Listen to article here. What does it mean to have faith at work and what does this look like in today’s society? Over the Summer there […]
Photo: National Cancer Institute, Unsplash
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Here’s some rather depressing news that will have knock-on effects for years to come: fewer students at less affluent schools in the UK are studying foreign languages. Now, some people won’t think this matters, because, after all, as some people will say, “everyone in the world speaks English” and “learning languages is less important than learning maths or IT”. But this couldn’t be more wrong. Studying languages is an equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) issue and it’s one that has an impact on workplaces, as well as on people’s brains, self-confidence and personal lives.
First of all, the news article tells us that fewer than half of the students in less affluent state schools study a language, and actually the news isn’t that much better at the more affluent state schools, where fewer than 70% of the pupils choose a language. In other words, on average, only about 50% of young people take a language in the UK to GCSE level, which means that their skills may not even be at a high enough level for them to feel confident going to that country and ordering a meal, never mind trying to conduct a business meeting in that tongue. And for the 50% who don’t study a language to even GCSE level, they won’t be able to communicate with people from other nations unless that’s in their own tongue. It seems a lot to ask for everyone else in the world to always have to use English to communicate.
Even among those who do study a language, the options taken in the UK are primarily French, Spanish and German. Those are all excellent, important languages, but they definitely aren’t the only ones in the world, and they quite possibly aren’t the most essential ones for the future. More than 7,000 languages are spoken in the world today and, interestingly, it’s thought that over 300 different languages are spoken in homes and communities in the UK, of course including Welsh, which is an official language in schools, the Senedd (parliament) and elsewhere in Wales. Currently, the most spoken languages in the world are Mandarin, English, Spanish, Hindi, and Arabic; as noted, only one of those is regularly studied in the UK (Spanish).
Sure, us English-speakers can probably get by with our English, but it shows a lack of respect if we travel or try to do business with people from other nations and can’t even have small talk with them in their language. Our communication options will be decreased and we might miss nuances in our discussions if we try to converse solely in English, which might be a second, third or even beyond language for the people we are talking to.
There are many benefits to speaking other languages. We’ve already mentioned how useful it can be in a business context, because it can improve cultural and practical understanding, prevent confusion or awkwardness, and it can impact interpersonal understanding. From a financial perspective, companies that wish to do business outside their own country’s borders can make a real impact and attract clients by having staff who speak the languages of other nations. As a customer, would you place more trust in an organisation that spoke your tongue or one that didn’t? Which one would you rather do business with and give money to?
Written by Dr B.J. Woodstein (Research Associate, PILAA)
To read the full article, you must be a PILAA Member.
Photo: National Cancer Institute, UnsplashListen to article here. Here’s some rather depressing news that will have knock-on effects for years to come: fewer students at less […]
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There comes a point for nearly everyone when we might get stuck in a rut, in either our professional or personal lives, or, even harder, both. Sometimes we need something to shake us out of that rut or to help us find a new path. That’s where the idea of Tiny Experiments comes in.
Anne-Laure Le Cunff is a neuroscientist, author and former high-level Google employee. Her latest book, Tiny Experiments, and her regular newsletter offer just the inspiration we might need. Her most recent article, entitled The Art of Seeing Things Differently, is worth exploring in more depth, but before that, let’s have a brief overview of Le Cunff’s work and ideas more generally.
Le Cunff runs Ness Labs, which she calls a “playground for curiosity”. The “Ness” comes not from, say, the Loch Ness monster but in fact from the suffix “ness”. Le Cunff references awareness, consciousness, and mindfulness, but we could add many others, including resourcefulness, happiness, healthfulness, kindness, and so on. Part of the concept behind Ness Labs is that we lose some of our natural curiosity and playfulness (another “ness” word!) as we get older, and this negatively affects how we feel about ourselves, our lives and our work. If we can attempt to view things in new and different ways and if we can try out new approaches, activities and ways of thinking and being, we might find ourselves feeling better and actually being more successful at work.
