The business world (and beyond) is evolving at an exponential rate. The sheer amount of new technologies spearheading this evolution is both amazing and substantial. This, coupled with relatively open-trade across borders requires a more diverse workforce than, perhaps, the one we are traditionally used to. Today, even companies branded as thoroughbred local are starting to look and recruit people from overseas. This is evident everywhere, including the richly diverse population that is by now found even in the little villages across the island. Now, we just need to stop calling people foreigners.

What is identity politics?

In a broader sense, identity politics is the idea that we group people by one single aspect of their diverse life and define their entire being by that single aspect. One way we do this is by referring to anyone who wasn’t physically born here as a foreigner – a person not belonging to a particular place or group; a stranger or outsider. We even have to gall to refer to the practice of mass-hiring non-nationals as importing people. Importing!!

Now, one might argue that this is just semantics, but I will counter-argue that it is in fact quite the opposite. Language is how we communicate and how we communicate is how we form ideas, ideologies, and principles – the building blocks of how we ultimately live our life.

As the need for a more diverse workforce continues to grow with the introduction of, for example, blockchain, we are sub-setting a substantial (and much needed) part of the workforce to a set of people that do not belong. The worst part is that we have infused it so hard into our lexicon, that it has become an accepted terminology everywhere.

Each person in one’s workforce is a sovereign being, capable of thoughts, love, passion, great work, and a million other things; and they need to be treated as such. Is where you are born more important that who you are and who you can become? By referring to people as foreigners, we are alienating them, limiting their contributions, telling them that no matter how hard they work, they will always remain outsiders.

See the bigger picture

The world is indeed big and the universe is an unimaginable number of multitudes bigger. If you are so bent at protecting a tiny portion of one big whole instead of truly understanding the bigger picture, if you are more concerned about what you can lose instead of what you stand to gain, if you think you can withhold progress for some broken ideology, then I'm afraid you will not be in business much longer.

Countries are built on migration of individuals – humanity didn’t simultaneously start everywhere. In one shape or another we are all the sons and daughters of travellers and we continue to travel, always trying to get to somewhere better – whether its by work to buy a house, or by boat to survive we do not stop and that should be what unites us all and not divides us.

Promoting your organisation as inclusive, has to go beyond mere words. Here are 3 things to get you started towards a more ethical and inclusive path;

Stop calling people foreigners

Everyone is making a contribution to the organisation’s goals, the economy, and each other. Treat people as individuals regardless of their sexual orientation, place of birth, whom they pray to, skin melanin.

Increase travel opportunities

The amount of opportunities and aid to do business across the world is more abundant than ever. Extend travelling opportunities to as many employees as possible so that everyone realises the world does not end at our shores/borders.

Book Fridays

It has become common practice to offer free food and beer to employees. Physical nourishment is important but so is intellectual nourishment. Employees will eat anyway whether you feed them or not but not everyone will read. Give free books instead of fruit – your ROI will be much higher anyway.

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