A team meeting about diversity
Do the preparation task first. Then listen to the audio and do the exercises.
Preparation
Transcript
Nina: As you know, our team has grown a lot in the past year and we feel we need to address the diversity in the team.
Brenda: How do you mean, 'address the diversity'?
Nina: Well, we all know that diversity in teams is a good thing, but it can also be a challenge for some people to respect and value people's differences. We've got a really diverse team here – people of different nationalities, backgrounds, religions, ages … and sometimes I don't feel we make the most of this.
Stefano: Yes, and even if it isn't specifically challenging, many people are simply unaware of the isolation that some team members may feel because they are different.
Brenda: So, what does this mean? What are we going to do?
Nina: Well, we need to create a workplace charter. You know, one that promotes equality, diversity and inclusion.
Brenda: That sounds like a good idea. But will people just see it as something the management team has created? Maybe they won't even pay attention to it.
Nina: I know. That's why we're going to involve everyone in creating it.
Stefano: That's a good idea. We could run some workshops and get ideas from the employees about how we can create a more inclusive workplace.
Nina: Exactly. I was thinking that before that we could run some team-building sessions so they can experience the value of diversity for themselves.
Brenda: Yes, I like that. Many people see diversity as something negative, often because there are different opinions or ways of doing things.
Nina: Yes, I know, but if there's no diversity, then the risk is that we all work in the same way, think the same and see the world the same. This makes it hard to be creative and to innovate.
Stefano: I completely agree, Nina. OK. So, what do you want us to do?
Nina: Stefano, can you look for a successful trainer who specialises in running workshops and team-building sessions on diversity and inclusion?
Stefano: Sure. I'll be happy to.
Nina: And Brenda, can you find a fun venue? Somewhere that is quite diverse itself. Something that's not the usual seminar-style environment?
Brenda: Sure. That'll be fun.
Nina: And I'm going to do some further research into how other organisations are benefiting from their diversity. I can share this with the whole team.
My workplace is diverse, I work with people who live in Uruguay, Colombia and Costa Rica. Sometimes it's difficult because some cultures are different and particular about the words they use. For example in Colombia you can say "Conchudo" but in Uruguay this word is offensive. But I think diversity is the best way that you can choose, because you can think of different ways and open your mind, at the end of the day, that is the most important value, always think differently.
I live in a country where people come from all over the world. The best thing about this country is its diversity. I like learning about other traditions and cultures, and people here learn how to respect each other's differences.
The meeting was very important because they want to create a good atmosphere in their work space
I live in a diverse country, so my workplace is also very diverse. This is a great benefit for our team because each of us learns from different perspectives, shares and defends our opinions, and together we come up with better solutions.
I work alone... none of diversity in my workplace :'(
My workplace doesn't have a huge diversity. But I think diversity enriches the workplace by bringing different perpective and ideas.
It's not easy but It has good vocabulary 👏👏
In my opinion, I think even if the team has one group values and beliefs may be included different ideas and methods to solve issues. People are created with vary minds, we are not same. However, diversity in workplace is something positive not negative even if there are some challenges. Therefore, working within individuals are from other societies or younger or older that can be worth for the productivity.
Well in my workplace, we don't have a huge variety of nationalities but we have many Peruvians who come from different areas in the country, for example, we have a lot of people who live in Lima, but also we have people who come from different regions, such as, Piura, Arequipa and others. Regarding Lima, it has several districts and in our company, we have people living in wealthy disctrics. And on the other hand, we have people from middle-income backgrounds. I'm referring to their socioeconomic status. However, everyone gets on well with each other and I've never seen any act of racism or discrimination in the company. Most of the people are really nice and care about what happens to us. Diversity benefits our team because we have different opinions on a matter, we can discuss and learn about various issues happening in the country.
In my workplace, we also have diversity. People have different backgrounds, ages and levels of knowledge. Although we are different in many ways, we always respect each other and value those differences.
I think a diverse workplace is a good thing. It helps us generate more ideas for our projects and makes us more creative and innovative.