The challenge of creating a workplace that is truly and wholly inclusive is as daunting as it sounds. It feels like a constant uphill climb where each time you think you’re one step closer, you learn that the hill is a lot steeper and the peak is a lot further away than you anticipated. Recently, we came across a concept that we hope will guide us along the path.

We know there is no right or wrong way of doing things, as long as you are doing your best. But as we carried out more research and held deeper conversations, we realised there was much more we wanted to do. 

We have decided to change direction a little and take a specific approach – one that will, hopefully, get to the core of diversity and inclusion and give us a clear path ahead. 

The important role of intersectionality in diversity and inclusion initiatives

Intersectionality is a way of thinking that recognises that people’s lives are shaped by their identities, relationships and social factors. These combine to create intersecting forms of privilege and oppression depending on a person’s context as well as existing power structures, such as patriarchy, ableism, colonialism, imperialism, homophobia and racism.

It’s such an important consideration when dealing with diversity and inclusion in the workplace because it acknowledges that identity markers (such as being ‘female’ and ‘Asian’) are not independent of one another. It identifies systemic obstacles and helps explain how personal experiences vary, including among people within already marginalised or underrepresented communities.

The feminist movement, for example, is a social movement meant to empower ALL women; however, it is often criticised for not always addressing intersectionality and acknowledging that Black women, for instance, face different challenges than White women. 

In the workplace, when you create an initiative for women, does it also support disabled women? How is it addressing the specific issues that BAME women face? Or women over the age of 50?

Without considering intersectionality, you end up practicing sequential inclusion, where you focus on putting policies and processes in place to support one characteristic at a time. The problem with this, although still better than doing nothing at all, is that it leaves people behind. 

Have we found a roadmap for progress? 

Our research on intersectionality in the workplace led us to a major discovery – the Canary Code. This framework, created by Dr Ludmila Praslova, acts like a playbook for organisations that want to design inclusive workplaces where people from all walks of life can thrive. 

Dr Praslova has used neurodiversity as the foundation on which to build six principles, known as the Canary Code. In her article for Harvard Business Review: An Intersectional Approach to Inclusion at Work, she explains, “Before there were electronic carbon monoxide detectors, canaries were used to detect the deadly gas in coal mines. Toxic gases impact the canary first, but all others are harmed eventually. And healthy air benefits all.” 

Using her own experiences as a neurodivergent woman, and following research that revealed 30-40% of neurodivergent people and 85% of autistic college graduates struggle with unemployment, Dr Praslova recognised that neurodiversity is a vulnerable characteristic that is suffering greatly from a lack of inclusivity in workplaces. By creating six simple principles that address the obstacles those within this group face, workplaces can become truly inclusive. 

A snapshot of the Canary Code

1. Include individual employees in the work-design process
2. Focus on outcomes instead of “professional appearance,” presenteeism, or work style
3. Remove arbitrary time, place, and work-style barriers to support the employment of those who need flexibility
4. Promote justice in the workplace with fair outcomes and procedures, as well as interpersonal treatment, dignity, and providing sufficient information to employees
5. Be transparent and communicate clearly
6. Use valid and unbiased tools for decision-making

How we are using these principles within Life Size

We recently created a survey for the Life Size team to assess where we are already delivering the Canary Code well and where we want to improve.

Each question specifically addressed one of the six principles. For instance, we asked: “Do you understand the process in place for company decision-making, such as adding a new policy, getting a promotion or hiring?” to determine whether our workplace is transparent and communicates clearly (in line with the fifth principle).

We were proud to discover that the team had scored Life Size high across almost all the questions, especially those relating to flexibility, transparency and justice. 

The two or three questions with slightly lower scores or specific feedback highlighted areas of improvement. One Life Sizer noted that a menstruation policy could be valuable, so we will work on creating one in the coming weeks. Another member of the team felt that we don’t talk about work styles so it’s hard to decipher whether or not we accommodate them all. As a result, we will have a team discussion to better understand and identify one another’s work styles. 

This is only the beginning of our work on intersectionality and applying the Canary Code at Life Size. But now that we have these principles to work with – or at least try and see if they work – it feels like we have been handed a map after aimlessly wandering across rocky terrain for the last few months. 

Drop us an email or connect on LinkedIn to let us know if you’re familiar with the Canary Code and how it is used in your workplace!