Welcome to season 1, episode 7 of Breaking with Tradition, Catalyst’s podcast that explores trends and ideas that will impact the future of the global workplace. This episode is called AI and the Future of Pink-Collar Jobs.

As AI technology rapidly evolves, a troubling new gender gap has emerged, especially among younger workers: 71% of men ages 18-24 say they use generative AI weekly, compared with 59% of women. This gap threatens to widen existing disparities, especially frontline women in “pink-collar” sectors such as customer service, healthcare, and education.

Join host Victoria Kuketz as she chats with Ana Kreacic, Partner and Chief Knowledge Officer of Oliver Wyman Group and COO of the Oliver Wyman Forum, and Terry Stone, Managing Partner Global Health and Life Sciences and Former Managing Director, Americas, Oliver Wyman to discuss the urgent and important need for inclusive upskilling initiatives, incorporating AI into companies’ future vision, and tapping the leadership of Gen Z.

Tune in as we unpack how generative AI could both displace and empower, and what steps companies can take to create a more equitable future of work for all.

Host and guest

Victoria Kuketz, Director, Corporate Engagement, Canada, Catalyst

LinkedIn | Bio

Ana Kreacic is a Partner and Chief Knowledge Officer of Oliver Wyman and COO of the Oliver Wyman Forum – the think tank and platform for engaging business, public policy, and societal leaders to act on shared challenges. With over 20 years of consulting and operating experience, Ana is known for her ability to blend customer insight with business strategy and leadership effectiveness. A frequent speaker and author, Ana’s work has been featured in the World Economic Forum, Wall Street Journal, and MIT Sloan, to name a few. Ana is passionate about empowering women and youth.

LinkedIn | Website

Terry Stone is Vice Chair and Interim Global Lead taking on two strategic priorities for Oliver Wyman. One is as interim Global Leader for Health and Life Sciences focused on accelerating the growth of our Life Sciences businesses in the US and Europe. A second critical firm priority which Terry leads is a project for our CEO to accelerate the transformation of OW’s own business and operating model in response to Artificial Intelligence. Our priority is to identify how consulting overall, and our OW’s business is likely to be impacted by the opportunity and threats that AI creates for strategic advisory businesses.

LinkedIn | Website

In this episode

• 1:41 | Tell us about yourselves! Ana and Terry fill us in on what excites them as AI practitioners.
• 4:29 | The AI gender gap. Our guests break down the emerging AI usage gap between men and woman.
• 8:22 | “Pink-collar” sectors and AI. Terry defines what a “pink-collar” job is and how they’re perceiving new AI technology.
• 14:49 | Performing at the top of your license. How can we convince reticent AI users of its huge potential for positive change?
• 20:11 | AI tips & tricks. Terry reflects on her experience and what works on implementing AI policies at work. Ana brings in the “pink-collar” specificity.

Favorite moments

• 2:17 | Ana: For me, [the exciting part about AI] is the opportunity for positive change… It’s a time that requires a lot of reflection if we’re going to get it right.
• 3:21 | Terry: AI is going to be the single biggest, disruptive force or catalyst for change in business in my entire career.
• 11:50 | Terry: When [AI use is] done well, you can easily see 15-20% productivity improvements in key areas.
• 12:19 | Terry: There’s still a lot of fixation on AI as “driving efficiency.” I think the best companies are thinking about “How does AI serve as a catalyst for me to reimagine everything we do?”
• 15:25 | Ana: When ChatGPT was launched, all of the assessments said it was a very smart eight-year-old… Now we’re getting in the realm of it being an average, maybe C-level PhD student.
• 16:22 | Ana: If you look by gender, women on average will say that they are less aware, in the same company, of AI initiatives. They are less aware of changes their company has made. They are less likely to participate in trainings.
• 18:44 | Terry: The truth of the matter is, AI is going to impact your job. So, you getting smarter about AI will enable you to use it to do your job better… The more you lean in, the more you’ll get out of it.
• 22:02 | Terry: [When it comes to AI implementation], you have to think about both breakthrough business impact and things that are broad-based and easy but that make everyday users’ lives’ easier.
• 25:46 | Ana: How is it that 40% of Gen Z prefer an AI manager? Part of the reason is because they have no fear of asking any question to AI. And the way they ask the question, they know they’re not going to be judged for how they’re asking the question or what they’re asking about. Also, it’s available any time.

