Inclusion Revolution: Who really has the power in the workplace?

What does it mean to have power?

I used to think power was a dirty word. It brings up associations of dictators, exploitative bosses, le Front National, and rich men in suits. Working in EU climate advocacy, I spend a lot of my job trying to reveal and deconstruct the hidden power structures that maintain and widen inequalities in our society.

Last month I had the privilege to attend Inclusion Revolution, an all-day workshop run by Joanna Maycock and Emily Riley . The goal was to recognise and counter behaviours that prevent inclusion and the participation of all voices.?

We know overt power. Head teachers and CEOs and police officers have authority implicit in their role. Parliament badges and fenced-off residences draw clear visible lines about who gets to be involved and who doesn’t.?

What is harder to define is covert power, the informal social norms and behaviour that seek to control our everyday interactions. It’s the kind of power that the perpetrators pretend doesn’t exist. This sounds abstract but most of us who are not the 0.1% know these techniques very well in practice.?

Once I wrote an article about the myth of green growth and a man emailed me to let me know my article had ‘so many’ inaccuracies. I said I was keen to hear specifics. He couldn’t specify any inaccuracies but let me know it’s OK. “Even real journalists get confused about this!”?

This kind of patronising comment can be brushed off easily. He didn’t mean it like that. You’re not technically a journalist anyway Cass. Don’t overreact.

But it’s never just a comment. It’s the tip of the iceberg. Covert patriarchal norms and oppression techniques work because they keep us doubting ourselves, wondering if we’re overreacting, blaming ourselves, jumping through hoops to be taken seriously or to convince men that discrimination exists at all.?

I’ve said it in The Green Fix before: women are exhausted trying to balance a society that micromanages our emotions, bodies and opportunities.

Covert oppression techniques look like: not giving someone a chance to speak in meetings, making decisions privately later at the after-work drinks (it was just a lads thing, you know), implying or saying that women don’t deserve promotions if they choose to have a child, nit-picking our tone - do you have to be so bitchy about it? Is it that time of the month? - our dress (sorry but it’s difficult to take you seriously when you come dressed like that, like you want people to look at you), anything to avoid giving us the power.??

“But Cass,” an offended man will often say when I’m ranting about this topic. “Not all men do this. They can be oppressed too.”

Congratulations, you’ve just ticked another oppression technique off the list. What-about-XYZ is a fantastic way to miss the point. I’m oppressed but so are you so I guess we should just call it even and go home??

In the workshop I had a chance to see power in a new way. Not power over other people, this toxic dynamic of control and manipulation. Rather, the power to be heard, to stand your ground and to call out oppression and exclusion for what it is.?

We don’t need to beat them at their own game or try to walk this tightrope to be taken seriously.?

So what does true inclusion and empowerment look like in work? These are some of the techniques that were recommended:

• Asking for transparency about work expectations, deadlines, meetings and processes.?
• Holding meetings when everyone can actually attend them (not ‘accidentally’ after parents have left to pick up their children from school, or in a bar after work where the topic ‘just came up’).
• Noticing when someone is being interrupted in a meeting and calling it out.
• Don’t laugh at discriminatory jokes. Ask for clarification. Make it awkward. (Personal note: keep a bingo card of how many times they say come on…. Or you know I’m just joking… when you do this).?
• Keep a record of decisions and who is responsible for the following actions. Email meeting notes afterwards.

It’s not easy to start. Many women and marginalised groups find that even speaking out about sexism and discrimination can impact their career progress.?

So let’s be clear: it’s not only the responsibility of the oppressed groups to reclaim power and be heard. I have been at multiple workshops and conferences on sexism and discrimination and the vast majority of the participants are women - and not only that, women who have the privilege to take the time to attend these events.?

As well as talking about the power to stand our ground, it’s important to hammer home that those who are using these power techniques are also losing. When we silence each other, we lose a lot of valuable input, collaboration and diversity of ideas and perspectives.??

It’s not just the power to be heard, it’s also facilitating power with other people.?

It is easy to get stuck in a spiral of complaining about how exhausting it is to combat these power plays on a daily basis and forget that while we are often the subjects of such oppression, we still have our own ability to lift each other up.?

It is difficult to be a woman in a workplace. It is harder to be a woman and a person of colour, or a minority, or disabled or young or LGBTQ+ as well. Oppression and power has many levels and when discovering our power, we must make sure not to inadvertently take our power at the expense of other people or other groups.

As a privileged white woman, I have a responsibility to look and see who else is not being included. Unlocking systems of power and focusing on collective power means we all gain. There are no losers in an inclusion revolution.?

Here’s the application form to join the next workshop in October: https://forms.gle/wn7tycLCqdFsUNK29?