Workplace Equality Needs Inclusivity Allies

Women empowerment has long been a buzzword of the corporate world. A token sentiment expressed by HR officials while recruiting new female talent, highlighted in the company’s mission statement, with no genuine follow-through. As a result, women do a lot of invisible work than their male counterparts, especially in the areas of diversity, equity and inclusion, without getting any credit or acknowledgment, according to a Business Insider report.?

The pandemic has spurred a period of change for many companies and employees—one that has brought both opportunities and challenges. On the backdrop of their pandemic experiences, many women have made career decisions seeking more flexible working patterns; for others it has meant leaving their employer or the workforce entirely, according to a McKinsey report.?

This is not right, and it’s about time we, especially men, used our workplace power, privilege and voice to correct this imbalance. Set the record straight once and for all.

Why

Over the past 5+ years my wife and I have brought three beautiful children into the world. My daughter Mia is nearly 6 years old, my son Sebastian is 4 and the latest addition, Yasmine is 18 months old.

During this time, I have seen some of the frustrations my wife has had with her career. She works at a tech company and has a similar career path to mine. She has been at her current workplace for over 9 years, 6 months longer than I have been at LinkedIn. She has done well and progressed, but there’s no doubt that her career has stalled while having our three children – it’s clear even for me, as an outside observer.

No matter how good her company could be, the reality is that over a period of 4.5 years she has had roughly about 2 years (8 months per child) where she has opted to take maternity leave and others have remained working, like myself who only took 3 months in total. This will no doubt have an impact on career progression and confidence. You then add to this the new added pressure of being a good mother and the expectations of women to be the primary care-giver, you can see why many women opt out of the workforce.

While my wife’s career has stagnated having kids, my career has flourished. The key reason I believe this is, is because I have been able to maintain working the whole 4.5 years and keep the momentum within my company. Until they make paternity and maternity leave equal & mandatory this difference will remain.?

While genetics and paternity/maternity rules will be hard to change today, I believe there is more I can do as a manager, partner and father to help support women and their career aspirations & progressions so it is more equitable and we do not lose talented women from the workforce. One way could be flexibility.

According to a McKinsey report, ‘young women are more likely than current women leaders to say they’re increasingly prioritising flexibility and company commitment to well-being and DEI’.?With housework and caregiving burdens, women want & need the flexibility to manage their time accordingly to drive most impact.

Supporting this, the same McKinsey report also states that ‘Women employees who can choose to work in the arrangement they prefer—whether remote or on-site—are less burned out, happier in their jobs, and much less likely to consider leaving their companies’.?

The Problem

I want to share my story to highlight this as one of the many challenges women face in the workplace. I want to highlight the importance allies can play in helping to ensure progress in these areas.?

There’s plenty of research to support that women who work at inclusive, supportive organisations gain a competitive advantage as they report far higher levels of engagement, trust, and career satisfaction. This makes me want to understand the challenges women have in the workplace and help facilitate the role allies can play to improve things. With that knowledge I believe I'm in a position that I can positively influence change, and that is what I want to try and achieve as an ally for women’s greater inclusivity at the workplace.

Another major motivating factor for me is the fact I have two daughters. The fact that they could grow up in a world and not have the same opportunities as me because they are female is wrong. I want to learn and make a difference to make this society a better place for my daughters. Currently I have a seat at the leadership table for LinkedIn Marketing Solutions across APAC that influences team & talent decisions. This puts me in a unique position to look beyond my own bias, create a fair working place and create equity where it’s crucially missing for women in my team.

What Now

Every community needs its own representatives and allies to fight for their cause and exemplify their best virtues. But at the same time, allies that don?t represent the group can play a key role of spreading information and creating opportunities for the unrecognised, ensuring they get their just rewards. I shared the story about my wife to my team during a Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging sharing session recently. Their response was overwhelming, and it really made me realise that I can make a difference on this subject.?

Not only do I have family reasons to do this, but I have a team full of women that I can impact and empower in a positive way. I want to spread this impact across the whole of APAC and beyond. After sharing my DIBs story, a few hours later I saw this opportunity to apply for Women@LinkedIn as the Regional Co-Lead for Allyship and I knew straight away it was something I wanted to commit to.

I know I’m not alone in my experiences as a husband or colleague who feels a sense of responsibility to do more for promoting equality and inclusivity. Let me know your stories on workplace equality and parental leave, and how it impacted your / spouse’s career trajectory, and don’t hesitate to get in touch for any help in your allyship journey.

#allyship ?#DIBs?#DEI?#diversityandinclusion