Mentioned on the Pod

• World Economic Forum: How to stop women falling behind on generative AI in the workplace
• Oliver Wyman Forum: How generative AI is transforming business and society
• Forbes: 46% of Gen Z leans more on AI than their managers, says new study

Research you can use

• Blog: Global CEOs share insights on AI implementation
• Blog: What is ‘responsible AI’? Panelists weigh in
• Blog: Leverage AI while avoiding its risks and biases
• Webinar recording: How to use generative AI free of gender and racial bias (Supporter Only)
• Explainer: Responsible artificial intelligence for inclusive workplaces (Supporter Only)
• Tool: Use AI to attract a more diverse candidate pool (Supporter Only)

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The post Episode 107: AI and the Future of Pink-Collar Jobs appeared first on Catalyst.

What is microfeminism? Popularized on TikTok, microfeminisms are everyday actions women are employing to push back against day-to-day sexism in the workplace, one small act at a time. Watch as Catalyst experts break down this TikTok trend in this episode of Catalyst Spills the Tea, a video YouTube series.

Women across social media are talking about how they engage in small acts of feminism in the workplace. Some do it to correct or call out intentional or unintentional sexist acts or microaggressions. Others do it to spark controversy.

This trend speaks to how there’s a strong desire to create more equitable, inclusive workplace cultures and how women are empowering themselves to drive change through small gestures. Listen as we dig into why this is happening, what the implications are, and why companies should care.

• Sheila Brassel, PhD, Director, Research
• Alix Pollack, VP, Head of Knowledge Transformation & Solution Development
• Host: Josh Smalley Baldasare, Director, Content Creation

About Catalyst Spills the Tea

Catalyst Spills the Tea is a video series where we discuss trending topics in workplace culture; gender equity; and diversity, equity and inclusion. We are all about creating equitable workplaces for everyone, so you won’t find people more obsessed with workplace culture than we are. Yes, we love research, but we also love memes, video shorts, pop culture, and debating hot trends just like the rest of you. We decided to bring our watercooler talk and infuse it with a little bit of our research in this video series. Essentially, we’re bringing the research receipts to #worktok. Buckle up!

Wait, what does “spill the tea” mean?

Spilling the tea is slang used to refer to gossip or news, popular on the Internet and social media.

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Sign up to receive the C-Newsletter with more thought leadership, tools and events.

Transcript

00:00:04:00

Hello and welcome to Catalyst Spills the Tea, where we break down and discuss trending topics in DEI. If you’re new here, Catalyst is a global nonprofit that drives gender equity through workplace inclusion. Today I’m your host, Josh Smalley Baldasare, Director of Content Creation. And I’m spilling the tea on microfeminism, with my fellow Catalyst staffers Sheila Brassel, Director of Research, and Alix Pollack, Head of Knowledge Transformation and Solution Development.

00:00:34:25

So let’s start with the obvious. What is microfeminism? Popularized on TikTok, microfeminisms are everyday actions women are employing to push back against day-to-day sexism in the workplace, one small act at a time. And I’d love to tag you in, Sheila, to kind of talk to us about why this is happening.

00:00:50:66

Thanks, Josh. Well, we know that for decades, if not longer – perhaps as long as women have been in the corporate workforce –
that they have experienced these sorts of everyday slights at work. Little things like having their ideas get taken up by someone else, often by someone in a position of power or by a man and having that idea, having that person take credit for their ideas, or their work, or things like being spoken over, or interrupted during meetings. So, microfeminisms are raising awareness right now of the ways that everyday sexism continues to be a problem at work. But this is certainly tapping into a trend that has been around for quite some time.

00:01:31:08
Yeah. But in those everyday kind of death by a thousand cuts, subtle, not-so-subtle moments, right, women are looking for ways that they can take back some of that control, that they can make positive impacts in their workplaces, even if they’re not necessarily in a position of power. So I think it’s just a really a great example of the ways in which feminism doesn’t need to be getting up on a soapbox or making broad, sweeping changes. It can be in those small everyday actions to push back against the status quo.

00:02:01:62

Yeah, and I feel like that’s why it’s been so popular, right? Is that it’s very accessible. And that folks like, like you know, a lot of folks, people have different roles, different personalities, and they may not feel like they can go out and like march or protest. But these little things, and especially the everyday aspect, make that I feel like very accessible and also very like powerful when all taken together.

00:02:24:00

I think it also helps women not to feel so alone, right? Because they can be in partnership in these kinds of actions. It’s really validating to have other women and hopefully people of all genders around you picking up on those sort of behaviors and responding to them in kind. Right? That it’s kind of in locking arms in solidarity in small ways that can have a big ripple effect.

