Equalities conference

I have just come from a good conference organised by my friends at GREC on the issue of race, and other equalities issues. I was asked to be on the question and answer panel. When asked whether the fact that the UK does not have a fully equal workforce, despite all the legislation, stems from a lack of will or lack of clarity, I replied that it was from fear.

By which I mean a fear of the people with whom we are seeking to engage. We find it difficult to reach beyond our comfort zones to people in real need. We end up reverting to policies, strategy documents, monitoring and blaming the government for a lack of action, or enabling policy.

Despite all the wonderful work being done by so many people, this is undermined by other people who fear and disdain those who are different from them. So the eastern european worker is dehumanised because he/she does not speak English well, the man is cerebral palsy can't get a job despite his skills and qualifications because we are afraid to engage with the whole person. We prefer folk to turn up at work, fully formed, fully autonomous, without a discernible family or personal life- ready made to fit into the jobs we have designed. Those who don't fit into this model of worker get excluded, because we are too afraid that this person might be a bit too difficult to handle- too difficult to understand. It's difficult to re-arrange our workplaces to fit these people, so we dehumanise them.

We must reach out to those in need, regardless of the cost. It is incredibly hard, but therein lies true spiritual growth.

"…from inhumanity to almsgiving, you have stretched forth the hand that was withered. If you withdraw from theaters and go to church, you have cured the lame foot. If you draw back your eyes from a harlot, you have opened them when they were blind. These are the greatest miracles."

St. John Chrysostom