We still have miles to go in building inclusive workplaces

Challenges posed by the COVID pandemic: The World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2021 highlighted that the pandemic has increased the time taken to close the gender gap on its index from 99 to nearly 136 years. Not only have we seen a reduction in employment across sectors, but the impact on women and other marginalized communities is troubling. In addition, women have found themselves struggling to manage work and the impact the pandemic has had at home. In many households, women are the primary caregivers, and parenting responsibilities, along with ‘staying at work’, have forced many out of the workforce. In addition, we’ve heard from organizations that calls to their call centers for domestic-violence support have increased by more than 60% compared to a year ago. Women who were able to escape the toxic environment of the home by going out to work or socializing themselves trapped under lockdown.

I have often been reminded of my privilege over the past two years that while I have had the backing of a large multinational corporation to work from home, small businesses led by women have faced financial strain and shutdowns, which have led to a stagnation. The direct impact has been financially. stability of families. It’s not that men don’t face the same challenges, but research points to a disproportionate impact on women’s health, mental well-being, economic independence and social capital. The areas we are working in have suffered a setback and require more commitment than ever before.

How organizations can address these challenges: Globally, the past few years have shown that external events can greatly influence how a person appears at work. The challenges experienced by employees during the pandemic highlight that true inclusion requires companies to acknowledge an individual’s specific circumstances and provide the best possible resources. The journey of building inclusive organizations begins with teams consisting of people of all backgrounds and abilities.

In today’s talent market, people want to work for companies where they can see themselves represented in leadership and its corporate values ​​align with their personal values ​​and ambitions. When women feel confident in their strengths, they can lead with authenticity, innovation and decisive strategic thinking, and are often engaged in societal progress while building inclusive companies. The value addition of women in leadership roles is now largely understood.

Creating an environment that continuously empowers women employees to share and leverage their unique perspectives and experiences for development is a must. To do this, as we do at Twitter, it is important to apply an equity lens to critical moments including recruitment, onboarding, payment transparency, learning and growth, and to ensure that we are cultivating a truly inclusive environment. .

Managers and teammates play a vital role in creating psychological security within their teams, where not only women but other employees from under-represented communities feel comfortable speaking up and sharing their concerns and feedback. The flexibility provided by working from home (WFH) is also a net positive for women and some other under-represented groups in the workplace – particularly in Asia. For example, new ways of working mean that people with disabilities now have access to WFH opportunities that were not previously on companies’ radar.

However, companies must also acknowledge that there are societal systemic constraints and unique challenges that individuals may face, given specific aspects of their identity. For Inclusion, Diversity, Equality and Access (IDEA) strategies to impact the results we want, companies need to ensure that they are addressing these systemic challenges and that employees need more inclusive behavior. guiding in the direction. Both are important and difficult. Personal bias (conscious and unconscious) is hard to eradicate, and systemic changes take time.

There are also some internal self-limiting beliefs that can prevent women (and other underrepresented groups) from accessing equal opportunities. Research shows that women interact less, seek promotion at a lower frequency than men and have a higher sense of ‘pretend syndrome’. If a company wants to do more for gender equality, they can help provide support and resources, ensure equality in policies that impact career development, and develop a culture that Promotes true relationships.

We can #BreakTheBias by learning about biases, when/how they appear, and taking steps to reduce them. Collectively, we have to work to create a truly inclusive culture across all sectors. We have made steady progress, and as businesses, our work #UntilWeAllBelong does not end there.

Preet Grewal, Head of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Reach (IDEA), Japan and Asia Pacific, Twitter