00:02:46:62

Yeah, Alix. It can help so much in those moments where you’re maybe in fight-or-flight to have an idea of what you might do. But then also showcasing the diversity in these experiences, right? And how the ways that we’re seeing everyday sexism and microfeminism show up are intertwined with racism and microaggressions against women of color, and how this is the way that sexism shows up for women of color. And there’s so much power, I think, in this you know, awareness-giving that social media has provided.

00:03:17:20

Yeah. Yeah. It’s definitely one of my hopes coming out of this trend is that it’s an invitation into partnership for men, and people of other genders as well, that feminism does not belong to women. It’s about equity and you know, the kinds of things that these microfeminist acts are pushing back against are the same kinds of problematic dynamics that people across genders are, you know, suffer from.

00:03:34:08

Yeah. I mean, I think that’s definitely how I receive it as a cisgender man, like I feel like it’s an invitation for allies too. Because all these things allies can also do, like men can also do to support women. And I think, you know, the point that you, you both brought up about, like the noticing and the intersectionality as well, like, the more men notice these things that these women are like bringing awareness to, the more they can also interrupt them, in the name of partnership.

00:04:11:50

I love hearing your perspective on this, as you said, as a cis man, like what the invitation looks like for you. I also think that that’s a place where we have an opportunity, maybe an obligation to call out the potential challenges of this trend, which is that when it’s an invitation, when it is these positive forms of microfeminism, it’s a beautiful, accessible, inclusive thing. But it can also default to a place of shame and blame and sort of a zero sum. If women are going to quote-unquote win, then someone has to be on the losing end of that, right? And it’s kind of rather than calling in, it’s calling out men and saying in particular, like you are bad or wrong for doing or saying the thing you just did. And that’s not an invitation. That’s not how we make progress and it can be really alienating. And I think kind of gives the work we’re trying to do around equity and inclusion and feminism a bit more of an uphill battle to climb than we need. Yeah.

00:05:10:08

I would love for us to talk a little bit about these sort of combative cultures and climates of silence that, you know, breed these types of interactions that are hyper-competitive, right? So if you are working in a hyper-competitive environment, you might get more points if you do interrupt someone. If you do, you know, take credit for someone else’s work, intentionally or unintentionally. So it’s a lot of these sorts of cultural dynamics that we know can be shifted, that set up these experiences of everyday sexism at work.

00:05:41:70

Yeah I think, Sheila, what you’re getting at, too, is the call to action for organizations and leadership in all of this, both to if and when they notice acts of microfeminism happening in their workplaces, to life that up, to validate and celebrate and replicate that, as an opportunity for some self-reflection around why that microfeminist act was necessary in the first place.

00:06:06:70

Yeah, I’m really just coming back to like that idea of like, death by a thousand cuts, psychological safety, like, this is a workplace safety issue. You know, like women don’t feel safe in the workplace. They feel like they have to use these small acts to get to that place of like, feeling like, they’re on an equal playing field. So I think that’s like a big call to, you know, allies, especially, and these workplaces to acknowledge that and to do what they can to put in safeguards.

00:06:33:95

Well, I think we spilled the tea on microfeminism. So, I just want to thank Alix and Sheila for this conversation. It’s been very fruitful. And please join us next time on Catalyst Spills the Tea.

00:06:45:87

Thanks, all.

00:06:46:62

Thanks, Josh. Thanks, Alix.

00:06:47:70

Thank you.

The post Video: Catalyst Spills the Tea on Microfeminism appeared first on Catalyst.

Do you know how much you make and where every dollar goes? In this episode of Catalyst Spills the Tea, a video YouTube series, we spill the tea on “payday routines,” a social media trend where influencers share best practices for saving money and living within your means.

Gen Z and Millennials, whose early careers have been marked by recession, inflation, COVID-19, and other financially challenging moments, are well aware of the importance of fiscal responsibility. They are collectively ushering in a new era of pay transparency by taking to social media to democratize, normalize, and demystify budgeting and salaries.

• Andrew Grissom, Director, Community Growth
• Tara Van Bommel, Senior Director, Statistician
• Host: Isabela Stille, Sr. Associate, Social Media

About Catalyst Spills the Tea

Catalyst Spills the Tea is a video series where we discuss trending topics in workplace culture, gender equity, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. We are all about creating equitable workplaces for everyone, so you won’t find people more obsessed with workplace culture than we are. Yes, we love research, but we also love memes, video shorts, pop culture, and debating hot trends just like the rest of you. We decided to bring our watercooler talk and infuse it with a little bit of our research in this video series. Essentially, we’re bringing the research receipts to #worktok. Buckle up!

