“SHE’S from a Top 4 school, I’m sure she’s smart.” “We will need to train this group on the new software, they’re all ‘young once.’” We’ve heard variations of these statements at work or from our family and friends, blurted out in jest or frustration; maybe we’ve even said or thought them ourselves. We’ve heard variations of these statements at work or from our family and friends, blurted out in jest or frustration; maybe we’ve even said or thought them ourselves.

At First Philippine Holdings Corporation’s latest Wellness Wednesday webinar, “Words Matter: Building Inclusion Through Communication,” participants examined their spoken and written language in the workplace, learning how to identify and eliminate subtle biases in the way they approach colleagues. The goal: drive a shift to inclusive communication and create a psychologically safe space for all.

Leading the afternoon’s discussion was Karen Marie Espiritu, consultant at Makatibased Next Step Training and Consulting Inc., backstopped by Marose Tan and Karen Lino.

Embedding inclusion

According to Espiritu, a 2018 Deloitte study of 50 companies found that organizations with inclusive cultures are twice as likely to meet or exceed financial targets, six times more likely to be innovative and agile, and eight times more likely to achieve better business outcomes. Companies that have embedded inclusion into their culture include Accenture, Unilever, Google and Grab.

Why is inclusive communication important? As well as promoting psychological safety, it reduces biases that can give rise to a divisive workplace, improves collaboration especially among different generations, results in better problem-solving, and boosts engagement.

“The way we speak is an expression of our mindset… The words that we say are just an overflow of what is in our minds and our hearts,” Espiritu pointed out in response to a question on the need to adjust one’s language.

She presented seven unconscious or implicit biases commonly encountered in the workplace: halo/horn bias (judging a person based on first impressions or a single trait, action, event or behavior, disregarding subsequent actions), affinity bias (preference for someone with similar traits or backgrounds), age bias (judging someone based on their age), gender bias (judging someone based on their gender), confirmation bias (only retaining information that aligns with or reinforces one’s personal beliefs), expectation bias (expecting someone to behave in a certain way because of their characteristics) and beauty bias (also known as pretty privilege, favoring or looking up to someone because of their physical attributes).

‘RESPECT’

Asked to assess themselves, the participants picked halo/ horn bias, affinity bias and expectation bias as their top predispositions.

In another short exercise, they were tasked with rejiggering exclusionary statements into ones using inclusive language: “You don’t look gay; you seem pretty normal,” prompted by gender bias, can become “I appreciate you sharing that with me. How can I support you and ensure you feel comfortable here?”

You want to be able to focus more on the person’s needs and experiences without making assumptions about their identity, Espiritu explained.

Instead of saying, “Mother ‘yan, hindi ‘yan pwede sa special projects kasi nag-aalaga ng bata,” reframe your mindset to “Let’s consider how we can involve her in special projects while being mindful of her current responsibilities,” the NextStep consultant advised.

Marose Tan unveiled a set of behaviors, encapsulated in “RESPECT,” that employees can apply in their journey toward inclusive communication:recognize bias (be aware of unconscious biases in communication), engage with empathy (the foundation of inclusion is empathy, which is being able to put yourself in someone’s shoes before reacting; understand what the other person is feeling), speak clearly and neutrally (avoid exclusionary words and use gender-neutral language), personalize instead of generalize (treat people as individuals, not stereotypes), encourage open dialogue (foster a safe environment for communication), consider context and tone (ensure that words, tone and body language align), and take accountability and learn (if you make a mistake, acknowledge it and improve).

Project Aristotle

“We recognize it’s not about sitting in an hour-and-a-half webinar or conversation, reading articles and then the next day you get it right… If a colleague is brave enough to tell you di ako natawa dun sa joke mo, let’s acknowledge it, appreciate the person for being brave enough to give you that feedback. Pledge to do better next time,” Tan said.

In the latter part of the discussion, Espiritu cited Google’s Project Aristotle, which studied 180 teams within the tech company from 2012 to 2014 to discover the “secret sauce” for successful teams. The No. 1 factor? Psychological safety, or the belief that one can speak up at work without being humiliated.

Espiritu enumerated the four stages of psychological safety as inclusion safely (employees feel they belong), learner safety (they can ask questions, make mistakes and not be punished for it), contributor safety (they can share their opinions and ideas) and challenger safety (they can disagree/challenge the status quo).

In closing, Espiritu reminded the participants of the update on the Golden Rule (“Treat others the way you want to be treated”) known as the Platinum Rule.

“…Treat others the way they want to be treated, and that is what we are able to foster when we use inclusive language,” she stressed.

The Platinum Rule encourages empathy and respect for individual preferences; however, it should be used with mindfulness to avoid assumptions or misuse. Open communication is key to making it truly inclusive.

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