“And what about pineapple on pizza, how do you feel about that?” they’ll scoff, hoping that I’ll be apoplectic at the suggestion. “Is it authentic?” people will ask me as I lift up a slice like an art expert examining an almost-perfect forgery. If we’re going to come good on all the ambitious goals of the modern workplace, either we all sign up to a charter of “no exceptions” or we accept that it’s not feasible for most companies to be governed by codes cooked up by unwieldy multinationals or ministries staffed by people who’ve never run a business.īeing an Italian abroad means constantly having to weigh in on pizza-related disputes (writes Chiara Rimella). Which brings us back to the running track and the levelling of the playing field. “Why is it okay to bash white men when your job is about equality and creating inclusive work environments? I get that it’s all a bit in vogue and we should just laugh along and roll with it but it’s now becoming quite wrong and boring.” At this point a “you’re right, you’re right, I’m sorry” was uttered from across the table followed by agreement that it is an issue, that it was a point well taken and that it should be addressed. “I have an issue with that comment,” I said, surprising myself. I believe I pulled a surprised frown (that’s one eyebrow down, the other up, eyes slightly narrowed and lips curling downward to ensure it absolutely cannot be confused with a deranged grin) and was about to move on and change the subject with “fancy another coffee?” but I didn’t. Was it quizzical? Neutral? Confused? Or was it simply frozen while I tried to compute the following: I’m the white, male, middle-aged host of this little get-together (even though I don’t feel middle aged and many would say I don’t look it!) × my guest is all about diversity and inclusion + I always try to be polite × she somehow thinks it’s acceptable, even funny, to single out white men. As this was relayed on a public pavement in Zürich and the Swiss aren’t huge fans of CCTV I don’t think there’s any footage of my expression at that moment. She told me how she was happy to have found a woman in Asia for one position and another in Africa for a similar post, and then leaned in to whisper about the problem of white, middle-aged men. Of course we had to talk vaccines (Moderna, Moderna) and then she explained more about her role (headlines: new comms, workplace diversity, equality, inclusion, global stakeholders, roll-out now). We went back to holidays briefly and then returned to her new gig, some restructuring and positions that needed filling. We talked about summer plans, the return to the office and various autumn projects in both of our businesses. The first was quite social and chatty, the second brisk and efficient, and the third was more of a meandering catch-up with no set agenda. It was a sunny weekday morning and I decided to do my meetings at one of the outdoor tables at our café in Zürich. As I watched them go about their work with great care and precision I was reminded of a conversation I had a few days earlier that was rather the opposite. Warning signs were placed here and there (“stay off the grass” and “no playing, off limits”) and over the following days, teams went about resurfacing the basketball courts and levelling the playing field for the summer sports season. A few weeks ago some fencing started going up along the entry to the field and some other fencing came down. But for now I like the stability of the track, the big scoreboard and the occasional javelin-thrower and hurdler. I could come up with more creative routes that would take me up into the forest, along gurgling brooks and over tiny bridges that I’m quite sure are teeming with little trolls beneath. I’m not putting in the same number of kilometres at the steady clip of my colleague who fills this very same space on a Saturday but after the lung surgery and hospital stint last year I’m very happy to be out in my crazy-jazzy Ultra Boosts trotting along the lake and up to the exquisitely groomed running track. Newsflash: I recently started running again. For all other readers in far-flung corners of the world: savour your first espresso hit of the day, say something nice to your dog, nod to the person across from you and buckle up because we have a lot of ground to cover. We start today by wishing all our American readers a very happy Fourth of July and, to my countryfolk north of the 49th parallel, a belated happy Canada Day.
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