Colleague Pouria: “Not everyone liked me”

What do equal opportunities mean to you?

“I immediately think of life chances—equal opportunities in life: to get an education, have a home, build a career...regardless of gender, orientation, skin colour, or background...That we no longer look at any of these factors, and see only people. Life chances allow you to feel satisfied with your life and to grow. Equality creates growth in a society. Inequality does the opposite.”

Have you ever experienced inequality?

“In Iran, where I was born, inequality begins at birth: there is significant inequality between men and women. I experienced a lot of inequality at school. I behaved differently from the others. I was sensitive and vulnerable, so teachers treated me differently. They noticed that I was gay and didn’t understand me, but they still wanted to raise me in line with the prevailing norms. I used to feel ashamed most of the time because people made me feel I was different. Not everyone liked me. I came to the Netherlands because you guys are much more open-minded when it comes to sexual orientation. But I experience inequality here in a different way. I’m well educated and I really wanted to work at a bank, but that was easier said than done. Your Reboot Programme gave me the opportunity I needed, and I’m just delighted. ABN AMRO heard my voice. But even here, it took a few years before I felt I was being fully seen and heard. I noticed that there was a lack of trust in my abilities. It sometimes happens even now that I’m not given a case because people assume that the language barrier will make it too complicated for me. Sometimes they don’t think I’m all that competent because I wasn’t educated here. Maybe people think I work in some ‘different’ way. In any case, it feels like I’m expected to listen to my colleagues more than they’re expected to listen to me. But I have something to say, precisely because I look at things from a different, complementary perspective. Still, I can say that now, after all these years dealing with immigration issues, I feel like I’ve settled in and have made it.”

How do you deal with inequality?

“I never take the easy way out. I fight it and speak out, especially when it comes to my orientation. The way I see it, I deserve to live my life the way I want to. That’s what I call ‘the gift of being a fighter’. I came to the Netherlands as a refugee and started afresh here. I was able to take that step because I speak English, having studied for four years in India. I know what it’s like to turn your life around. Not everyone in Iran can do that. I understand if people are afraid to take that step. Because I took that leap, I can now help other refugees as a volunteer. I know what they’re up against.”

Why are equal opportunities important?

“When there are equal opportunities for all, a society can grow. In the Middle East, men do the talking and women, the listening. Until recently, women in Saudi Arabia weren’t even allowed to drive a car. But we need each other. We need other perspectives to shed light on our own blind spots and reform existing systems. Everyone has something to contribute.”

How can we achieve equal opportunities?

“By teaching our children, the generations of the future, at school that diversity is good, normal, and really important. One reason the Netherlands is so successful is that it promotes the idea that you can be whoever you are, and that there’s always room for dialogue. It’s normal to discuss in an educational setting topics that are quite personal, like sexual orientation. In the Middle East, they certainly don’t want to discuss such issues. But here, these kinds of topics can also be discussed at work. ABN AMRO has a Diversity & Inclusion department. The bank even writes about it in interviews like this one! This is how we learn to understand each other better: first we see that there are differences. Then we figure out what those differences mean by talking about them, and finally by putting what we’ve discovered into practice. Because everyone has their blind spots.”

This interview is part of a series of interviews about equal opportunities, in which we talk to various colleagues about the obstacles that we still need to overcome, both as a bank and as a society.With our comprehensive diversity and inclusion policy, we give special attention to women, the LGBTI+ community, people with occupational disabilities, people from different cultural backgrounds, and senior citizens. For Pride 2022, we asked four employees from the LGBTI+ community five questions about equal opportunities.

Equal opportunities are a key part of our extensive diversity and inclusion policy. If our inclusive way of working appeals to you, take a look at werkenbijabnamro.nl. Who knows? Maybe you’ll soon be one of our new colleagues.