Question

Think of about 5 colleagues from work who are approximately the same age, race, gender as you. List 5 categories in which you are diverse. (The point of the question is for you to think of diversity in a broader more inclusive way.)

Answer 1

I am a African American male, aged 35 years, working in a manufacturing organisation. Description of 5 Colleagues working in the same unit are given below.

(i) Roston is a mechanic. He started his career as an assistant to help out his family of seven members, out of which only one was earning. He comes from a impoverised neighborhood, notorious for high crime rate and low education level. Even today, he loes with modest means and hopes that his community will break the shackles of poverty soon.

(ii) Elton belongs to a farmer family and is a part time worker here. His family lives in rural Texas and owns some farms where his ancestors worked as migrant labours two centuries ago. He is deeply attached to his environment and rues urban life. He is hopeful to go back to his farms one day for good.

(iii) Elvis is the manager at the company. He has been brought up with white kids and his manners, lifestyle, education and upbringing has been done in that way. He hold a degree in Engineering and has been employed here for past ten years. His father is a navy veteran and his son has been enroled in MIT for a graduate course.

(iv) Mike is a keen sportsperson and has been appointed in the sportsmen's quota. He represents the company's rugby team and focuses greatly on physical fitness. He also encourages his subordinates to exercise regularly.

(vi) Morris had an abused childhood, and had to take therapy before he started working here. He still shows traces of his trauma in his behaviour. Sometimes he is hyper responsive to things while at other times, he is simply indifferent.

I find myself different from these employees in terms of education, financial well being , place of dwelling, family / social background and position in the company. I believe that there is lot to be learnt from each of these employees