Diversity

 

Diversity takes many forms. Beyond race, ethnicity and religion, Sexuality and disability. There are hidden disabilities as neuro divergent and there is culture. When I first started work from university, it was assumed that I was able to drive and had a car. It was an assumed that I knew what a holiday was. It was assumed that I expect to take a week off at Christmas. It was assumed that I expect not to work weekends. 

If these assumptions are to be made about employees, I have a freshly recruited or ongoing or at interview, Then they need to be stated explicitly rather than assumptions made. For example, my manager got very difficult with me for not being able to tell him what my holiday dates were. But I didn’t understand the concept of holidays having never had one. He could’ve told me that the company gives people time off that people sometimes book somewhere else to go other than their home during that time off and that he’s expecting I would like to do the same. What dates would I like to do those things on? 

The same employer Gave me a role in a remote location. I’ve never previously encountered locations that couldn’t seem to be reached by train or bus. And they did not warn me that this place was not reachable by public transport. I was booked on to a training course for which there were no trains and this is where I discovered that living in a remote area means there were also no taxis.