Wait, what does “spill the tea” mean?

“Spilling the tea” is slang used to refer to gossip or news. It’s popular on the Internet and social media.

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Sign up to receive the C-Newsletter with more thought leadership, tools, and events.

Transcript

00:00:03:13 – 00:00:04:09
Hi, everybody.

00:00:04:09 – 00:00:06:14
Welcome to Catalyst Spills the Tea, where we break down and discuss trending topics in DEI. Today I’m your host.
I’m Bella Stille, the Senior Associate for Social Media at Catalyst. And we’re spilling the tea on payday routines.

00:00:17:15
Hi, everyone. I’m Andrew Grissom. I am Director of Community Growth at Catalyst.

00:00:22:16
I’m Tara Van Bommel, and I’m Senior Director and Statistician in the Research and Development Department at Catalyst.

00:00:29:19
What are payday routines? It’s a new Tik Tok trend that you might have seen where users share how much they make and where every dollar of their paycheck goes.

So you might have seen also some videos by pages like Salary Transparent Street encouraging salary transparency by asking strangers on the streets of large cities in the US what their salaries are. Now, why is this happening? Let’s ask Andrew and Tara.

00:00:55:06
It’s basically never been more difficult to make ends meet. And so Gen Z is leveraging the tools that they’ve grown up with by going to social media to crowdsource and educate one another.

We’re seeing this not only happening on places like TikTok and social media, but, you know, in laws and workplace norms occurring all over the world.

00:01:16:03
So why don’t we talk a little bit about the implications of this trend?

00:01:19:11
Pay transparency laws and practices are really explicitly designed to shed light on unfair and inequitable pay decisions, particularly in jobs and workplaces where there may be discriminatory behaviors that have really thrived for a long time under pay secrecy.

00:01:36:08
What we’re really talking about here is the racial wealth gaps and systemic oppression.

And so dismantling that requires a movement. And I’m really hopeful that this trend can ignite that progress.

00:01:47:16
Well, in looking further into it, how do you think women are, in particular, impacted by this trend?

00:01:53:08
So much of what I’ve seen on social media is a lot of women talking about their payday routines.
Right?

So in a large part, I see them as driving this trend, which is great. And it sort of demonstrates how women are taking action to empower their own financial security.

But on the flip side, you know, the cynic in me can’t also help but wonder if this could be, you know, at least in some situations, yet another example of women’s unpaid labor.

00:02:22:23
Let’s think about companies. Why should companies care about this trend?

00:02:26:11
Underpinning all these laws is this effort to close the gender pay gap and ensure that pay is fair and equitable.

00:02:34:04
But I’ll also say that we’re sort of concerned about companies taking a little bit of a knee-jerk reaction to this growing sense of, you know, compliance.

So just quickly, oh, I’m going to comply with the new law and then my work is done, you know, particularly in the US, as I said earlier, a lot of these laws are really new and require just disclosing a pay range on job advertisements. Some companies we’ve seen are just simply posting ranges to comply, even taking huge ranges for a post and posting those online.

And that’s not really helpful to job candidates.

00:03:12:18
That’s so right, Andrew, and I think the opportunity here is for companies to embed financial wellness into their value proposition.

So when companies thoughtfully respond by doing things like a pay equity audit and reinventing pay decision processes, you know, they are actively creating a more equitable workplace for everyone.

As this trend shows.

00:03:35:05
A lot of people, Gen Z and people across generations are just, I think, at a point where we’re ready to talk about money and hold our organizations accountable for nondiscriminatory pay.

And if you won’t do it, your employees might feel the need to move on to another employer or maybe even your competitor down the street.

00:03:54:18
It’s really interesting to think about this as working towards demystifying practices at large.

And it’s really, truly what this pay transparency you know, in general, everyone online is talking about it, even if it’s in different ways.

I think employees are just taking greater ownership of their financial health and they want their employers to take a greater role in that too.

00:04:16:06
So, Andrew and Tara, do you have any payday routines?

00:04:20:02
This was something that I was never taught growing up, and I’m really excited to see and learn from this.

And I’m hoping I can stash away a little extra money going forward.