In Tiny Experiments, Le Cunff describes how she gave up her well paid, very respected job at the massive and influential corporation that is Google and wanted to bring back creativity into her life and to challenge herself. Her main idea is that people should make a small pact with themselves and to just show up for themselves, without causing additional stress. It’s a way to try out new activities without pressuring themselves to make it a permanent habit or part of their life. So someone decides, “I will do X for Y [days or weeks].” This could mean, “I will take a salsa class once a week for three months” or “I will meditate for ten minutes every morning before I get out of bed for eight weeks” or “I will spend one hour each Sunday afternoon researching other job options” or “I will invite a different colleague for coffee each month for a year so I can learn more about what other people in my company do”, or whatever else it might be. It’s pretty low-risk, unlike, say, a New Year’s resolution or a firm decision to “get in shape” or “find a new job” or “network more” and so on. People can then see how it goes. After the period has ended, they can either continue the activity, stop it, or change it in some way; Le Cunff refers to this as persist, pause, or pivot. For instance, a person might decide they liked salsa dancing and wanted to continue, or they might find they’d rather try tap lessons, or they might feel that dancing isn’t for them after all and they’d rather try knitting. That’s it. It’s simply a way to try new things.
Written by Dr B.J. Woodstein (Research Associate, PILAA)
To read the full article, you must be a PILAA Member.
Photo by vigor poodo on UnsplashListen to article here. There comes a point for nearly everyone when we might get stuck in a rut, in either […]
Listen to article here. Mr Loverman was the BAFTA award-winning TV series adaptation of the book by the same name, by acclaimed author, Booker Prize winner […]
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Mr Loverman was the BAFTA award-winning TV series adaptation of the book by the same name, by acclaimed author, Booker Prize winner and most recent awarded recipient of the Women’s Prize for Fiction, Bernadine Evaristo. In the series British actor Lennie James took home the award for Leading actor for his role as Barrington “Barry” Walker (James) and his co-star Ariyon Bakare, who played the role of Morris, won the award for supporting actor. Mr Loverman’s success, despite a strong lineup of contenders, highlights how important it is to show stories like these, that make visible the hidden experiences of topics we are often too afraid to speak about.
If you haven’t watched the series, then this is a spoiler alert. This particular story was not what I expected it to be, for how often do we hear a word like loverman and assume that the male protagonist on the show is actually a 74-year-old Black man of Antiguan heritage, living in London, married to his wife, has two grown up daughters, a teenage grandson, but who happens to be in a secret long-term relationship with his best friend and lover, known to the family as Uncle Morris.
The series showed the complex relationship the main protagonist had with living an authentic life, one free of the trappings of past histories, where being homosexual was frowned upon. Barry is in the closet and has been for all of his life, not only to those around him, but to him, himself. His smart dress, matching one-piece suit and Fedora hat, worn to precision, accompanied by a charming personality, only masks his true identity. Beautifully captured, this was a series deserving of its awards, especially where both actors, who are not known to be gay themselves, play the roles so well, that any argument that only gay men should be cast in such parts, goes out of the window. It was Evaristo herself who said in the Radio Times, of what is often seen as a contentious casting issue, that:
“From my position as the writer of the book, I want it to go to the person who can play the part, and it’s not important whether they’re homosexual or not.”
Indeed, Lennie James and Ariyon Bakare are the perfect choice, because of what they were able to convey on camera, which far exceeded their identities. They were able to capture the pain, denial, fear and vulnerability with coming to terms with one’s sexual orientation, the difficult and often emotional process of coming out, juxtaposed with the feeling of being trapped in the closet for much of your entire life.
The unravelling of Barry’s secret strikes the family, by unearthing complex familial relationship dynamics; failed interrelationships and unresolved grievances between husband and wife, father and daughter, within the context of varying intergenerational dialogues. Indeed, with the show fluctuating from past to present, through the memories of Barry re-telling his story and that of his wife Carmel, it is a stark reminder of how far things have changed in the inclusion of LGBTQ+ communities in society.
Written by Dr Ope Lori (Founder & CEO, PILAA)
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Last month Luke Humphries the world number one Darts player, came out stating on X that he would no longer share his feelings in public.
