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.

Breaking with Tradition is diving into a topic that’s been long overlooked but is now coming to the forefront of workplace conversations: menopause. Welcome to season 1, episode 6.

According to Catalyst’s recent report, nearly three-quarters (72%) of employees have hidden their menopause symptoms at work. Additionally, 36% perceive a stigma against talking about menopause in the workplace. With celebrities like Naomi Watts and Michelle Obama also speaking out, menopause is no longer overlooked in the culture at large—so why should it be in the workplace?

Join Catalyst’s Victoria Kuketz as she speaks with Janet Ko, President and Co-Founder, The Menopause Foundation of Canada to bust some myths about menopause and flip the workplace taboo on its head. Learn why it’s an essential issue for companies to address and how the stigma impacts women’s earning potential and career trajectories.

Take the first step to join the movement. Learn how your organization can get involved and create a more inclusive work environment for everyone.

Host and guest

Victoria Kuketz, Director, Corporate Engagement, Canada, Catalyst

LinkedIn | Bio

Janet Ko is President and Co-Founder of The Menopause Foundation of Canada, a national non-profit advocacy organization dedicated to breaking the silence and the stigma of menopause. Together with co-founder Trish Barbato and a medical advisory board of the country’s top menopause specialists, she launched the Menopause Foundation of Canada to lead a national conversation on menopause and to advocate for concrete action to improve women’s health.

Janet has held numerous leadership roles including Senior Vice President, Communications in the global life sciences and senior care sectors. She is dedicated to helping women thrive through their menopausal years and is a passionate speaker and menopause advocate. Janet is honoured to be one of the top 25 Women of Influence Award recipients for 2023.

LinkedIn

In this episode

• 1:35 | Tell us about yourself! Janet tells us about her health journey and what led her to co-founding the Menopause Foundation of Canada.
• 3:52 | Workplace taboos: from mental health to menopause. Why does something that impacts millions of employees remain so stigmatized?
• 6:34 | Let’s bust some myths! Menopause looks different for everyone—and a large knowledge gap exists.
• 10:12 | Women spend half their lives in menopause. How can women be more proactive about their health at this time?
• 14:59 | Menopause stigma costs the economy $3.5 billion. Janet breaks down the staggering economic and career impact for women.
• 17:43 | How to get started. Take the first step to supporting women impacted by menopause in your workplace.
• 20:59 | BONUS: Creating new traditions. Janet flips our last question on its head.

Favorite moments

• 4:21 | Janet: [Menopause] has been a taboo subject not just in workplaces, but everywhere. I think one of the significant reasons driving that is the reality of ageism that disproportionately has a negative impact on women. Women, as we get older, there’s this view that we’re in a stage of decline. That doesn’t happen to men necessarily.
• 5:15 | Janet: As organizations focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion, looking at how they can retain top talent, supporting women to break through the glass ceiling… You cannot consider those factors without looking at supporting women at this stage of life in the prime of their career.
• 8:07 | Janet: A myth that I would love to break is that menopause is about period changes, hot flashes, and the end of your reproductive life. While that is true, focusing on just those things really does women this tremendous disservice. And it keeps us all in the dark about what menopause truly is, which is this profound hormonal shift that happens in midlife that can impact every organ in your body, because we have estrogen receptors all over the body.
• 9:28 | Janet: I’m hoping that we can change the narrative in our conversation, from menopause being something that you don’t look forward to, to shifting it to something that’s very positive, an important milestone where we recognize and honor women for stepping into the peak of their lives, where they have the most wisdom, experience, and contributions to make.
• 11:37 | Janet: It’s about time that we empower ourselves with knowledge, which I think is happening thanks to generation X. Gen X women will be the last women to be in the dark about menopause. And we know that the Millennials and the generations after us, their expectations of an experience at work, their openness and willingness to share is quite different from previous generations. So, we are going to definitely see a change, as we know it’s happening right now, because menopause is a hot topic and it’s turned into a movement.
• 14:18 | Janet: It is women who are demanding better care, women who are demanding a change in the conversation and the narrative. And because of our very large numbers, 10 million over the age of 40 in Canada, quarter of the workforce, we are seeing employers really step up to support women in the prime of their lives.
• 16:15 | Janet: You have to recognize that menopause intersects with that critical career stage between the ages of 45 and 55, where women are assuming greater leadership roles. And if you do not understand the changes that are happening to you, and you’re struggling with symptoms… You can have years of struggling and not being at your best… Employers cannot afford to lose their expertise, their wisdom, their leadership, their knowledge.
• 18:16 | Janet: One of the first things that employers can do, which isn’t a heavy lift, is to break the conversation, change your culture and your communications, really focusing on normalizing this topic.
• 20:13 | Janet: Reasonable accommodations, looking at your policies, all of those things can make a big, big difference… Women are really just looking for some openness in the workplace, some respect for what they’re experiencing, greater flexibility, and choice as they go through this.
• 22:18 | Janet: I truly believe that menopause is a disruptor in a woman’s life. You know, it’s a great moment for you to take a breath, to prioritize yourself, to reflect on who you are and who you want to be. Women end up doing amazing things in their 50s, 60s, 70s, and beyond… We just have to make sure that our health is there to allow us to achieve that.