00:04:29:12
Like Tara, I – this is this trend is inspiring me to look at budgeting more holistically.
And so I’m looking forward to doing that as well.

00:04:38:13
Thank you, Andrew and Tara, for helping us spill the tea on payday routines.

Thanks for joining us, and I guess we’ll see you next time.

The post Video: Catalyst Spills the Tea on Pay Day Routines appeared first on Catalyst.

Enjoy the inaugural episode of Catalyst Spills the Tea, a video YouTube series where we spill the tea on the trend, “lazy girl jobs.” Coined by social media influencer Gabrielle Judge, the notion of “lazy girl jobs” has taken over the discussion on employees looking for better work-life balance.

Gen Z, in particular, is ushering in a new attitude towards work-life balance. No matter the generation, workplace expectations are shifting, with employees everywhere wanting more flexibility. “Lazy Girl jobs” are one example of how employees are taking to the internet to discuss their hacks for better work-life balance.

Coined by social media influencer Gabrielle Judge, the phrase is meant to describe a non-technical job where you have a comfortable salary, a lot of flexibility, and are not overworked. Are “Lazy Girl jobs” just healthy jobs? Does the term have a negative connotation for women? Why did this term cause such an uproar and what does it mean for talent recruiters, workplaces and the future of work?

• Danielle Shelton, Director, Talent Acquisition
• Tara Van Bommel, Senior Director, Statistician
• Host, Mariana Vanin, Director, Global Communications

About Catalyst Spills the Tea

Catalyst Spills the Tea is a video series where we discuss trending topics in workplace culture; gender equity; and diversity, equity and inclusion. We are all about creating equitable workplaces for everyone, so you won’t find people more obsessed with workplace culture more than us. Yes, we love research, but we also love memes, video shorts, pop culture, and debating hot trends just like the rest of you. We decided to bring our watercooler talk and infuse it with a little bit of our research in this video series. Essentially, we’re bringing the research receipts to #worktok. Buckle up!

Wait, what does “spill the tea” mean?

Spilling the tea is slang used to refer to gossip or news, popular on the Internet and social media.

Get More Insights

Sign up to receive the C-Newsletter with more thought leadership, tools and events.

Transcript

00:00:04:00

Welcome to Catalyst Spills, the tea where we break down and discuss trending topics and diversity, equity and inclusion. Today I’m your host, Marianna Venning, director of Global Communications, and we’re spilling the tea on Lazy Girl jobs.

Tara, as a future of work researcher and Danielle, as a talent professional, what do you think of this trend and why it resonated with so many people, particularly with Gen Z, who talk to the trend quite fiercely on TikTok, where it originated?

00:00:41:26

Sure. Well, we’ll all happen and go first. It’s great to be here today and nice to see you, Danielle and Mariana, to talk about this. You know, I think really important topic. And, you know, I would really start off by saying that this trend is not really a new phenomenon. So two years ago, we called it quiet, quitting.

And in both cases, it reflects really a larger societal shift and pushback against hustle culture. So from the future of work perspective, this really fits under the broader theme of what we would call shifting work and life expectations. So really, after decades of increased productivity alongside wage stagnation and a skyrocketing cost of living, millennials and especially Gen Z are realizing that the notion of the American dream, you know, achieved by hard work in a meritocracy was really just a ruse.

But what we see in our research, regardless of the decade that someone was born, employees of all genders, and we just want greater flexibility. They want to be paid a living wage and they don’t want to sacrifice their well-being to do so.

00:01:50:24

Yep, I totally agree. And you know, when I’m connecting with candidates, one also thank you for having me and Tara. Fantastic. See you. And Marianne, I think true opportunity, you know, when I’m connecting with candidates, whether that’s, you know, for our roles at Catalyst or just in general, people are look at the biggest thing I hear from candidates is that I’m looking for a better work life balance.

00:02:12:03

What about the term, though, Right? The, the use of lazy use of girl to describe the concept, this kind of role, There’s a negative connotation. There’s a gendered component. Why? And what, if anything, does that signal? What’s the message that it sends?

00:02:35:18

The phrase itself suggests that women who want flexible work do not have the same career ambitions as men, and even worse, it equates them with children. You know, what I really like to think about is what do we call this role?

If it were a man seeking this position or a father, would we label him as a lazy boy? Would we recommend him or would we commend him for being a supportive caretaker?

