A handy list of terms as they relate to HR practices.
Ableism – is the systematic discrimination against people with disabilities. It’s based on the idea that it is “normal” to live without any disability and anyone else is abnormal or less worthy. Ableism often intersects with ageism, as people tend to develop disabilities as they get older.
Be careful of “benevolent ableism” as well, which can come from seeing disabled people as inferior or more vulnerable.
Accessibility – ensuring that people with disabilities can access an organization’s information, services and programs as freely and easily as someone without a disability. An accessible office means a wheelchair user can easily use every room and amenity, while an accessible website means that a person who has low vision or uses a screen reader can easily find the information they need.
Anti-ableism – is about actively working to dismantle ableism. It begins with recognizing that ableism exists, that it causes serious harm, and that abled people benefit from this system.
Anti-oppression – Actively challenging all forms of systemic oppression. Like anti-racism, this philosophy strongly implies a commitment to naming and dismantling oppressive forces.
Anti-racism – Actively challenging systemic racism to create more equitable outcomes for racialized people. Taking an anti-racist approach often includes a commitment to understanding and moving away from the forces that uphold racism, such as white supremacy, colonialism, and anti-Blackness. While anti-racism is part of the umbrella of anti-oppression, it’s named explicitly because of racism’s central role to all forms of oppression.
ARAO – ARAO stands for anti-racism and anti-oppression, and implies an active approach to combating and eliminating racism and oppression through changing systems, structures, policies and practices to redistribute and share power equitably. ARAO practitioners work on the premise that systems of oppression, like racism, ableism, and sexism, are deeply entrenched, and that we must build new ways of doing things that are free from such oppression.
Cisgender (cis) – the scientific word for people whose gender identity and expression lines up with their sex assigned at birth. “Cis” is a prefix meaning “same side.”
Cultural awareness – you understand that people from different cultures may have different beliefs, values and experiences.
Cultural competency – you continually develop the skills, knowledge and attitude to work in effective and respectful ways with people from different cultures.
Cultural humility – you see understanding people’s experiences as a lifelong learning journey and develop the ability to be self-reflective and to learn and accept influence from others.
Cultural safety – Employees learn how to create a culturally safe workplace for Indigenous and racialized colleagues. Having cultural sensitivity, safety, and humility training to begin accepting different ways of working, particularly Indigenous ways of working and knowing. Employees learn about the traits of dominant Canadian society, including white supremacy, and how these are unconsciously considered the norm and standard.
Cultural sensitivity – you recognize the differences without judgment of one culture being right or superior over the other.
Deadnaming – is the act of referring to someone by a former or disused name, which is highly frowned upon and if persistent, could be a form of bullying and harassment.
Decolonization – unlearning norms and standards imposed upon Indigenous people during colonization. Non-Indigenous people are invited to join Indigenous people in unlearning white or Eurocentric cultural norms as well. In HR, this might look like redefining who “family” is so that employees may take family responsibility or bereavement leave for relatives that are considered outside of immediate family under BC law.
Diversity – having people from a wide range of backgrounds and identities in your workforce – but their unique needs and perspectives may not be reflected in decision-making, and they may be asked to conform to one set of norms and standards.
Dual or multiple pronouns – Using more than one set of pronouns is also becoming increasingly common. Sometimes, it means that a person is comfortable with one or the other. In some cases, it may mean being happiest with a mix of both. If you’re unsure about which pronoun or combination they prefer, you may ask for clarification. Most people are open to discussing their pronouns with colleagues if they are approached from a place of respect and curiosity.
Equitable performance management system – moves away from the one-size-fits-all standard of meeting expectations. Instead of holding everyone to the same standard, managers evaluate employees based on their unique strengths, contributions and how well they deliver on their main job responsibilities.
Equity – goes beyond fairness by focusing on creating equal conditions for people to participate fully in society. Equity acknowledges that some groups face more barriers than others through no fault of their own, meaning that providing only equal treatment is not enough to close the gap.
Gender-based discrimination – can happen to women, non-binary people or trans people of any gender. This form of discrimination can look like: Not providing safe and free access to washrooms in work environments; Bullying or harassment, including intentional exclusion and recurring or intentional misgendering; Intrusive and inappropriate questions about a person’s body, including their reproductive ability; “Outing” a person’s trans status or disclosing the person’s history to others without their consent.
Gender expression or gender presentation – is how they might look on the outside. Gender expressions can, but don’t always, match gender identity. It’s considered best practice to not assume a person’s identity based on how they look. Gender expression includes many aspects of a person’s external presentation, such as their pronouns, clothing style or body language.
Gender identity – is about how they feel within themselves, on the inside, about their gender. It may or may not be the same as their assigned sex at birth. Gender identity may change over time and it isn’t related to sexual orientation.
Gender non-conforming (GNC) people – don’t follow gender norms in how they feel or express themselves. They can be trans, but are not always.
Inclusion – an inclusive workplace strives to make every employee feel like they belong, and are accepted and valued for who they are and their unique perspectives. Inclusive workplaces often engage employees on decision making.