Mentioned on the Pod

• Menopause Foundation of Canada: Menopause – What Everyone Should Know
• Menopause Foundation of Canada: Menopause Inclusive Workplace Playbook
• Menopause Foundation of Canada: Menopause Works Here campaign

Research you can use

• Stop the stigma: Addressing menopause in the workplace
• Menopause support helps attract and retain top talent
• Why Pay Attention to Women’s Health – What ERGs Can Do
• Supporting Mental Health in the Workplace (Supporter Only)

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The post Episode 106: From Taboo to Topical: Menopause in the Workplace appeared first on Catalyst.

Welcome to Season 1, episode 5 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 Broadening Gender in Workplace DEI.

Catalyst has been accelerating progress for women for over 60 years, and our future vision is “workplaces that work for women.” To many women, this vision is a rallying cry because the status quo of workplaces is that they don’t work for women. But where do men fit into the equation in this future workplace? And what about trans and gender non-conforming (TGNC) employees?

Join Erin Souza-Rezendes as she sits down with Dani Gomez-Ortega, Senior Manager, Global Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at McCain Foods, and Mark Greene, a writer, inclusion coach, and host of Remaking Manhood. Together, they tackle the complex subject of gender and how we talk about it in the workplace.

First, we start with the basics: what does “gender equity” mean in today’s world? And how is that reflected in the workplace—or not? Before long, we dive into “Man Box Culture,” how women can be allies to men, and the importance of vulnerability in conversations around gender.

Grab a drink and sit down with our panel to hear their inspiring perspectives on this topic and how we can shift workplace cultures so that nobody is left behind.

Hosts and guest

Erin Souza-Rezendes, VP, Global Communications, Catalyst

LinkedIn | Bio

Dani Gomez-Ortega is a global Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion leader with a passion for empowering others to create more inclusive spaces. Dani has championed inclusion across various sectors for 10 years. Currently, Dani works as a global DEI leader at McCain Foods, where she collaborates with teams across the world to drive inclusion.

Most recently, Dani was featured in the book Global Changemakers for a Feminist Future by Dr. Gayle Kimball and has won multiple awards for her work, including a Bill 7 Award. Dani’s work and commitment to inclusion are shaped by her lived experience as a Venezuelan Latinx, immigrant, transgender woman with an invisible disability.
LinkedIn

Mark Greene is an author and activist who speaks, consults, and coaches on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Mark works with organizations and individuals to overcome the challenges created by retrogressive workplace cultures. Mark’s client list includes General Mills, Société Générale, Sephora, AOL, Bank of America, Catalyst, and The Better Man Conference.

Mark is the author of The Little #MeToo Book for Men and Remaking Manhood, and co-author, along with Dr. Saliha Bava, of The Relational Book for Parenting and The Relational Workplace. Mark is co-host of Remaking Manhood, the Healthy Masculinity Podcast, available on all major streaming platforms.

Website | LinkedIn

In this episode

• 1:24 | What does gender equity mean to you? Spoiler alert: it goes beyond equity for women alone.
• 5:04 | The “evolution” of gender norms—or not. And have they been reflected in the workplace?
• 8:56 | Workplaces still aren’t safe for everyone. Where can we look for solutions? What is men’s role?
• 12:30 | Women can be allies to men, too People of all genders have work to do on how we define masculinity and femininity.
• 18:34 | We need gender equity inside and outside the workplace. How can we make work more connected and joyful?
• 20:57 | Closing thoughts (both practical and inspiring). Questions companies can ask to create more gender-inclusive workplaces and personal anecdotes from our panelists about how they show up.

