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!
Workshop during Networking Day of Ministry of Social Affairs
This year, The Ministry of Social Affairs organised the Networking Day “Samen Bouwen aan Samen Leven” (Working Together on Living Together) of the Directie Samenleving & Integratie (Management Society & Integration). During this event, I hosted a workshop on the psychological mechanism underlying prejudice.
Some coverage of the day can be found here (in Dutch).
Save the Date: Political Psychology Meeting on November 9th
POLITICAL PSYCHOLOGY MEETING - SAVE THE DATE
Please join us for the seventh Political Psychology Meeting, which will take place on Friday November 9th at the Amsterdam School of Communication Research (University of Amsterdam).
Political psychology is thriving in the Netherlands and beyond. We organize the political psychology meetings to further consolidate this field of research in the region of the Netherlands by providing an opportunity for political psychologists to connect, share ideas, and provide feedback on each other’s work. The day will run from 10.00 - 16.00 and includes coffee/tea- and lunch-breaks. For the upcoming meeting, we were again able to secure an excellent set of speakers. Please see below for the preliminary program.
It is important to register for the meeting so that we can get an accurate head count for coffee/tea and lunch. Participation is free of charge. Please let us know by October 19th if you plan to attend by filling out this form.
Best regards,
Bert Bakker (University of Amsterdam)
Mark Dechesne (Leiden University)
Jojanneke van der Toorn (Utrecht University & Leiden University)
Preliminary program
10.00-10.30 Coffee/Tea
10.30-11.15 Paul Marx (University of Duisburg-Essen)
Should we study political behaviour as rituals? Towards a general micro theory of politics in everyday life
11.15-12.00 Allard Feddes (University of Amsterdam)
The United Kingdom’s EU membership referendum: Key psychological variables behind voting ‘remain’ and ‘leave’
12.00-13.00 Lunch
13.00-13.30 Efraín García-Sánchez (PhD student; University of Granada)
The vicious cycle of economic inequality: The role of ideology in shaping the relationship between “what is” and “what ought to be” in 41 Countries
13.30-14.00 Martijn Blikmans (Groningen University)
The use of emotions in political speech: Main and moderating effects.
14.00-14.30 Coffee/Tea
14.30-15.15 Florian van Leeuwen (Tilburg University)
Disgust sensitivity relates to attitudes toward gay men and lesbian women (and other sexual groups) across 31 nations
15.150-16.00 To be announced
16.00 Drinks at Crea Cafe
Location:
Amsterdam School of Communication Research Roeterseiland Campus
See http://www.uva.nl/locaties/roeterseiland/rec-b-c-d-ingang-b-c.html?origin=IP
Room: C10.20
Nieuwe Achtergracht 166
1001 NG Amsterdam
LGBTI Research in the Low Countries
I served on the scientific committee of the 2nd conference on LGBTI Research in the Low Countries, which takes place on October 10th at the University of Amsterdam. The program includes a very interesting and diverse set of talks, including keynote lectures by Ilja Meijer and Theo Sandfort.
See here for more information
Register here (until September 28)
Toward effective diversity policy: Building bridges between science and practice
Our researchgroup aims to contribute to effective diversity policy by bridging science and practice. In this article (in Dutch), you find a summary of the research that shows why it is important to collect diversity to inclusion at work, and what are potential bottlenecks in practice.
