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From left: LGBT Advocate and UN Gender Advocate, Donnya Piggott; Minister of Labour and Social Partnership Relations, the Hon. Colin Jordan; and Social Development and Disability Consultant, Eudalie Wickham-Ashby, participating in the Human Resource Management Association of Barbados Inc. Panel Discussion ‘Different: The New Normal’.

BUSINESS MONDAY: Inclusion good for business

Diversity and inclusion always make good business sense.

So says LGBT Advocate and UN Gender Advocate, Donnya Piggott, who was at the time contributing to the Human Resource Management Association of Barbados Inc. (HRMAB) Panel Discussion “Different: The New Normal”.

“As an employer you want to cast the widest net; you want people to know that you want everybody to apply so you can find top talent,” she said, recommending Equal Opportunity Policies on applications for employment – treating each applicant on the basis of merit and experience without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or perceived physical limitations.

“I think it is extremely important. LGBT people when they see that they feel a slight comfort, although because of the situation in Barbados we don’t often disclose, we don’t necessarily go to an interview and declare I am gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. But, as a person who has been on the other end, it is really important you do that as employers because it makes people feel comfortable.

“Also, there is one thing to do policy, but there is another thing to have the training so that people know how to approach the situation to make people feel comfortable within – with religion, race, etc.… it is important to feel included,” she stressed.

In fact, Piggott is of the opinion that Barbados is “at a bit of a crossroads” where there is a push for progression and then there is a push to remain.

She explained, “You have millennials and you have people that are a little older than millennials just wanting two different things for Barbados right now. But, to grow you need to change... And I think that if we really begin to develop, if we are going to really take Barbados forward, we have to include everybody.”

Social Development and Disability Consultant, Eudalie Wickham-Ashby, recalled that the last population census, almost 10 years ago, revealed there were close to 14 000 persons with disabilities in Barbados. She said that since then, there would have been vehicular accidents, gun violence, domestic violence, accidents within the home, school and even workplace that would have resulted in some person acquiring a disability.

“Unfortunately, what happens to a lot of persons who are employed and acquire a disability, especially those who acquire vision impairment, [they] are often sent home… Along with that, there are a number of individuals who would have been born with disabilities or acquire disabilities while in primary or secondary school or college – that in itself then presents some difficulty for many of those individuals in finding gainful full-time employment. So, as a result, we have a large percentage of persons with disabilities being unemployed or under-employed,” she pointed out.

Wickham-Ashby therefore told the gathering at the Sagicor Cave Hill School of Business that many key stakeholders have a powerful role to play in educating one another – HRMAB in educating HR practitioners as the employers, fellow employees as well as the disabled community and Government can help in the process of educating one another, so as to create an inclusive environment.

“Building that environment where people feel included – would not feel that heavy weight of feeling stigmatised, ostracised and discriminated against,” she stressed.

“And at the same time, treat each other as a human being and that would help to really build a better society for us. Because one of the things that happens when people are unemployed is a lot of social ills. When people are discriminated and hard done by in the workplace, and are forced out of employment because they have acquired a disability, then again many social ills can come out of that for the individual as well as the society.”

Wickham-Ashby further expressed, “We really need to pay more attention to how do we build a better society through employment, through the reduction of discrimination, through the reduction of stigma attached to individuals because of their differences.”

Minister of Labour and Social Partnership Relations, Colin Jordan, shared with the HR professionals, “The matter of treating people as human beings transcends finance, transcends economics, transcends workforces – it is a matter of how human beings treat to other human beings.”

“We have to get to the point and learn to treat to each other as fellow human beings who just need an opportunity to lead fulfilled lives, to contribute to themselves, their improvement, to contribute to their families, community and ultimately to their country,” he added. (TL)

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