Favorite moments

• 1:45 | Dani: When we talk about gender equity, it can’t just be about women. It’s also about men, but also about all the other genders that exist in the world.
• 6:00 | Mark: It’s become evident that if we don’t make space for conversations among men about men, men will continue to fall prey to the single primary purpose of “Man Box Culture,” which is to keep us silent and keep us conforming without ever checking in with each other about where did we learn these ideas about dominant space masculinity?
• 7:54 | Dani: I think people are slowly but surely starting to realize that [gender norms and gender roles] are made up, right? And they’re not necessarily benefiting us in the way that they might have benefited us in some magical time in the past.
• 11:44 | Mark: What we need men to hear and do now is that you cannot remain silent any longer because your own mental health, the mental health of your coworkers, of the people in your life, the well-being and future hope of everyone requires that we push through decades of conditioning we’ve had to remain silent by the bullying men around us.
• 13:20 | Mark: When we start to define male strength as including the full spectrum of human capacities, which we all have, which include things like caregiving, empathy, listening with curiosity… And we invite women at the same time to bring those aspects that are traditionally referred to as masculine, which is strength, leadership, toughness…When everyone is invited to bring their full human capacities, we start to change things.
• 14:39 | Dani: As women, we need to recognize that men have really high rates of mental health challenges. Especially when we talk about suicide rates. And so, it’s up to us to create space for men where they can be vulnerable and ask for help. Unless we create the space, that space is not going to be created.
• 15:55 | Mark: Vulnerability means, ultimately, to reveal. And when we reveal, we tap into an incredible resource because our resiliency, our success in the workplace, our capacity to live richer, fuller lives, is co-created with other people.
• 19:16 | Mark: The question becomes for us as human beings, why can’t we have as rich and meaningful of relationships in the workplace as we have in any other of our communities, in our churches, in our families?
• 20:28 | Dani: In the workplace, some people need to be able to talk about their lives, talk about their family, talk about their same-sex partners. Other people need privacy to succeed. It’s about recognizing individuality and giving everyone the ability to come to work the way that makes them feel happiest, even if that means being private about some things.
• 21:06 | Dani: We need to ask more questions. We first need to ask, “Who’s here?” Who’s in our company? It’s not just women—it’s men and non-binary people, Two-Spirit people, etc. Then we need to ask, how are they feeling? We need to segment that data to make sure we capture how different genders are experiencing the workplace. After that, we need to do research around where the gaps are and see what strategies we can enact to ensure that all genders are feeling included.
• 22:28 | Dani: I try to break with tradition by taking up space, by speaking up, and trying to be as visible as possible as a trans person to ensure that being trans in the workplace is no longer a thing that needs to be highlighted.
• 23.43 | Mark: Each and every one of us must step outside of our comfort zone and show the kind of courage that a lot of folks are publicly displaying right now in a genuinely unsafe world.

Mentioned on the Pod

• Equimundo: The Man Box – A Study on Being a Young Man in the US, UK, and Mexico
• Harvard University Press: Deep Secrets – Boys’ Friendships and the Crisis of Connection
• Penguin Random House: Rebels with a Cause – Reimagining Boys, Ourselves, and Our Culture
• The Cigna Group: TThe Loneliness Epidemic Persists: A Post-Pandemic Look at the State of Loneliness among U.S. Adults

Research you can use

• Masculine Anxiety and Interrupting Sexism at Work
• Interrupting Sexism at Work: What Drives Men to Respond Directly or Do Nothing?
• How Organizations Can Encourage Men to Interrupt Sexism
• Engaging Men: The Journey Toward Equity
• Engaging Men: Barriers and Gender Norms
• Flip the Script: Transgender in the Workplace (Supporter Only)
• Move Beyond Performative Allyship for Your 2SLGBTQ+ Employees
• 5 Ways to Create a Gender-Inclusive Workplace
• What is Gender? A Guide to Understand Gender Identity (Supporter Only)

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The post Episode 105: Broadening Gender in Workplace DEI appeared first on Catalyst.

Welcome to Season 1, episode 4 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 Women Money Power.

We know that women across the globe make less money than men. The gap may vary among countries, but it is a persistent pattern caused by a variety of systemic factors including job segregation, differences in education, and a lack of pay transparency, discrimination, and bias.

Some would say, however, that the gender pay gap is because “women aren’t ambitious.” And financial journalist and author Josie Cox has a lot of evidence to the contrary.

Join host Lucy Kallin as she sits down with Josie to discuss her latest book Women Money Power: The Rise and Fall of Economic Equality. Together, they discuss the century-old workplace design that holds back working mothers, recent legislative efforts to make salaries more transparent, as well as the trailblazing women who have contributed to the seismic progress in women’s economic empowerment we have today.

How can companies and employees work collectively to close the gap and create workplaces that better support people of all genders, including men? Listen to find out!

