Workplace wellbeing: ‘If we’re changing who we are to fit in, then we’re not bringing our very best ideas to the table’

How do we create work spaces that value diversity and promote equality? What strategies are successful? And what are the benefits to both employers and employees?

In the sixth episode of Irish Tatler’s new sustainable lifestyle podcast Consciously Craving, sustainability strategist Pat Kane (@iampatkane) is joined by inclusion and diversity lead and a managing director at Accenture, Michelle Cullen, to discuss everything there is to know about building more equitable, diverse work environments.

Cullen, whose tenure as a managing director at Accenture spans over 20 years, starts the discussion by breaking down each of the key terms – diversity, equality, and inclusion – and explains the differences between, and barriers to, achieving each in the workplace.

When it comes to inclusion, for instance, Cullen likens it to the feeling of belonging. “Our research on belonging confirms something we all know on an instinctive level: being excluded hurts.

“We have such an innate need to feel at one with a group, that we might change who we are or dilute characteristics that are unique about us in order to feel accepted. This carries a high emotional tax – both for the person feeling excluded and for the organisation, particularly when it comes to innovation. If we’re changing who we are to fit in, then we’re not bringing our very best ideas to the table.”

The pair discuss equality under the lens of recent resignations of female world leaders (Jacinda Ardern “no longer had enough in the tank”), and Cullen explains what that might look like in an Irish context.

“For International Women’s Day this year we did research on the Irish workforce, and found that 87 per cent of women said that they are feeling more burnt out since the pandemic. And what’s really worrying is that many of them are concealing that in case it hurts their career.

“Almost half of the women in the survey said they were considering downshifting or leaving the workforce altogether, and almost a third of men felt the same. We've made extraordinary progress on policies around this, but we have to ask if the culture has kept up with those policies?”

To listen to the full conversation and hear more about the strategies workplaces can implement, alongside the benefits, listen to the episode below now.

Consciously Craving is an eight-episode podcast hosted by sustainability strategist Pat Kane. With a new episode launching every week, find episodes one to six now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.