Composer detected issues in your platform: Your Composer dependencies require a PHP version ">= 8.1.0". {"id":827,"date":"2023-09-18T10:34:00","date_gmt":"2023-10-30T09:38:40","guid":{"rendered":"urn:uuid:b50f493f-0e43-4027-a8fd-2d55a2677b00"},"modified":"2023-10-30T10:38:35","modified_gmt":"2023-10-30T09:38:35","slug":"where-are-you-from-an-innocent-question-at-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.diversity-inclusion-platform.ch\/en\/where-are-you-from-an-innocent-question-at-work\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cWhere are you from?\u201d \u2013 An innocent question at work?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As the business world becomes more globalised, racism and ethnic discrimination remain challenging for society. The challenge arises because of employees' biases about others, especially those who appear \u201cforeign\u201d to them. Though the biases behind the \u201cWhere are you from?\u201d are applicable in many countries, we will use Switzerland as a case to show how to transform exclusionary questions into inclusionary ones. In doing so, talents from diverse backgrounds can feel more welcome in the workplace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhere are you from?\u201d, \u201cNo, where are you really from?\u201d, \u201cWhere are your parents from?\u201d, \u201cWhat are your origins?\u201d, \u201cYou\u2019re really from Switzerland<\/strong>?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

While these questions seem pretty innocuous, they often carry an underlying tone that denotes discrimination on the part of the inquisitor. The person asking these questions often does so from a position of privilege and\/or from the majority group. Even in multinational corporations, where employee populations may be quite diverse, these questions can generate discomfort among teams. Though some people ask out of genuine care, others ask solely to sate their curiosity. They create an \u201cothering\u201d of people and, in the business environment, can alienate and ostracise employees, harming cooperation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

Why is it essential to discuss such questions in the context of antiracism in business, especially in a country like Switzerland? Highlighting these questions opens the door to uncovering deeper discriminatory issues that need to be eliminated in the workplace. According to the Swiss Federal Statistical Office<\/a>, 54% of the reported discrimination cases occurred specifically in the workplace, with nationality being the primary reason stated by victims as the reason for discrimination. Even employees who carry a Swiss passport may still be perceived as \u201cforeign\u201d and not respected because of their appearance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

As an American working with leaders here, there are times when executives say to me, \u201cBut Christian, Switzerland is not as bad as the U.S. We don\u2019t have Black people getting killed here.\u201d That statement is not valid, and the United Nations acknowledges such. Though when I bring up cases such as Roger Nzoy Wilhelm or Mike Ben Peter, leaders can be skeptical because they see those as too far removed from their workplace. However, if I discuss the question, \u201cWhere are you from?\u201d the topic of racism begins to resonate, often because leaders have asked that question to employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

That question can be considered a microaggression, gaslighting, or both. Once leaders I work with understand the detrimental impact that such forms of microaggressions and gaslighting can have on employees (i.e., health issues), we discuss a tangible solution they can implement in the workplace. Rather than ask questions of employees in an exclusionary way (based on unconscious biases), ask in an inclusionary way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

Inclusionary Questioning<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

An inclusive type of questioning assumes that a person is part of the in-group (geographically in this context) rather than already placing them as an outsider. This line of questioning respects responses as valid because the individual responding is a unique human being who deserves respect. Instead of assuming someone is from a region or place outside of Switzerland, rephrase the question so that people can state where they are from without biases. Their reaction to this question allows for a deeper conversation and a connection among team members. As a leader, how can you transform this question into more inclusionary?<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n