Insights
Sharing our latest videos from our CEO & Founder, Leanne Mair.
Quotas
Quotas are a first step in the right direction, but they shouldn't be the last stop on the journey. Our Managing Director & Founder, Leanne Mair wasn't always convinced about quotas but she has had a change of heart.
Here is what she thinks now.
Courageous Leadership
What is courageous leadership? It is the ability to know where the bottleneck is and more importantly, WHO is holding up progress and not to ignore it, just because the person makes a lot of money for the company. Leadership is just as much about changing the culture as it is managing profit and loss.
Job Criteria
Creating a job specification can be a minefield for creating roles and perpetuating gender bias. How you come up with the required skills can make all the difference between not only how women apply, but of those who do apply, how many are successful at getting the job.
Workplace History
The history of the workplace is important to frame why we have to change the system and not people. The workplace was built to be exclusive and even though the workforce has changed, the inbuilt exclusivity still stops women, Black women and women of colour from progressing. Until we critically assess the structure and accept that it exists, we won't be able to make long-term and authentic change.
Why taking care of mental health is important?
There is so much meaning in the words mental health. How can we take care of our mental wellbeing and how can companies play their part in providing their employees with the necessary support? We spend so much time at work, that how we feel and how we are allowed to feel is crucial to our success and productivity.
Gender Equality is Impact
Gender Equality isn't just about the one woman who is being helped, but rather about how she can then use her resources to empower herself, uplift communities and build foundations for the coming generations.
It is more than just in the boardroom and this is why it is so important that companies look further than just their employees but the wider impact that gender equality has on society as a whole.
Language & Labels.
Companies often allow themselves to be defined by titles, but what if they thought out of the box and used the same language but created another definition. Impact investing has a very specific use, but truth be told there is more than one way to look at, especially in the context of an employer/employee relationship. ROI doesn't always have to be in percentage terms.
Behind Every Injustice is Lived Experience
Diversity has officially become a buzzword and due to its frequent and somewhat distorted use, eye rolls often fall when the word diversity is spoken.
The problem is that it has begun to erase that the real and often traumatic lived experience. Diversity is an umbrella, but it doesn't reflect what it truly means to be marginalised based on gender, race, age, sexual orientation etc.
For those who think that is simply just a great topic and a business must. The point is being missed.
Respect those who have lived this and remember to tread carefully.
The Relocation Ultimatum - What companies don't realise they do to their Black female colleagues.
In times of cost-cutting, one of the main changes companies make is to re-locate their larger officers to cities, where real estate prices and salaries are lower. What the often forget is the burden they put on Black female colleagues in posing this choice, which is usually an ultimatum. Being Black isn't just about being in the office, but also the life that is lead outside of the office.
The problems companies cause when there is only one Black woman.
So much light is shone on a Black woman being the first or the only one in companies, but we rarely talk about the companies responsibility to understand what the effect is when they create the situation. It isn't a badge of honour to only have one Black woman and trying to rectify the situation just by bringing another Black woman in, won't solve the problem.
The blind spot companies miss when it comes to demanding trust.
The employer/employee relationship is mutually beneficial and while COVID has opened the door to employer concerns as to whether their staff are working efficiently, it has also led to another question.
Is my employer doing enough to make sure I am protected and can I trust them to do their best for me?
Why aren’t Black women moving up the corporate ladder?
How to make sure Black women are treated fairly at promotion time.
There are always hurdles that we have to overcome to be promoted, but what happens when there is a specific hurdle to overcome that isn't on paper.
The burden on Black women in the corporate world is often to prove, what they have been proving, rather than being giving the opportunity to reach their potential.
This evidence of racism, is a blind spot for many companies, especially those who do not take a deeply vested interest in why Black women aren't moving up the ladder and rather blame it on there being a lack of talent.