00:03:01:05

Again, I think the the word choice that she used probably wasn’t the best. But I do love the fact that, you know, she was talking about, again, work life balance roles that you can have flexible work, flexible hours, but that still doesn’t mean that your job is easy. Another you know, I saw in the comment section like we were like, yeah, those jobs I have those jobs.

They aren’t easy. They are mentally draining that mentally draining still can take up, I mean, your mental capacity and then carry over into your work life balance. So again, I think word choice could have been a bit difference in the sense and I don’t think there is any job that is easier than the other.

00:03:42:25

And one thing that really stuck out to me when I watched the original video was she talked about how, you know, there’s so many jobs out there, you can just go get them and you could have this job and then you could be a mom and it would be so easy.

And that just really struck a chord with me because it is so just misguided in terms of like what what work is like and what it’s like to be a caretaker. There is no job out there where you can work and take care of children at the same time. Now, flexible work that allows you to do your work around your caregiving.

00:04:16:14

But to say that you could do both at the same time I thought was really problematic. And I have to say that I couldn’t help but wonder how many moms are out there watching, just thinking, you know, has she ever had a job and try to take care of a child before? Because those are full time things, that one does not happen at the same time as the other.

00:04:34:16

And really be able to frame your work centered around your life, right?

Not your life centered around your work, I think is really important, but it’s I think it’s hard to do that if you are unsure about how your work works. Right. And what those hours look like and whether they have flexible work and how they support caregivers and other people and their different lifestyles. So I think that’s another thing that when I was looking up some research behind this, there are quite a few companies and larger companies that are really defining what works and how they work as a work, which I think is really important for then people to really plan on how they want to live their life, which includes work.

00:05:14:02

So thank you both again, so, so much. This was such an enlightening conversation, and I’m sure our audience will feel the same. Thanks again.

00:05:26:05

Thank you. Thanks.

The post Video: Catalyst Spills the Tea on Lazy Girl Jobs appeared first on Catalyst.

At the 2024 Catalyst Awards conference, a Baby Boomer, a Gen Xer, a Millennial, and a Gen Zer discussed how their generations can leverage their differences to work better together. Giovanni Lucas, SVP, Chief Diversity and Talent Acquisition Officer, Nationwide, moderated “Beyond the Buzzword: Navigating DEI Through the Generations.” The panelists were Mike Boyd, SVP, Marketing Content & Delivery, Nationwide, a Baby Boomer; Lisa Kirk, VP, Talent Acquisition, Nationwide, a Gen Xer; Ingrid Harb, CEO, NOTA Inclusion, a Millennial; and Na’Kia Channey, Partnerships and Impact Manager, Google, a Gen Zer.

Here are their key insights:

1. Focus on differences, not divisiveness.“It’s nothing new, that we’ve complained about the newer generations,” said Harb. “But what is new is that we have social media.” She shared some research she did about generational stereotypes. Baby Boomers are described online as “selfish” and “workaholics.” Gen X was called “the Karen Generation.” Millennials were described as “lazy” and “entitled.” And Gen Z were described as “lazy” and “unaware.”“These are preconceived notions,” Harb continued. “These are complaints. And so, […] this is a hype and we need to put it to the side. So, when you’re working with someone, you need to really judge them based on your own life experiences.”
2. Center the individual and their superpowers. Channey said, “We have to make sure that we are thinking about who are we as unique individuals with all of our other intersecting identities and how those each inform our unique lived experiences. And even though I do think we can all agree that ageism and generations are not a monolith, I think each generation still has these unique superpowers that we bring to the world and of course, then to the workplace. And the organizations that take the time to actually understand, strengthen, and grow those unique superpowers are the ones that truly stand the test of time and then see the best growth and strength.”
3. You’re never too old to reflect, learn, and grow.
   Boyd spoke about his experience joining Nationwide. “It was 30-some-odd years into my career. It was the first time that I had the opportunity to work for a person of color. And on my first interview, with the hiring manager, it quickly moved from, ‘This is interesting’, to ‘How do I work for that man?’ I was so impressed by his leadership, his presence. And […]you’re thinking, ‘Oh, I’ve seen it all. I’ve done it all.’ And it was, ‘Child, you don’t know anything about the world out there.’” 

   “On self-reflection,” he continued, “and this can be on diversity, it can be generational, is then, what do you do when you experience that moment, right? For me, it was a lot of self-reflection. The first thing I said [to myself] was, ‘You have a lot of catching up to do. You have to make up for lost time.’ And so I really tried to double down on, ‘Who am I mentoring? Who am I working with? What is my presence? What is my leadership voice? What am I doing in this organization?’ And I would not have had that outlook, unless I had this opportunity. […] Start on day one and don’t look back.”

