Diverse perspectives benefit all

Fostering a culture of equity, inclusion and belonging for members from minority ethnic groups is the aim of the Institute’s new Ethnicity Network Group

An inclusive culture that promotes and supports diverse perspectives can stimulate innovation and improve performance for organisations in all sectors.

This is according to Deborah Somorin, Manager, People Advisory Services at EY Ireland, and Chair of the recently launched Ethnicity Network Group at Chartered Accountants Ireland.

The Ethnicity Network Group has been established to develop a more inclusive profession by helping organisations to foster a culture of equity, inclusion and belonging for employees from minority ethnic groups.

“I always look to the research to work out value and significance and it really struck me to discover the very concrete benefits for organisations that are ethnically diverse,” Somorin explains. 

“According to McKinsey, these organisations are 36 percent more likely to outperform their peers financially, because inclusive culture helps to attract and retain talent.”

A voice and platform

The Ethnicity Network Group will organise a programme of events, provide training and resources for organisations, and develop a mentoring programme to support members and students from Traveller, Black, Asian and other Minority Ethnic groups. 

Its aim is to encourage and facilitate the discussion of issues relevant to people in these minority groups and give them the voice and platform to identify solutions. 

“It’s really about expanding the conversation around diversity, to further strengthen the cultural intelligence within our profession and beyond, and to continually challenge biases in the highest and best way,” says Somorin.

“If you look at the top-performing organisations in the McKinsey research, they don’t just hire for diversity, they also invest in the cultural initiatives needed to integrate people of all backgrounds and ethnicities into their organisations. 

“They focus on training and mentoring, which is a really important part of creating and supporting an inclusive culture, and all of this helps to attract and retain the best talent.”

Creating awareness

The Ethnicity Network Group was formed in late 2022, supported by Shauna Greely, former President of Chartered Accountants Ireland and current Chair of the Institute’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee.

In addition to Somorin in the role of Chair, Ethnicity Network Group members include: Vice-Chair Rutendo Chiyangwa; Khadijat Lawal; Aisling McCaffrey; Lloyd Mufema; Reabetswe Moutlana; Mwale Tembo; and Seun Olayanju.

“Creating awareness is a big part of what we want to do. We are all different and it’s really about being open to learning and asking questions,” explains Khadijat Lawal.
“We want to support members and students from Traveller, Black, Asian and other Minority Ethnic groups, but also to open up the conversation in the wider profession, to integrate and celebrate, because—while we are different—there are also so many similarities between us.”

A Financial Accounting and Advisory Services Senior at Grant Thornton Ireland, Lawal has had different experiences at work and in education, not all of them positive.

“I’m used to being in environments where I am either the only Black person, or one of the few Black people in the room. Sometimes, I have felt that I couldn’t fully be myself, that I couldn’t share parts of my culture and who I am,” she says.

Lawal joined Grant Thornton in 2019 as a trainee. “One of the first things I noticed was colleagues of different ethnic minorities,” she says.

“They were eating their own food and speaking their own language. That communicated to me that my difference would be welcomed here.”

And Lawal noticed this commitment to true diversity and inclusion (D&I) in other areas too. “My manager at the time was always so curious about where I was from, and about my differences,” she says. 

“I am from Nigeria and Yoruba is my native language. This manager looked up how to say ‘thank you’ in Yoruba for me. I found that so endearing because he didn’t have to do it. 

“It just shows how much it really matters that we feel we can be curious about one another, but also kind and genuine.

“The Ethnicity Network Group is about getting that message out there and helping people to have these conversations in the right way.”

Positive energy

Aisling McCaffrey is Director of Sustainability and Financial Services Advisory, Grant Thornton Ireland. She was invited to join the Ethnicity Network Group by Lawal, her colleague at the firm.

“I was delighted to be asked. When we had our launch in December at the EY office on Harcourt Street, you could just feel this amazing, positive energy in the room,” says McCaffrey.

The launch felt especially timely, because, says Caffrey, “diversity of thought really matters now. It’s a reflection of a changing dynamic in Ireland, and it’s hugely important”.
Fostering a sense of belonging, and creating a supportive, inclusive culture, is essential for all employees in the modern workplace.

“The way people view work, and what they want from an organisation, changed a lot during the pandemic,” says McCaffrey.

“The lockdowns, social distancing and remote working gave people a lot of food for thought in terms of: ‘What do I want to do?’ What do I want from my work? What do I value?’

“People now really want to be part of an organisation that recognises them, not just in terms of what they can deliver, but also what they bring to the organisation as an individual.

“We want to promote a sense of belonging and inclusion, we want to celebrate diversity—but it’s also really important that the Ethnicity Network Group can generate measurable outputs in time. 

“For me, that’s where the potential for an Ethnicity Pay Gap Report comes into play, because while it’s all well and good for an organisation to say that they have an inclusive, equitable environment, we need to see that reflected in pay and leadership.”

Member survey

The launch of the Ethnicity Network Group in December followed a survey of over 1,300 members and students of Chartered Accountants Ireland conducted by Coyne Research.

The findings revealed that, for 40 percent of members who claimed to have witnessed or heard discrimination against others, it was based on ethnicity. 

Two-in-three of the students surveyed reported the same. “Changing this is really about action: ‘What can you do to bring about change?’” says McCaffrey.

“People are generally self-aware and often you will find—especially in a work environment—that they are not sure how to approach questions or conversations around cultural difference.

“They are concerned that they might offend someone if they say the wrong thing. So, it’s about being able to create a safe space and a learning environment that benefits everyone. 

“It’s about understanding that, if someone says the wrong thing, you feel comfortable enough giving them feedback and they feel comfortable enough accepting it.”

Importance of training

For Somorin, the level and quality of the D&I training available to employees in any organisation is of the utmost importance.

“If it is approached as a tokenistic tick box exercise, it’s going to feed into how importantly people view it,” she says. 

“I’ll give you just one example of why this matters. For Irish people, where you come is a really big thing—if you’re from the Carlow clan or the Mayo clan—it is a huge part of people’s identity here.

“But, if you don’t look stereotypically Irish, people will frequently ask you where you are from, and when you tell them you’re from Ireland, the next question will often be: ‘But, where are you really from? Where are your grandparents from, your great grandparents?’

“It comes from trying to place your clan, I think, and even though there is rarely any malice behind it, you do need to educate yourself as to how that can make someone feel.

“When you are facing the same question over and over, it can invalidate your own sense of identity as an Irish person. It can make you feel ‘other’ or singled out.”

Rules of engagement

In organisations that have a truly inclusive culture, and an appropriate level of training, Somorin believes that people will organically begin to develop an awareness of the impact questions like this can have.

She calls this learning the ‘rules of engagement’. “For me personally, this is a big selling point at EY. These things are made very clear even down to the performance evaluation process,” she says. 

“We’re constantly encouraged to take a step back and ask ourselves, ‘if someone did or said something in a different way, but it led to the desired outcome, can we really view it as a negative?’

“Not everyone has grown up in a diverse environment and not everyone inherently understands how they should behave and what they should or shouldn’t say or ask. And it’s okay not to be perfect. What really matters is that we are all open to learning.”