Time to smash a few glass ceilings!

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-11077811/Femail-investigates-hidden-sexism-forcing-high-flyers-jobs.html

I recently saw this article that Sarah ?? Hamilton-Gill FCIPD posted, and whilst initially it made my blood boil when I read it, it has given me a lot of food for thought. Whilst the article is about women, the reality is it relates to all underrepresented groups, and this has to change and not take decades to happen.

?Who decided anyone was over the hill when they reach 50?

?Men and women are in the prime of their life when they are over 50, yes, often women have care responsibilities for aging parents but why should that stop them? Yes, they may suffer during menopause which can be horribly debilitating. But they sure as hell should not be paid less for being a woman of a certain age.

?When will businesses wake up and smell the coffee and realise that they are missing out on so much by not having women in more powerful positions? Some of the most successful leaders are women!

?Without being sexist, women have had to juggle so much, normally (and I know there are exceptions) men take far less of the family responsibility when the children are growing up and often the care needs for their parents. Most women do it so well, because they have had to AND have needed to work! This is a skill that should be embraced as this is just what senior management and leadership positions require!

?Equal opportunities for everyone

?Equal opportunities need to be just that and the Stale, Male and Pale brigade need to get their heads out of the 1950s and treat women (and all underrepresented groups) the respect that they deserve.

?Businesses should be educating ALL their people from the C-Suite down on:

• ?Equality, Inclusion, Diversity and bias - particularly unconscious, but also conscious.
• Building teams around strengths and motivations.
• Look internally for talent that is staring them in the face, often overlooked (probably crying out for recognition), possibly because of unconscious biases.
• ?Communication, particularly managers and leaders so that they can actively listen to their people but also to ask the right questions to really find out what their people are capable of.

?The last two years particularly have seen massive changes, businesses pivoted overnight to adapt, this was not only a physical shift, but it also took changes of attitudes to survive the pandemic. If we can do it then, why is it taking so much time to change attitudes towards other human beings?

Would I want to be treated this way?

?Think of it this way, if that were me and I was being treated the way I am treating or seeing others being treated, how would I feel and would I want things to change? I suspect even the most diehard misogynist (and they don’t only come packaged as male), racist, homophobe etc, would have to say NO, if they were brutally honest with themselves.

?We know that change can take place rapidly and whilst it is often more difficult to change attitudes, old dogs can learn new tricks! Biases are often formed from an early age from our upbringing and experiences, but a lack of understanding entrenches this. By educating ourselves and those around us, putting ourselves in the shoes of others and not accepting old ideas and ways of thinking, we can make change happen quicker.?

The glass ceilings have to be smashed, with the clear intention (no pun intended) of making not just the world of work, but society in general a more caring, open minded place to live. A place where everyone - regardless, can thrive, to live and work their best life and have a better chance of reaching their full potential.