Author: Thamara Subramanian

Justice is not neutral. After decades of keeping politics, conflict and anything beyond the job description out of the workplace, we are recognizing the collective harm and inequities that often arise as a result of organizations’ commitment to being “impartial,” “neutral” or “apolitical.” It has harmed not only those in our workplaces, but also our broader community. On a cultural level, our interpretations of what is “neutral” are more often than not associated with a specific set of values — values that center European colonists’ (white Americans’) values, while deeming other cultural values as “less than,” and in the case of the workplace, unacceptable, or even penalized.