Over 300 companies participated in the SER Diversity in Bedrijf initiative - Diversity Day - on Tuesday, October 4, to draw attention to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. It is important that organizations continue to work on this even after this day.
Alliance and advocacy
Among other things, gender equality is not yet commonplace for many companies. For more women to reach the top, male role models are needed to influence the behavior of other men. Men hold the majority of leadership positions, so the power lies with them to change things. We need their support to help and make a real difference in closing the gender gap and achieving equality in the workplace.
Together with BrandedU, we gathered inspiring stories and experiences from men who have taken the steps and influenced change within their own organizations. From these, we formulated five strategies:
- Strategy #1 - Use Privilege: use it to open doors for women.
- Strategy #2 - Create a safe space to be authentic: hold yourself accountable to create inclusive spaces.
- Strategy #3 - Start breaking the rules: use your position as gatekeeper to change the rules, or better, break them.
- Strategy #4 - Practice curiosity: ask questions, even the uncomfortable ones.
- Strategy #5 - Respect: be the one to show your emotions.
Of course, this is not an exhaustive list of actions that can be taken by male leaders to advocate for women's visibility and gender equality. Most of all, we hope it spurs inspiration.
HeadFirst Group is a learning organization in the field of diversity and inclusion. It's about learning and evolving together so we can build a future where workplaces are more diverse and equal. Numbers are not our goal, but effectiveness. As an HR technology service provider, we see a role for our organization in creating a fair labor market.
Documents:
WhitepaperBrandedUHeadFirstGroup.pdf