There is one experience in particular that
stands out to me that I want to share,
partially because it might feel small or
insignificant to people who won’t be able to
relate to it, but also to give an example of a
thoughtless moment that can make a
minority feel small.
I was interviewing for a role with a big
design studio based here in Amsterdam -
whom I won’t deign to mention - and I was
having my interview with the Creative
Director. I made a point of mentioning that I
was Belgian, however the interviewer
continually referenced my ‘culture’, asking
how it ‘influenced my design”. Even though I
had specifically referenced my background,
he still made a predetermined conclusion
about my background. At the time, I didn’t
know how to answer the question. I
wouldn’t know how to define exactly my
culture but in this context, I have studied in
Belgium and while I identify with my
Vietnamese roots, it’s not enough of a
connection to have an impact on my work.
In the end I gave a lame answer because I
wanted the job, but when I shared the
incident with friends later they’ve often
asked why I didn’t stand up for myself. It’s
because in a professional situation like this,
you’re often already at a disadvantage,
being the ‘lower’ person in the exchange, so
it becomes a burden to explain why that’s
the wrong thing to say.
The other side of this is that people often
don’t understand, or don’t see the hurt and
frustration that comes with incidents like
this. More than one person has sprung to
the interviewers defence, arguing that "he
was just being curious and there were no
bad intentions behind it". I’m sure there
weren’t, I’m almost positive of it, but that’s
not the point. He wouldn’t have asked a
French or a German person how their
culture impacts their design, but because
I’m Asian, my culture comes into play. But,
as with the media, people run to the
defence of the interviewer, rather than
empathising and saying “you’re right, it
shouldn’t be a topic”. I’m not alone in this
either.
I spoke with Jose, our Dominican-American
front-end developer who has had similar
experiences within his own professional life,
where he felt the same feeling of not
belonging. In his own words:
“I remember when I first began working in
this field. I was working in a co-working
space in the city, and every day I would walk
into the lobby and flash my ID card to get
past the front desk. On one occasion
however, the man behind the desk blurted
out in genuine disbelief “You work here?!”
when he saw my card. I remember feeling
kind of offended, and just said “yeah, I work
here”, unsure of what else today. I already
had this insecurity about not fitting in, so
hearing this didn’t help. I never asked the
him why he’d responded that way, and
looking back I wish I had, I wish that I’d
challenged him. My guess is he wasn’t used
to seeing minorities walk into the building
and present themselves as employees. So
when I showed him my card, it must of
caught him by surprise. In his eyes I was out
of place."
As a non-minority, it is probably hard to see
and relate with the issues in these, and
easier to simply pass them off as harmless
or unimportant. But over time small
moments like these grow and compound,
constantly feeding the feelings of
insecurity and of not belonging. This is why
diversity is important, both in the work
place and in life, because continued
exposure and interaction with people from
different backgrounds builds tolerance, and
educates.
Beyond the fact that diversity is just the
right thing to have, it also brings
perspective and depth to business
decisions, and can help solve problems that
might otherwise be overlooked, similar to
how someone with a disability will spot
accessibility issues. Beyond issue spotting,
it can also help to avoid unfortunate
problems, like those seen when iPhone’s
face unlock feature couldn’t differentiate
between two Chinese colleagues, or when
Google Photos mistakenly tagged two
black friends as gorillas.
While issues such as these can seem
humorous through the window of the
internet, they reveal a major flaw in the
world of technological development:
diversity. Case-in-point being a soap
dispenser developed by Technical
Concepts. Developed to use near-infrared
technology, the dispenser could detect
hand motions with its sensor. The dispenser
works by registering an invisible light being
reflected back from a person’s skin which
then triggers the soap to dispense.
Unfortunately, for people with darker skin
the machine didn’t work. This is because
darker skin - just like anything
dark-coloured - absorbs more light than it
reflects, meaning that not enough light was
returning to the dispenser. The end result is
that dark-skinned people were
unfortunately unable to wash their hands in
restrooms.
Diversity in the workforce can set the
example we all so very much need in
today's society, and can go a long way
towards further championing equality.
Examples like those above were certainly
not conceived out of malicious intent, but
they likely could have been avoided
altogether had the R&D team been more
diverse, and the solutions more universally
focused.
INC 16-22 BRAND EXPERIENCE DESIGN 
