In June of this year, I was fortunate to participate in a workshop supported by the European Association of Experimental Social Psychology on Building An LGBT European Social Psychology. It was a wonderful experience to spend time with this particular group of people; senior and junior researchers passionate about the study of LGBTQI+ issues. The location, ISCTE University in Lisbon, of course did not hurt, but it was the excellent talks and posters and inspiring conversations that truly made the workshop a success!
The importance of being oneself at Work
ISPP Conference: Barriers to Successful Diversity Management in Organizations
The International Society of Political Psychology’s 42nd International Conference in Lisbon revolved around the topic of Empowering Citizens in Illiberal Times: The Political Psychology of Oppression and Resistance.
Together with my PhD student Onur Sahin, I chaired the symposium “Barriers to Successful Diversity Management in Organizations”.
During this symposium, I presented my work on the role of employee’s support for diversity policies as an essential aspect of effective diversity management. Onur presented our research “Looking Beyond Our Similarities: The Role of (In)Visible Dissimilarity in Inclusion and Work-Related Outcomes.”, which can be found here.
Blindspots* in Diversity Management symposium
Speakers from left to right: Seval Gündemir, Thekla Morgenroth, Cheryl Kaiser, Jojanneke van der Toorn, Colette van Laar, Wiebren Jansen, Naomi Ellemers
* It was pointed out to me that the use of this word in the metaphorical sense is ableist: it has a negative connotation in implying that people with visual impairments lack knowledge or understanding. I apologize and am currently looking for an alternative that covers the meaning I intended.
LGBT people need more role models at work
Lesbian women, gay men, bisexuals and transgender individuals often remain closeted at work. Their invisibility means that other LGBT employees have few role models, while having openly proud colleagues is important to establishing workplace equality. Luisa Liekefett, a German MA student who interned with me, and I wrote a blog about this in English and in Dutch.
Scientific Symposium: Blindspots* in Diversity Management
On January 17th 2019, I organize a scientific symposium on Blindspots in Diversity Management at Leiden University.
The aim of this symposium is to showcase the state-of-the-art social psychological research elucidating important issues for organizations to address in their efforts to successfully manage diversity at work. Topics covered include the ironic and unintended effects of diversity structures and interventions, the importance of inclusion, invisible forms of diversity, shared impact, the subtle psychological mechanisms by which workplace inequality is maintained, and how scientists can contribute to improving organizational practice.
The program features a keynote by Cheryl Kaiser (University of Washington), research talks by Seval Gündemir (University of Amsterdam), Colette van Laar (KU Leuven), Thekla Morgenroth (University of Exeter) and Jojanneke van der Toorn (Leiden University), and an interactive session on improving organizational practice (with Naomi Ellemers and Wiebren Jansen; Utrecht University).
This symposium has a scholarly focus but may also be of interest to practitioners. Admission is free.
Registration is closed
Missed the deadline? Have other registration-related questions? Please contact Conny Binnendijk at binnendijkc@fsw.leidenuniv.nl
Preliminary program
09.30 – 10.00 Welcome with coffee and tea
10.00 – 10.15 Introduction
10.15 – 11.15 Cheryl Kaiser (University of Washington)
Keynote: Promise and pitfalls of organizational diversity initiatives
11.15 – 12.00 Seval Gündemir (University of Amsterdam)
I, too, own this place: Understanding the influence of shared impact on
women and minorities at work
12.00 – 13.00 Lunch
13.00 – 13.45 Jojanneke van der Toorn (Leiden University)
Looking beyond our similarities: How perceived (in)visible dissimilarity
relates to workplace inclusion
13.45 – 14.30 Thekla Morgenroth (University of Exeter)
‘Born this way’: Effects and policy implications of essentializing sexual
orientation
14.30 – 15.00 Coffee and tea
15.00 – 15.45 Colette van Laar (KU Leuven)
Understanding in- and exclusion: A social psychological approach to inequality
at work
15.45 – 16.45 Improving organizational practice
Interactive session with contributions from Naomi Ellemers and Wiebren
Jansen (Utrecht University)
16.45 – 17.00 Closing remarks
Location:
Klein Auditorium
Academiegebouw
Rapenburg 73, Leiden
This symposium is organized by Prof.dr. Jojanneke van der Toorn with the assistance of Conny Binnendijk and in collaboration with the Utrecht Young Academy and the Nederlandse Inclusiviteitsmonitor. It is supported by Leiden University and an Aspasia grant from NWO. Jojanneke is professor by special appointment of LGBT workplace inclusion at Leiden University, in collaboration with the Workplace Pride Foundation and KPN.
* It was pointed out to me that the use of this word in the metaphorical sense is ableist: it has a negative connotation in implying that people with visual impairments lack knowledge or understanding. I apologize and am currently looking for an alternative that covers the meaning I intended
Etched in Memory
* Edited to add: See here for a blog post on the evening’s discussion (in Dutch)
On November 27th, I will take part in the event “In het Geheugen Gegrift”, an interactive session on memory (mostly in Dutch). It is organized by Utrecht University’s Studium Generale, in collaboration with the Utrecht Young Academy. Everyone is welcome!
Keynote Lecture: Boosting LGBTI Inclusive Recruitment Practices
The KliQ Works Workplace Conference 2018 was dedicated to the practice of inclusive recruitment, with the aim of raising awareness and inspiring participants to make their recruitment process more inclusive. In particular, by bringing stakeholders from all walks of life together, the conference sought to bridge the gap between job seeker and recruiter, between activist and manager, between the LGBTI community and the business world.
To this end, I gave a keynote lecture on boosting LGBTI inclusive recruitment practices: “Toward an Inclusive Workplace: Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity at Work” .
Image Credit: https://www.kliqworks.be/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/brochure_kliqworks.pdf
Guide for a Transgender-Friendly Workplace
Transgender Network Netherlands (TNN) published this very helpful guide for a transgender-friendly workplace, which I had the pleasure of contributing to. It is packed with guidelines and tips for employers, diversity officers, and HR- and personnel managers.
Research visit to New York and Seattle
I spent a wonderful two weeks in New York and Seattle to catch up with academic colleagues and friends, to attend the annual conference of the Society of Experimental Social Psychology, and to present my work at New York University and the University of Washington. I got some great and encouraging feedback on our efforts with the Netherlands Inclusiveness Monitor and started new collaborations. I returned home fully energized!
