Wear It Purple - Building an Inclusive Workplace
Remi Marcelin • August 29, 2019
In 2010 in the US, an 18-year old took his life after being 'outed' as gay by one of his friends. Reports later showed that he wasn’t the only one and many young rainbows were in the same situation.
"This needs to be a wake-up call to everyone: teenage bullying and teasing is an epidemic... and the death rate is climbing" – Ellen Degeneres
The same year, in response, Wear it Purple was founded to fight bullying and harassment amongst teenagers and young adults. It strives to foster safe, supportive, empowering, and inclusive environments. They are committed to respect diversity, social equality, and contribute to a world without prejudice. Wear it Purple have developed into an international movement, through schools, universities, the broader community and…
The workplace
Bullying is not just a teenaged thing, and harassment happens at work every day. Beyond the rainbow flag, our differences can make us stronger only if we let them shine through.
- Be tolerant. We are all different in many ways, this is what makes us more creative and smarter. 1 + 1 equals much more than two, if, and only if, employees feel safe and empowered.
- Raise your voice. If you hear someone mocking a co-worker, don’t let this escalate further. It’s not always easy to stand up for what you believe in, but public bullying and harassment shouldn’t be allowed in any workplace.
- Be kind. A simple comment from you can mean a whole lot to someone else. And it can hurt. Think twice before speaking and remember that you don’t always know the full story. We don’t know what our fellow colleagues are going through, even those we’re closest to.
- Are you OK? Dare to ask. Your colleagues are the people you spend 40 hours a week with, and a small act of kindness from you could mean the world to them.
By building an inclusive workplace and making sure you hire not only for culture fit, but people that think the way you don’t, your company will become more successful.
Hire different. Be proud of who you are.
“If you hire only those people you understand, the company will never get people better than you are” – Soichiro Honda
You can donate to the Wear It Purple cause: https://www.wearitpurple.org/our-story
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