Practice Scenarios
Practice your responses to a wide range of workplace inclusion scenarios. These examples are based on real-life examples shared in our sessions. Show allyship, build-empathy, suspend judgement, call it out – what would you do? Make it a team exercise and start a conversation!
CULTURAL DIFFERENCES
Differences arise between your manager and key stakeholders. How do you manage the situation?
CULTURAL AWARENESS
Lunar New Year is around the corner, and subtle corrections in your vocabulary have been necessary.
LGBTQI+ AND RELIGION
There can be times when people’s religious beliefs can clash with LGBTQI+ values. How do we stay respectful in this situation?
RACE AND ETHNICITY
A trusted colleague makes you aware of a conversation on racial microaggression that may need to take place in the workspace.
RACE and ethnicity
Two colleagues have had an argument after one allegedly made a racist comment to the other.
MENTAL HEALTH
A member of the team comes to you asking for adivce about another colleague who is taking some time from work for mental health reasons.
GENERATIONAL DIFFERENCES, STEREOTYPES AND GENDER
A colleague approaches you and makes you aware that a manager has been making stereotypical comments about gender and ‘young people these days’.
HIRING INEQUALITIES, ALLYSHIP
An opportunity to educate others on inequality and barriers felt by minorities in the workplace has arised. How do you handle this conversation?
LGBTQI+
Inappropriate comments towards the LGBTQI+ community have been said, and you feel as though you may have handled it poorly.
SCENARIO 11
MINORITY, ETHNICITIES AND ACCENTS
A colleague has come to you with a request to change your behaviour.
ETHNICITIES AND MICROAGGRESSIONS
A member of the team has alerted you to the fact that your vocabulary may be hurtful to others and even themselves.
PRONOUNS, INCLUSION AND GENDER IDENTITY
A member of the team confides in you about the change of their pronouns.
REMOTE WORKING, ALLYSHIP
An unintentionally hurtful comment was said during an online meeting. How do you handle this?
BLM, ANTI-RACISM, ETHNIC MINORITIES, ALLYSHIP
Comments about the BLM movement were made at a conference you are attending. You believe they need to be addressed.
NEURODIVERSITY, ALLYSHIP
Insensitive comments were made to your colleague by a vendor. How do you handle this?
RELIGION
A team member is left out due to religious circumstances. How can you change this?
LGBTQI+, MICROAGGRESSIONS
Homophobic jokes have been made in a moment of ‘banter’. You know this needs to be handled.
GENDER, STEREOTYPES, ALLYSHIP
A hurtful comment was made on the slack in regard to a woman’s emotions.
RACE, ALLYSHIP
Unintentionally racist comments have been made in the workspace. The comments must be addressed, especially as they directly affect people around you at work.
SCENARIO 21
LGBTQI+, ALLYSHIP
A coworker asks for advice on a topic outside of his comfort zone as he wants to do better. How do you help him?
INCLUSION, RELIGION, SOCIAL
A potentially insensitive meeting place has been put forward by the team, and it seems you may be one of the only ones who has realised this.
NEURODIVERSITY
You may have made a mistake in the assigning of tasks with the new neurodivergent member of the team.
GENDER INEQUALITIES
You have noticed that a colleague perhaps isnt being fully heard because of her gender.
GENDER AND CARING RESPONSIBILITIES
As a manager, you want others to be able to come to you without worry of gender bias and ask about working arrangements concerning childcare.
DISABILITY
A man with an invisible disability is receiving judgement from others who are unaware of his impairments.
LGBTQI+
You make a mistake and assume the suxuality of a coworker. How should you conduct yourself?
AGE, MICROAGGRESSIONS
A client is consistently commenting on a colleague’s age. How do you react?
PRIDE MONTH
A comment on pride month is made in anger by a member of your team.
MENOPAUSE
A coworker is being negatively affected by comments made by other colleagues on her journey through menopause.
TRANS ALLYSHIP
A coworker makes a transphobic comment in a public space. You know you should do something.
RACE AND ETHNICITY
A new recruit has been hurt by a coworkers comment, and now feels as though they may have made a mistake joining the company.
PRONOUNS
You realise you have made a mistake with someone’s pronouns.
CULTURAL DIFFERENCES
You suspect a coworker of expressing bias to another colleague’s cultural differences.
PRIVILEGE
A colleague has got the wrong idea on privilege, and makes an potentially hurtful comment.
NEURODIVERGENT
A colleague is having a hard time processing information on some virtual meets.
PRONOUNS
A comment made by a coworker is not showing support – and may even cause offence – to a fellow colleague.
TRANS
A coworker makes a passing comment on another colleague she assumes is trans. How do you handle the situation?
PARENTAL SUPPORT
Your assumptions about parents with young children have led to a coworker being left out of after-work activities.
AGEISM
Assumptions are made about a colleague simply based on his age.
GENDER
Someone on your team expresses what you believe to be gender bias about what a female colleague has been wearing.
MALE MENTAL HEALTH AND ALLYSHIP
A close colleague confides in you about his recent anxiety, but is scared to open up to others.
ALLYSHIP, PRONOUNS, LGBTQI+
Jokes were made over a zoom meeting about gender identity, and you know that this shouldn’t be the topic of ‘banter’.
SEXISM
You overhear some very sexist comments being made in the break room by a colleague.
LGBTQI+
You witness a colleague making a jab at pride flags to the only openly gay woman on the team.
ETHNICITY
A client continuously makes comments that point to him having an ethnically-based bias. One comment makes you very uncomfortable.
GENDER
Your male-dominated team makes a jab at your female colleague for trying to stick up for herself.