4. It’s never too soon to refresh your hiring practices. Kirk said, “Think about the decision that a hiring leader makes every time they hire. It is hugely impactful to your organization’s results. And it is hugely impactful to the experience of that candidate across the table. And so, one of the things that we’ve done at Nationwide is create an inclusive hiring toolkit. Really helping leaders see: why is this important? Why does it matter? Not assuming that every leader knows why it matters, kind of outlining that. Secondly, walking them through specific practices that we want them to follow, behaviors and mindsets that we want them to embody when they are interviewing. To have an inclusive hiring panel that is welcoming, that is embracing that that candidate can see themselves and what it would look like to be successful in your organization. It matters.”
5. Being a good role model starts with being good to yourself. Harb didn’t mince words, calling out the leaders who, intentionally or not, set the precedent for professionalism at their workplaces. One generation’s hard work can be another generation’s burnout. “One of the problems with cross-generational workplaces is that we all think our point of view is right,” she said. “And we’re seeing that newer generations are struggling with mental health. But I need every single leader in this room to learn how to deal with their emotions. I need every single leader in this room to be aware of their work habits that can lead their teams and themselves to burnout. Self-awareness is the new intelligence, and we, we need to go within because we’re creating unsustainable workplaces that are burning everyone out and yourself. So, I really need for our leaders of today to deal with their emotions.”
6. Sometimes leadership means letting others pass you by. Boyd knows the value of putting the right people in the right place and letting them soar. “I want to build the very best team. I want to have very successful results. Full stop. I want the very best talent on the team. And that comes from a very diverse team. And when I work with people, I will express it to myself, going, ‘You’re five years ahead of where I was at your age.’ ‘You’re 10 years ahead of where I was at your age.’ So, why would I want to slow that down?”

   “I’m [Gen] X and a lot of us had to go through some of the twists and turns of corporate culture, right? We had to go through… some of us might have been hazed a little bit,” Lucas contributed. “My job is to be an accelerator. I don’t want those who are coming behind me to have to go through the same thing I went through. My job is to make sure that I’m mitigating speed bumps along the way so the journey can be faster. That should be all of our job, right? To think about pulling folks up in a very meaningful way that allows them to experience opportunities in a way they never would have if it had not been for you investing in them.”
7. Connecting across differences is where the magic happens. Channey reminded attendees that collaboration can be a rewarding experience. “I think cross-generational connections also can be fun. I think it’s so important that we bring the fun back into these type of conversations and into the workplace. And at the end of the day, I try to live a life of joy. And I find joy when I get connected to people and help me get to where I want to go, and [I help them get to where they want to go]. We also can just bond together on our shared humanity together.”

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Few organizations consider age as a dimension of diversity, but it can be a key issue in the broader issue of gender equity. With an intersectional lens, companies can better understand age as another aspect of identity to fully support women at all stages of their careers.

How to cite this product: Duffett, J. (2023). Inclusion at every stage: Addressing gendered ageism: Topic overview. Catalyst.

The post Inclusion at Every Stage: Addressing Gendered Ageism (Topic Overview) appeared first on Catalyst.

Women at the peak of their careers who resign due to a lack of health and wellness support can hurt an organization beyond elevated attrition and loss of productivity. By integrating thoughtful measures around menopause, companies can assist their valued employees as both part of a robust diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) strategy and an overall initiative around the employee experience. This kind of support can help build a stronger pipeline to senior leadership by retaining women through this life stage.

Read this Topic Overview to learn how your organization can craft a thoughtful menopause strategy.

How to cite this product: Duffett, J. & Hughes, V. (2022). Menopause in the workplace: Topic overview. Catalyst.

The post Menopause in the Workplace (Topic Overview) appeared first on Catalyst.

Generation Z is entering the workforce and will soon account for over a third of the global population.¹ Some estimates say that in a few years they will make up a quarter of the global workforce.² Organizations that understand Gen Z and their drive and motivation will be well-positioned to ensure their successful inclusion within multi-generational workplaces and reap the benefits they bring to the workforce.

Who Is Generation Z?

