Labelling is Limiting
Describe yourself in three words. Hard, isn't it?
In the 48th episode of Why Care?, I had the pleasure of speaking with Michael Gunning, an elite swimmer and trailblazer for diversity and inclusion in sport. During our conversation, we touched on the way some media outlets have reported on Michael’s successes - labelling him as a ‘Black, gay swimmer’, as opposed to a world-class swimmer. This got me thinking about the effects of labels in the workplace.
Why do we use labels?
We use labels to make sense of the world’s complexity. On one hand, they can be used in a celebratory way, such as to recognise that people from underrepresented backgrounds often navigate bigger challenges in their journeys. Within the media, they often serve as a tool to contextualise stories or grab attention. Labels provide a shortcut for processing information quickly, helping us categorise and absorb people or stories. However, this efficiency comes at a cost. While they may feel harmless, the impact of labels is often subtly harmful.
How can labels be harmful?
Michael shared how being labeled as "the first" in his field, though highlighting milestones, overshadowed his achievements as a swimmer and reduced him inadvertently to a single aspect of his identity, altering how his success was perceived.
Similarly, in the workplace, labels like ‘diversity hire’, meaning someone that has been hired to fulfill a diversity quota, minimises the individuals’ achievement and can impose both expectations and limitations. It invites a questioning narrative around their recruitment, such as, ‘Are they here for their talent or to tick a box?’ This framing can create unnecessary pressure to ‘prove’ one’s worth, instead of operating from the default understanding that they are capable, deserving, and qualified.
Beyond this, labels often perpetuate unconscious biases. When we categorise people based on singular aspects of their identity, it reduces their professional identity to a single dimension, overlooking the breadth of their skills, achievements, and unique contributions. Labels can also foster division, emphasising differences and fueling an ‘us vs. them’ mentality. True inclusion means moving past labels to honour and celebrate people as a whole.
How do we move past labelling?
To mitigate the harm of labels, organisations can adopt several key strategies. Using ‘person-first’ language helps prioritise the individual over any single characteristic, such as referring to ‘a colleague with a disability’ rather than ‘a disabled colleague,’ to centre their personhood.
Encouraging self-identification allows individuals to define their own narratives. This could look like allowing employees to introduce themselves at meetings with details they choose to share rather than leading with predefined categories.
Facilitating spaces where people can share more about themselves and develop a culture where people show empathy and understanding is another crucial step. Employee Resource Networks are a great vehicle for this, alongside celebrating cultural annual events. Lastly, integrating intersectionality into workplace policies ensures a more inclusive approach. For instance, revising parental leave policies to support different family structures or offering sponsorship programmes tailored to employees navigating multiple marginalised identities fosters even greater equity and understanding.
How can Avenir help?
At Avenir, we offer an Inclusive Leadership Programme, which provides you with the support and guidance you need to foster constructive, healthy people-first workplaces that nurture and celebrate employees. We also develop tailored Sponsorship programmes to help create equity for underrepresented talent.
My new book, Beyond Discomfort: Why inclusive leadership is so hard (and what you can do about it) is also a valuable tool for learning how to harness discomfort as a catalyst for positive change and greater returns. You can get your hands on a copy of the book here. It is also available as an audiobook to listen to on the go.