Diversity myths, pt. 2: Inclusive work culture is for everyone
- Luka Özyürek
- Apr 16
- 5 min read
In a workshop we gave the other day, the topic of “the business case for diversity” came up, as it often does. In other words: What do companies actually gain by investing time and money in initiatives to promote greater diversity and inclusion? Don’t we all have bigger worries right now? This reminded me once again of how many misconceptions still circulate about what diversity in the workplace actually involves—and what it means for companies to address it. That’s why today we’re debunking even more diversity myths that we at IN-VISIBLE encounter time and again.
Mythos No. 1: It's the others that are diverse
If you’ve ever wanted to organize an event on diversity issues—or perhaps just brought up the topic with your managers or colleagues—you’ve surely experienced the following phenomenon: Those who are already well-versed in the subject are interested and show up, while those who actually need to learn more stay home. The explanation is usually something like, “What am I supposed to do at a workshop on gender equality? That only affects women,” or “We’ve got people from 20 different countries in this company and work well together—why should we talk about discrimination?”
Sometimes this is genuinely well-intentioned; someone doesn’t want to intrude on a discussion where other voices might be more important—for example, a man (supposedly) taking up space when the topic is actually about women. More often, however, it’s unfortunately a matter of indifference. “This doesn’t affect me; I don’t notice any problems, so I don’t need to deal with it.”
What is often overlooked, however, is that diversity concerns us all. For one thing, the vast majority of identity markers are not fixed. Many people will have children at some point, and this can represent a major turning point in their professional lives. Sexual and gender identities can shift, religious affiliations can change, and over 90% of severe disabilities are not present from birth1. Even if everything else remains the same, none of us can escape aging—and will face age discrimination at some point, if we haven’t already faced it in our youths. So, being privileged today and not having to care about diversity does not mean that things will always stay that way.
On the other hand, many people aren’t aware of just how broad the concept of “diversity” actually is. The first things that come to mind are usually gender (meaning, let’s be honest, women), race or ethnicity, disability, and perhaps sexual identity. Those who fit the norm in these areas—that is, who are male, white, heterosexual, and not disabled—don’t feel like it has anything to do with them. But diversity goes so much further than that. For example, characteristics such as accents or dialects, whether you’re from western or eastern Germany, your social background (do I come from a family of academics or working-class people?), or beauty standards can have a decisive influence on your career.
That said, discrimination and a lack of inclusion naturally have an impact on the workplace that extends beyond the personal level. Even if you haven’t experienced discrimination yourself and don’t see any problems, it’s quite possible that your colleagues feel differently. In the long run, this negatively affects your collaboration, leads to poorer results, underlying conflicts, and, in the worst case, eventually raises the question, “How did it come to this?”
In short: There’s a very high probability that you are “diverse” in some way or will become so at some point. And even if not: Diversity affects everyone in the workplace.
Mythos Nr. 2: Sexuality does not belong in the workplace
Admittedly, I haven’t heard this one expressed so explicitly in a while, but the underlying sentiment still comes up frequently: Why should we concern ourselves with sexual identity? Why should we fly the rainbow flag or start a queer network? Sex has no place in the workplace. Or: Everyone can be whoever they want, but I don’t want to know anything about my colleagues’ sex lives.
The latter is, of course, perfectly legitimate, but all these statements reflect the same anti-queer and, unfortunately, common misconception that anything that isn’t heterosexual is automatically sexualized. When you put it that way, the fallacy becomes apparent, because heterosexuality has just as much—or as little—to do with sex as, say, homosexuality or bisexuality. So when it comes to sexual identity in the workplace, it’s not about explicitly talking about what you do in bed (or elsewhere), but about the many important moments in life where it matters who you love.
For heterosexual people, it’s usually a given to talk about their partners, have a photo on their desk, or perhaps casually mention celebrities they find attractive while chatting during a break. It’s just as much a given that they’re included in the conversation—for example, that a woman is asked about her husband, or that no one is surprised when a man casually mentions his girlfriend. Pay attention to how often, your love life becomes a topic of conversation in the workplace in one way or another—you’ll be surprised.
For those who aren’t heterosexual, these everyday moments can be difficult. They have to ask themselves: How much of myself do I reveal, and what are the consequences? In the worst-case scenario, colleagues or clients might treat you with suspicion after you come out; you might even jeopardize your career prospects, especially in fields that are male-dominated or conservative. But even if it doesn’t get that dramatic, from that point on you’re often “the gay colleague” or “the lesbian colleague,” with all the stereotypes that entails. Constantly having to be the spokesperson for your identity, having to represent the community positively, and dealing with microaggressions—it becomes exhausting over time and drains energy that could be put to better use elsewhere. And that is exactly why the topic of sexual identity belongs in the workplace: so that everyone can focus on their work instead of playing hide-and-seek.
Mythos Nr. 3: An inclusive work culture means investing a lot of time and money.
When it comes to convincing decision-makers of the value of diversity initiatives, people often ask for the “business case”: How does investing time and money in diversity make us more profitable? Is the result even worth the effort? It’s an understandable question—and unfortunately one that isn’t so easy to answer. Unlike, say, an advertising campaign or a new machine, the impact of diversity initiatives on a company’s success isn’t easily measured—because they often have an indirect, long-term effect that depends on the interplay of various factors.
What if we turned the question around? Instead of wondering what a huge investment of time and money can achieve, we could also ask ourselves: What do we actually need to make our company more inclusive? If you take a closer look, you’ll find that it doesn’t have to be as expensive or time-consuming as many assume—and also that it builds on structures that are typically already in place in a successful company, or should be. Corporate values, a code of conduct, effective feedback processes, trusting and open communication, compliance processes… all of these contribute to an inclusive work culture. Because when everyone feels safe to share their needs and address mistakes, conflicts are resolved constructively, and shared values are structurally embedded, half the work on diversity is already done.
And what about the rest? Sure, in principle, there are no limits to the effort or budget required. But experience shows us time and again: In the long run, it’s far more effective to provide small, “casual” reminders on a regular basis than to hold one big event and then never do it again. From a few minutes of reflection during check-in, to relevant books in the team library, to informal lunch-and-learn sessions—when you embed inclusive collaboration into your daily work routine, the extra effort remains minimal while the impact is all the greater.
Do you want to turn diversity and an inclusive work culture from myth into reality in your company? We’re here to help—feel free to reach out to us!