“Considering the comments and people not understanding what I meant, it will be the last time I ever confess my real feelings to the public.” Humphries statement which you could sense was born out of frustration and upset, came in response to him openly discussing the state of his mental health a day before on Sky Sports. In his interview he had been speaking about his work becoming a “chore”, despite winning in the second round of the International Darts Open, against fellow player Dirk van Duijvenbode. As a result, he needed a break to protect his mental wellbeing. His honest revelation was met with some backlash on social media, to the tune of him not being able to complain given how much he got paid.
Such a response towards Humphries takes us backwards in cultivating environments where it’s okay to speak out, especially post-pandemic where people were encouraged to open up regarding their mental health and wellbeing, and where men historically have been stigmatised for talking about their emotions. This conversation however is not just about men’s mental health, and nor is it about just Humphries and other sportspersons alike, however using his experience opens us up to a conversation around how organisations, or different workplace cultures can foster effective employee productivity, and why it matters.
In fact, it was Dr Linda Duffy, the chartered psychologist and former England darts captain said in support of Humphries opening up, that the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) and the Professional Darts Players Association’s (PDPA), must look after players, otherwise they will suffer from burnout, especially as the sport in this new era becomes more ambitious.
Delving deeper into Humphries statement, the main issue he seemed to be referring to, was around the increased number of matches that he had to play. As a result, playing had become monotonous:
“I’m playing too much.
I need to give something away, I need a break.
It’s no good for my mental state.”
His account sems to hint to the joy of work being removed from what he was doing, and this understanding had been lost, I believe, in translation. It was Mark Twain who famously said “find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”
Written by Dr Ope Lori
To read the full article, you must be a PILAA Member.
Listen to article here. Last month Luke Humphries the world number one Darts player, came out stating on X that he would no longer share his […]
“Increasing representation begins at the roots
– with children and young people – and is a process
that continues throughout education, applications
and interviewing, employment and promotion. “
Last month, some exciting news was published that shows that for the first time, there are more female doctors than male ones and also more ethnic minority doctors than white ones. It may go without saying that no one is claiming that white people and/or males shouldn’t be doctors or aren’t good ones; rather, the point is that a field that was often closed to certain groups of people, is now more diverse and inclusive and more reflective of society, which is something to celebrate.
These new statistics lead to some interesting questions that all workplaces can learn from. For instance, how do you increase the representation of underrepresented groups in certain industries (such as women in male-dominated fields)? How can we break down these systemic barriers? What do traditionally underrepresented groups offer and, therefore, why and how should workplaces look to hire them? These are, of course, huge and challenging questions, but they’re worth talking about in brief here.
In terms of increasing representation, some of the main methods include encouraging underrepresented groups to study and join that field and also to develop inclusive hiring and promotion practices. When it comes to doctors, for example, women have traditionally been encouraged to be nurses rather than doctors (i.e. to have the lower-ranking and more “caring” roles) or to think that studying STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) wasn’t for them. To help combat this, more schools have implemented stronger STEM curricula and have developed ways of ensuring that girls are also engaged in these subjects, and that has led, down the line, to more young women choosing to study medicine or other STEM areas later in their school years and at university. They have also had more talks in schools by women who are doctors, so that the role models are visible and younger females can be inspired by them. These sorts of activities should be continued and expanded where possible.
Simultaneously, workplaces, including hospitals or doctors’ practices, have made an effort to take female candidates seriously, whereas in years past, they might have automatically dismissed them. This means making application processes transparent and fair for everyone, and also ensuring that all applications are treated equally. Then, once women are employed, those same workplaces might provide programmes such as mentoring, support groups, further professional development, awareness-raising training, courses in confidence or combatting imposter syndrome, and other such activities, in order to help that group of employees feel confident at work and to have the skills they need to succeed. Human resources managers also have to make an effort to encourage underrepresented groups, such as women in this example, to apply for promotion, and they need to offer unconscious bias training to all who review applications for employment or promotion so that such processes are fair.
All this is to say that increasing representation begins at the roots – with children and young people – and is a process that continues throughout education, applications and interviewing, employment and promotion.
Written by B.J Woodstein, PhD
To read the full article, you must be a PILAA Member.