Indigenization – a complement to the idea of decolonization, where Indigenous ways of knowing and being are increasingly incorporated as the norms and standards. For example, you might learn how to incorporate Indigenous customs into grievance procedures, such as healing circles or working with an elder or knowledge keeper who may support Indigenous employees when a grievance arises.
Intent-impact gap – is when we accidentally hurt someone, even when our words and actions carry good intentions. This can happen more when people do not fully understand each other’s experiences. It’s important to know how to take accountability for such miscommunications and repair the resulting hurt or harm.
Intersectionality is the idea that a person’s identities, like their race, gender and ability, combine to shape their experiences. Understanding the common challenges that people with certain combinations of identities face helps you build better systems and programs that support them. Example: Studies show that women earn less than men, averaging 77 cents for every dollar a man earns. However, the gap widens when race is considered: white women earn 83%, while Black women earn just 59% of what white men make.
JEDI – JEDI stands for justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. It’s a newer framework that’s gained more traction since 2020, and an evolution of EDI (equity, diversity and inclusion). The letter “J” represents justice, especially racial justice. The addition of a justice lens to this framework is where it begins to overlap with the tenets of ARAO.
Justice – an approach encompassing deep systemic change. This means change not only across an organization, but the systems that surround and affect the organization and its communities. While it strongly implies racial justice, it can include related movements, such as disability justice.
Microaggressions – Microaggressions are subtle or indirect actions or words that convey bias or discrimination against a marginalized group. Microaggressions can go unnoticed by those who aren’t on the receiving end of one, as they often seem harmless or unintentional, and sometimes even sound like compliments (such as “You speak English so well”). But these comments can have a lasting effect on people’s sense of belonging and psychological safety. According to Canadian law, microaggressions can sometimes be considered a form of harassment, especially if intentional or it happens repeatedly.
Misgendering a person – means you’ve spoken about them in a way that describes them as a different gender than the one they identify as. For example, saying “Hello, ladies” to a mixed-gender group or referring to someone by the wrong pronouns.
Non-binary people – identify as being outside of the gender binary and may resonate with neither or both femininity and masculinity.
Racial equity – Creating racial equity means giving people what they need to succeed, in a way that results in similar outcomes for people of all races. This means recognizing that some people need more to succeed than others as a result of the history of racism. In contrast, equality is about treating people the same without regard for the history of racism and any unequal outcomes that may persist. Equality means giving everyone the right to work, no matter your race. Equity means noticing and correcting why some people may have a harder time succeeding at work because of their race.
Racism – Racial discrimination is the belief that people from different races have different characteristics that result in one being better than another. Racism is a specific version of racial discrimination where one race has control or power over the other. Racism permeates nearly every aspect of Canadian society, as the country was created through the racist beliefs that white Europeans were superior to all other races. It’s important to understand both individual acts of racism and systemic racism, as they can look very different on the surface. People may commit individual acts of racism in their daily lives. These are racist assumptions, beliefs, behaviours and microaggressions that arise from conscious and unconscious personal prejudice or bias. An example of individual acts of racism was when people nicknamed the COVID-19 pandemic as the “Wuhan virus” or “China virus” because of where it originated. This reinforced anti-Asian and ani-immigrant sentiments.
Reconciliation – the act of restoring good relations between Indigenous Peoples, and Canada. This principle is sometimes critiqued for the implication that there were ever equal and friendly relations. This might look like arranging for workshops throughout the year that help employees deeply engage with Indigenous history and ongoing issues.
Restorative or transformative justice – Shifting towards equity and inclusion will inevitably create friction or grievances. Typical grievance procedures methods tend to focus on punishing wrongdoers rather than supporting those who have been harmed. A restorative or transformative justice approach to conflict resolution responds to harm without creating more harm, and focuses on supporting victims to heal. Another aspect of transformative justice is about accountability and seeking to repair the relationship between those involved.
Systems of oppression and privilege – Educate employees to understand and challenge the systems of oppression that affect marginalized communities. A robust curriculum on systems of oppression will include time devoted to understanding the role of social and systemic privilege as well. You may like to start with the systems affecting those who are most represented in your program’s clients or among your workforce. Example: When arranging for training on racism, ensure a section devoted to understanding white supremacy and its relationship to upholding racism.
Systemic racism – happens when many people consciously or unconsciously embed their beliefs into the systems they create, such as work settings. These are organizational culture, policies or practices that end up excluding or marginalizing racialized groups. An example of systemic racism is hiring bias. Research confirms that the job candidates receive fewer responses if they have a foreign-sounding name.
Transgender (trans) people’s gender identity and expressions – do not line up with their assigned sex at birth. Many, though not all, trans people choose to transition to bring these aspects of themselves into harmony.
Transphobia – the fear or hatred of trans people.
Two-Spirit (2S) – is a term used in some, but not all, Indigenous communities that broadly means someone has both a masculine and feminine spirit. It is a closed term, meaning only Indigenous people may identify as “Two-Spirit.”
