"There's no one cultural protocol to observe with an Aboriginal co-worker," Pamela says. "Not all Aboriginal people are the same, just like not all non-Aboriginal people are the same. It's important not to make generalisations according to stereotypes.”
"You may not even know you are working with an Aboriginal person. I've heard instances of staff members making a comment without realising that an Aboriginal person was sitting in the room with them, because Aboriginal people come in all different colours. It's about treating all your colleagues respectfully, whoever they are."
The challenge for many non-Aboriginal people is that they have never knowingly worked with an Aboriginal person or, if they have, lack confidence or worry that they will offend. In Pamela's experience, a personal approach works best.
"The advice I give is to say hello, be inclusive and take the time to get to know the Aboriginal person you are working with," says Pamela, who has delivered cultural awareness training to hundreds of non-Aboriginal people. "Sparking a conversation about where they are from or the sport they play can be a good start."
"Aboriginal people are some of the most disadvantaged people in the world, for all sorts of reasons. A person's family history will help to explain why they are who they are today. What a lot of non-Aboriginal people don't understand is that if you grow up with sadness, domestic violence, drugs and alcohol, or unemployment, chances are it will impact on you."
Discrimination persists, whether workplaces will admit it or not. "When it comes to employment and education, some people just look at us and see the colour of our skin and don't let us get a foot in the front door," Pamela says. "It's no good pretending that doesn't happen, because it does."
However training of the kind Pamela gives is also changing perceptions, too. "I think this kind of training should be compulsory," she says. "It creates respect for diversity and it changes peoples' attitudes. If you are the only Aboriginal person working in a non-Aboriginal environment, you can feel quite isolated, and end up leaving because you feel like the odd one out.
"If Aboriginal people are given the chance to contribute, if they feel they have a voice and are being heard, then they develop a sense of belonging."
So what can you do to make your workplace more inclusive?
- Be friendly and allow time to get to know your co-workers;
- Offer support if you think someone is struggling. They may feel ashamed asking for help;
- Use open and welcoming body language;
- Consider how the work environment might be rendered more welcoming with some artwork; and
- Consider the importance of a proper induction and appointing a mentor.
"You don't need a degree to be good at what you do," Pamela says. "Aboriginal people bring to the workplace a lot of knowledge, a different way of doing things and a different perspective, and commonly a lot of lived experience. We also bring knowledge of our communities, which can be very important to an organisation. We can help to break down barriers and open doors, which can have direct social but also economic benefits."
Pamela has 30 years' teaching experience and is the Senior HR Consultant Aboriginal Employment at the University of New England.