Born after 1996, Gen Z is the generational cohort following Millennials and has also been called post-Millennials, iGeneration, Gen Edge, and the Sharing Generation.³ As digital natives, they have never lived in a world without the internet and are bringing both their technological experience and their technological expectations to the workplace. They grew up during the Great Recession, have witnessed the widening wealth gap contribute to greater income inequality, and have experienced a sharp increase in higher education tuition rates.¹ At the same time, their college enrollment rates are surpassing those of previous generations.⁴

Generation Z has less work experience but more education than previous generations.

• There are fewer members of Gen Z and Millennials in the European labor force since more young people are entering the workforce later in pursuit of tertiary education.⁵

Generation Z also expects education to prepare them for the future.

• 36% of Gen Z said educational institutions are responsible for preparing future workers.⁶
• While Gen Z places increasing value on higher education, they have expressed reluctance to take on student loan debt.⁷

Generation Z Defines Diversity Broadly

In the United States, Gen Z, made up of 52% non-Hispanic whites in 2018,⁴ is the most ethnically and racially diverse generation. A majority of Gen Z in the US (62%) say that increased diversity is good for society.⁸

In a global survey, Gen Z talked about diversity involving a spectrum of differences. Tolerance, inclusiveness, openness, respect, individuality, and diverse ways of thinking appeared in definitions of diversity almost as often as more traditional markers such as gender, race, and other demographic distinctions.⁹

Generation Z Expects Organizations to Embrace Diversity and Inclusion

In one global survey, Gen Z respondents were more likely to stay with organizations they perceived as having a diverse and inclusive workforce.⁹ Diversity of educational background was the top area Gen Z respondents said organizations need to work on followed by age, ethnicity, and gender.⁹

Impact on the Future Workplace

Social Values and Making a Difference

In a US survey, most Gen Z respondents said it was important for them to work for a company that allowed them to make a difference and aligned with their social values.¹⁰ However, a recent Deloitte study shows that Gen Z believes that businesses are not making the degree of social impact they expect.¹¹

• Climate change and its environmental impacts are among Gen Z’s top concerns. Nearly three-quarters (more than 70%) of respondents to a Harvard poll said it is a problem and two-thirds (66%) think it is “a crisis and demands urgent action.” They also believe climate change is a global problem.¹²
• Generation Z takes a non-binary view of gender. In the US, more than a third (35%) of Gen Z said they personally know someone who uses gender-neutral pronouns.⁸
  • More than half (59%) of Gen Z support creating forms and documents that contain options other than “man” or “woman”.⁸
• In Brazil, more than half of Gen Z supports same-sex marriage (53%) and same-sex partner adoptions (60%).¹³

Organizational Culture

This large, diverse generational cohort is beginning to impact the organizational cultures of the workplaces they enter. Gen Zers are likely to be loyal to organizations with a positive workplace culture.⁹ To retain talented members of this generation, organizations will need to examine their values and policies, from diversity to manager behavior to sustainability, as key retention tools.

The majority of Gen Z (two-thirds) rated equal opportunities for pay and promotion and learning and career advancement opportunities as the top two factors that build trust with their employer.¹⁴ Inclusion and ethical behavior were also important for building trust with their manager. For women, an inclusive manager was more important than for men, but the majority of women and men in the US (83%) cited ethical behavior by their manager as a “very important” factor in building trust.¹⁴

A positive work culture is also a top demand of GenZers. When job hunting, over half rated it the most important factor, followed by compensation, flexibility, and continuous learning opportunities.⁹

The Future at Work

Workplaces must be ready for the priorities of the newest and soon to be largest generational cohort. Catalyst research on the future of work reveals common values and a shared desire on the part of employees, shareholders, and customers to see social issues effectively addressed by organizations and leaders. An organization that is not only diverse but inclusive across all levels of its leadership structure will become key to attracting Gen Z workers.¹⁵ Organizations that meaningfully prioritize the gender pay gap, ensure all employees have an equal path to promotion, and take a stand on social concerns such as climate change can expect to have more success at harnessing and retaining Gen Z talent as they enter the workforce.

Note: Catalyst cautions against making comparisons between generations, noting that empirical research has not regularly found support for differences between generational cohorts.¹⁶ These comparisons are frequently stated or implied in non-empirical research, but without noting the statistical significance of any between generation comparisons. As such, generational comparisons without valid statistical support can lead to myths, stereotypes, bias, and discrimination between generations at work. Descriptive data used in this piece provide a snapshot of Generation Z only and should not be used to demonstrate differences between Gen Z and other generations.

How to cite this product: Venessa Hughes, Trend Brief: Generation Z, The Future Workforce (Catalyst, 2020).

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