Tiffany Conley, Senior Associate, IPTech

“The ability to reach unity in diversity will be the beauty and the test of our civilization.” — Mahatma Gandhi

I moved to Hong Kong just over five years ago. I was at — what I thought back then — the peak of my career, and we had just bought our first home. There was no real reason to leave my comfortable life in Pretoria, South Africa, and move across the world to pursue a legal career in Hong Kong, China — a place I have never been to before. Then my father-in-law passed away, and my husband and I decided that we needed a fresh start.

I met with my current boss in Johannesburg, South Africa for my first interview. She was warm, and the interview felt like a conversation among friends. I knew right then that if the interview was anything to go by, I wanted to be part of an organization that cared about its employees and one where I had the freedom to be myself. Added to that, there was the obvious fact that the Firm’s recruitment had no geographical boundaries.

Almost six years later, moving to Hong Kong is the best decision I have ever made. The city is cosmopolitan, a melting pot of different races, cultures and ethnicities. At the Firm, I felt right at home from my very first day at the office. I had been on Cultural and Diversity committees before, but none as intentional as Baker McKenzie’s. The Firm is always adapting and aligning its cultural and diversity initiatives to the actual needs of its employees, tailoring such initiatives territorially and listening to their employees. This to me is the best way to be inclusive in the workplace — to listen.

The Dalai Lama once said, “When you talk, you are only repeating what you already know. But if you listen, you may learn something new.”

Here are some of the ways that I believe employers can create a more inclusive workplace:

• Listening to your employees – Create an environment where employees — irrespective of their race, ethnicity or background — feel safe to voice their concerns.
• Valuing employees and celebrating their differences – Have smaller team meetings and committees, which provide a platform for employees to express themselves. Small gestures like remembering the birthdays and cultural holidays of your team members go a long way.
• Inclusive leadership and training – Make sure that all employees, particularly leaders, are educated about unconscious bias and the impact that such bias has on effective and inclusive decision-making.

People are the heart of every business, and it is well-known that diversity is important to every business in terms of decision-making, innovation and profitability. However, an inclusive workplace is the real reason that companies retain a diverse workforce.

One of the cornerstones of Baker McKenzie’s strategy is diversity and inclusion. The Firm has adopted a Gender Global Aspirational target of 40:40:20 by 2025. In essence, the goal is that by 2025, senior professionals will include 40% women, 40% men, and 20% flexible (women, men and nonbinary persons). The Firm’s commitment in this regard is commendable, and I am so thrilled to be a part of this.