The human right to Be so that we can Do
Nine square pieces from the game Scrabble spelling out the phrase "who are you?" Credit: Brett Jordan / Unsplash
My given name is Harjot. It is a Punjabi Sikh name meaning Divine Light. I am the daughter of immigrants with ancestral warrior blood coursing through my veins. I was raised in the Sikh faith, my pronouns are she/her, I have brown skin, I am a woman, I have privilege in the means of my socio-economic status, and I am a mom. My intersectionality helps to shape my identity and workplace systems either exist or need to be dismantled and rebuilt in order for equity to be experienced.
Identity and equity are not mutually exclusive. They are two closely related concepts belonging to the intricate tapestry of larger concepts including inclusion, social justice, labour law and human rights. It is in workplaces where all of these concepts exist, and it is when weaved into the DNA of an organization that employees are “human-being” so that they can be “human-doing.” The phrase, “I’m a human-being, not a human-doing,” is attributed to at least two writers: Kurt Vonnegut Jr (1922-2007) and Wayne W. Dyer (1940-2015). I’ve seen in my social media feeds the sentiments of “being” and “doing” relating to individuality and team dynamics at work. As well, in my coaching practice via the Co-active Institute I often talk about ‘our way of being’ and how it influences ‘our way of doing’.
I think it’s interesting to view identity as “being” and equity as “doing” especially when we look at them in the context of our workplaces. How can organizations who are trying to do right by their employees ensure identity is truly respected while acting equitably?
Understanding the relationship between equity and identity
America Ferrera in her Ted Talk “my identity is my superpower – not an obstacle” intimately shares her experience of being a Lainta American woman in Hollywood. I had seen this talk when it first aired in 2019. Since then it has been viewed 3,299,244 times! As I watched it again and fought back my tears, I thought about my own identity and what the actual concept means.
Growing up on the unceded land of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) nations, now known as Vancouver, I can’t say I saw my identity as my superpower. If anything it was a confusing mish-mash of “being” and “doing” Punjabi and Canadian. The colour of my skin, my salwar-chemise and lengha outfits, speaking Punjabi, eating Punjabi food, going to the gurdwara, speaking English, wearing jeans and sweatshirts, eating burgers, hanging out at the mall were all part of my identity.
There are lots of facets to identity – it’s complex. I see it as the various ‘slices’ or a mosaic of how each of us sees ourselves. Ultimately, identity has multiple dimensions, including race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, and socio-economic status. It’s also how we ‘show-up’, that is, how we dress, how we talk, how we celebrate, our needs, our values, and even how we describe our personality. For example, using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator I’m an “INTJ” which means among other things, that I like implementing my ideas and I’m quick to see patterns.
Equity is the idea that everyone should have equal access to opportunities, resources, and privileges. Equity recognizes that individuals and groups face different levels of systemic barriers, and seeks to address these disparities through targeted interventions and policies. I quite like Bakau Consulting‘s description of equity, listed in their mandate as “the redistribution of power and resources … a process [they] see as crucial to fair and just workplaces.”
The goal of equity is to create a level playing field where everyone has the opportunity to reach their full potential – this includes at work. I often hear that equity is a right “regardless” of identity. It’s definitely a right but not “regardless” of identity, if anything like equity, choosing and living your identity is a right. Industries and workplaces may have been built by and for white men but as the ‘world of work’ becomes more diverse recognizing how equity and identity play a role in equality for all is as essential.
Achieving equity while respecting identity
Achieving equity is not an easy feat and in order to do so we have to let go of white supremacy and gender paradigms related to identity. Alok Vaid-Menon speaks to the element of gender identity in a Washington Post article by Neeti Upadhye, sharing how these paradigms are “[dividing] billions of complex souls” into categories and in doing so “it hurts everyone, because it makes us recognize people for what they should be, and not what they actually are”. As well, it is important to recognize and address the systemic barriers that prevent certain individuals and groups from accessing opportunities and resources.
One of the challenges of identity is that it can be used to discriminate against individuals or groups who “do not fit” into the dominant norms or values of any given community. For example, people who identify as LGBTQIA2S+ face discrimination and prejudice because their gender identity is not accepted by members of society including those with political power. Inspiring and visionary Alok Vaid-Menon, the internationally acclaimed poet, comedian, and public speaker – who by the way has 1.2 million followers on Instagram, is encouraging others to understand the fluidity of gender identity. Similarly, individuals from minority racial or ethnic groups face racism based on their skin color. I recall in elementary school an incident when I fell down while playing and a white boy said to me, “Good thing your skin is brown, it blends in with the dirt.”
Achieving equity requires a deep understanding of how identity intersects with systems of power and privilege, and how these systems perpetuate inequality and injustice. For example, a dedicated hours or days in the office “hybrid-workplace” policy may not be equitable for those employees who identify as being parents or for those employees who are at a lower pay-grade than others. Parent-employees may be looking to be as present as possible for their children while those with lower pay-grades are looking to save on transit costs. To ensure equity, it may be necessary to provide additional funding or alternatives to work schedules to these employees to level the playing field – for them to reach their full potential.
Achieving equity while respecting identity requires structural and cultural changes, that is changes to policies and changes to how we behave. This requires each of us to have not such empathy and compassion for others but for ourselves. It requires letting go of judgment of others.
The Killers, one of my favorite bands, in their song ‘Human’ ask, “Are we human, or are we dancer?” The lead singer Brandon Flowers explained the inspiration being drawn from a journalist who expressed a sentiment around taking risks. Brandon’s line actually drew controversy because of the supposed grammatical error. Regardless, I find all of this ironic. Music is art, our identity is art, something we can create using a myriad of techniques and mediums. It is open to interpretation and it is meant to provoke thought and elicit self-reflection.
I have interpreted this fabulous line to mean, we are all human and we all have the right to ‘dance’ freely and openly. As well, being human means evolution and transformation. The idea of status-quo simply needs to go when it comes to equity and identity in our workplaces. Music is self-expression just like our identity is – no one has the right to tell anyone what they are or aren’t.
Ultimately, for equity and identity to flourish folks need to let go of self-righteousness and embrace humbleness for we are all ‘human’ deserving of the right to be (identity) so that we can do (equity).
