If organizations want to devise evidence-based inclusion policies, they need insight into employees’ experiences. To this end, we launched the long-awaited Global Employee Survey, a collaboration between my chair at Leiden University and the Workplace Pride foundation. The launch took place last Thursday at the Workplace Pride Foundation New Year’s reception, hosted by VodafoneZiggo.
Article published on The Psychology of Morality
A recent article my co-authors and I published in Personality and Social Psychology Review has been viewed and downloaded a total of 11,644 since it first appeared online, making it one of the most read articles in the journal in the past 6 months.
The abstract appears below and the article can be downloaded HERE
The Psychology of Morality: A Review and Analysis of Empirical Studies Published From 1940 Through 2017
Naomi Ellemers, Jojanneke van der Toorn, Yavor Paunov, & Thed van Leeuwen
We review empirical research on (social) psychology of morality to identify which issues and relations are well documented by existing data and which areas of inquiry are in need of further empirical evidence. An electronic literature search yielded a total of 1,278 relevant research articles published from 1940 through 2017. These were subjected to expert content analysis and standardized bibliometric analysis to classify research questions and relate these to (trends in) empirical approaches that characterize research on morality. We categorize the research questions addressed in this literature into five different themes and consider how empirical approaches within each of these themes have addressed psychological antecedents and implications of moral behavior. We conclude that some key features of theoretical questions relating to human morality are not systematically captured in empirical research and are in need of further investigation.
Successful first year of the Netherlands Inclusiveness Monitor
On December 3rd, the Netherlands Inclusiveness Monitor (NIM), held its annual event in the Academy Building at Utrecht University. Led by Naomi Ellemers, Wiebren Jansen, and myself, the NIM bridges science and practice with the aim to contribute to inclusive workplaces. The event marked the end of the first successful year of the NIM and was very well received by all involved. We presented the recurring patterns in the diversity policy and employee experiences of the participating organizations, connected these findings to the newest scientific insights, and presented the benchmark.
The results so far show that organizations undertake many initiatives to facilitate diversity and inclusion in the workplace. But certain issues remain underexposed. There is, for example, relatively little attention for measuring policy effectiveness and for the exit domain of Human Resources, while the scientific literature suggests that good diversity management should be systematic and holistic (i.e., cover all HR domains). With the NIM we offer organizations the tools to focus less on best practices and more on best methods.
First LGBTQI+ Studies Preconference to the EASP General Meeting to take place in Krakow
Together with Maria Laura Bettinsola (NYU Abu Dhabi), Masi Noor (Keele University), and Paulina Górska (University of Warsaw), I am organizing the very first LGBTQI+ Studies Preconference, which will take place on June 30th in Krakow Poland, preceding the 2020 General Meeting of the European Association of Experimental Social Psychology. Check out the details here
International Coming Out Day 2019
On 10 October, the LGBTI network of the Tax and Customs Administration (Belastingdienst) and the FIOD, organised the symposium ‘The power of Inclusivity’. This event celebrated the 5th anniversary of their LGBTI employee network ‘B/Proud’ as well as National Coming Out Day. As one of the speakers, I gave scientific insights on inclusion and how social psychologists conduct their research. I presented on the importance of (and challenges in) implementing evidence-based diversity policy and how relatively ‘invisible diversity’, like sexual orientation, is very important to consider when creating an inclusive organizational culture.
On 11 October, I attended the celebration of the LUMC (Leiden University Medical Center) becoming the first research hospital and the first member from the health care sector in the Netherlands to join Workplace Pride. A very important milestone.
Speaking at the symposium ‘The power of Inclusivity’
LUMC celebration
LUMC celebration
Defeating the seven headed dragon ... over drinks
This week Utrecht University hosted the EASP funded meeting “Defeating the Seven Headed Dragon” on the self-maintaining system that causes gender inequality. As I was finalizing my grant application, I could not attend the meeting itself but I happily snuck out of self-isolation for the closing drinks and to meet up with my wonderful collaborator Jaime Napier who attended from NYU Abu-Dhabi.
Pride Talks Leiden University
On Wednesday, the LGBT+ Network at Leiden University organized the first of hopefully a long series of Pride Talks, featuring the Honorable Judge Michael Kirby who flew in from Australia, and LUMC Professor of Medical Ethics and Health Law Martine de Vries. I had the pleasure of introducing Prof. de Vries. The Great Auditorium of the Academy Building was packed, and the evening a great success.
Hope for the rainbow over Asia? Recognition for the human rights of LGBTQI people in Asian countries
Michael Kirby was Australia's longest serving judge when he retired from the High Court of Australia (the nation's Federal Supreme Court) in 2009. Earlier he had served on the Federal Court of Australia, the Court of Appeal of New South Wales and of Solomon Islands (as president) and as inaugural Chairman of the Australian Law Reform Commission (1975-84). He also took part in many national and international bodies and was President of the International Commission of Jurists (1975-8). In recent years he has undertaken many tasks for the United Nations, including as a member of the WHO global commission on AIDS and the UN Human Rights Council's commission of inquiry on North Korea (2014). He has been an outspoken advocate for decriminalization of homosexuality, about which he recently spoke at the Vatican (2019), and also in a report for the Commonwealth Heads of Government (2011). He lives in Sydney Australia with his partner of 50 years, Johan van Vloten, whom he married in February 2019, on the 50th anniversary of their meeting. See also www.michaelkirby.com.au/lgbtiq
Transgender children and the right to gender-affirming treatment: (un)conditional?
Prof dr Martine C. de Vries is professor in Medical Ethics and Health Law at the Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), as well as pediatric endocrinologist at the same institution. Her research focuses on pediatric ethics (focus: gender dysphoria), research ethics, and the introduction of the notion of The Learning Healthcare System in daily practice. She is member of the Health Council of the Netherlands. In pediatric practice, she takes care of children with gender dysphoria and eating disorders. See also https://nl.linkedin.com/in/martine-de-vries-b7365b
How can universities build an equal, diverse and inclusive organisation?
The League of European Research Universities just released a position paper I contributed to, entitled “Equality, diversity and inclusion at universities: the power of a systemic approach”.
“[The paper] is the culmination of two years’ intensive work. Many members of LERU universities were consulted, the latest research evidence on equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) was examined and examples of good practice were collected from LERU universities.”
“The paper’s key message is that EDI can be more effectively promoted at universities by making use of a comprehensive approach. Such an approach needs to be holistic and systemic in 1/ addressing inclusion and enhanced representation of all under-represented groups; 2/ aiming at the entire academic community of staff and students together; and 3/ making the content of both the research and the research-led curriculum more inclusive.”
Workplace Pride Conference 2019
Sustainable Inclusion was the theme of this year’s Workplace Pride Conference, a wonderful event which was hosted by KLM in an actual airplane hangar at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. The day was filled with interesting keynotes and discussion sessions. A highlight for me was a session on the UN Sustainable Development Goals and how these are linked to LGBT workplace inclusion. See what I thought about the conference in this interview.
Leiden University was well represented at the conference (From left to right: Jojanneke, Mpanzu, Pauline and Tim)
Funding by Instituut GAK for the research project "Through a Different Lens"
Good news! Our grant proposal “Through a different lens: A new approach to motivating and supporting organizations in developing evidence-based diversity policy” is being funded by Instituut Gak, and will kick off in September 2019.
Together with Naomi Ellemers, Wiebren Jansen, Onur Sahin and our newest post-doc Melissa Vink, we will examine the promises and pitfalls of diversity initiatives, their effects on job seekers, employees and organizations as a whole, and the ways in which problematic patterns can be mitigated.