Hosts and guest

Lucy Kallin, Executive Director, EMEA, Catalyst

LinkedIn | Bio

Josie Cox is a journalist, author, broadcaster and public speaker. She’s worked on staff for Reuters, The Independent and The Wall Street Journal. As a freelancer, she’s covered the intersection of gender and the economy for The Washington Post, The Spectator, Guardian, Business Insider, MSNBC, Forbes and other publications.

Josie has appeared on CNN, ABC, PBS, CNBC, public radio and a host of other networks. She regularly contributes to the BBC, both as a writer and broadcaster and is a founding editor of The Persistent.

Website | LinkedIn

In this episode

• 1:04 | Are women less ambitious than men? Josie and Lucy discuss the myth of the “unambitious mother.”
• 6:22 | Breaking away from false perceptions. What can individuals and companies do to combat bias?
• 12:54 | Trailblazers in Women Money Power. Josie talks about some of the women who changed history under the radar.
• 20:08 | Is gender equity a zero-sum game for men? We still tend to frame gender as a woman’s issue.
• 24:22 | Pay transparency regulation. Is it effective? What are some of the bright spots?
• 29:12 | The main takeaway from Women Money Power. Lucy asks Josie what she hopes readers get from her book.

Favorite moments

• 4:40 | Josie: And I think what we have to do, and it’s our duty as a society, is to recognize that when it looks like a woman might not be as ambitious as a man, we have to ask ourselves: what are the parameters, the constructs, the infrastructure that are preventing her from being able to make the choices that make her look ambitious in the way that we understand ambition?
• 5:52 | Lucy: It’s not about fixing the women… It’s about changing the infrastructure where women are working and making them more accessible and places where ambitions are allowed to grow, whatever that might look like. Because I do believe that organizations that do that will be the ones that will be around for a long time and will be successful.
• 6:49 | Josie: We need to be able to have conversations in the workplace that shed a light on the lived experiences of people who are perhaps not always given the opportunity to be the most vocal.
• 7:44 | Josie: On an operational level, what I would really like to see is organizations that have the courage to really self-reflect and say, okay, why am I doing the things I’m doing? And what is this design rooted in?
• 10:50 | Josie: And one of the most interesting things that I saw coming out of the pandemic—before corporations snapped back to the pre-COVID way of working—was this openness to hybrid working. We saw a steep rise in women’s labor force participation among women with young kids. And that was because they were finally able to do their work in the paid labor market from home, around their caregiving responsibilities they have.
• 22:49 | Josie: When we talk about gender inequality, a) we still tend to frame it as a women’s problem. In workplaces, conversations about the gender pay gap still tend to be the domain of women. On the other hand, b) we haven’t really spent enough time considering the role of men in the unpaid labor market and really advocating for changes there. I think it is our duty to address the other side of the equation.
• 28:06 | Josie: [Companies need to] spell out the effect that pay transparency can have on your organization. If you abide by not just the letter, but also the spirit of [transparency] laws, if you create that transparency, and therefore that trust within your workforce, you are undoubtedly likely to have a better retention rate.

Mentioned on the Pod

• U.S. Department of Labor: Mothers’ employment has surpassed pre-pandemic levels, but the child care crisis persists
• Business Insider: A History of How the 40-Hour Workweek Became the Norm in America
• PBS: Katharine Dexter McCormick (1875-1967)
• The New Yorker: The Many Lives of Pauli Murray
• Amazon: Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male Is Struggling, Why It Matters, and What to Do about It

Research you can use

• Women’s Earnings: The Pay Gap (Quick Take)
• HR, Take Note: Employees Want Pay Transparency. Smart Companies Are Listening.
• Equal Pay Starts With Pay Transparency: Step-By-Step Guide for HR Leaders
• 5 Ways To Close The Gender Pay Gap
• Time Is Ticking for the EU Pay Transparency Directive
• Survey Finds Four in Ten Working Mothers Likely to Change Jobs Because of Childcare Issues

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The post Episode 104: Women Money Power appeared first on Catalyst.

The post Use AI to Attract a More Diverse Candidate Pool (Tool) appeared first on Catalyst.

With pay transparency laws changing across the US and UK, pay equity is now becoming a standard practice among leading organizations. More importantly, it is a key competitive differentiator for those looking to attract and retain key talent.

What causes this gender pay gap among women of color, and how can HR leaders and DEI practitioners work together to close it?

At the 2024 Catalyst Awards, Erin Souza-Rezendes, VP, Global Communications at Catalyst sat down with Google leaders Melonie Parker, Chief Diversity Officer and Rachel Spivey, Director of Retention & Progression (Stay & Thrive) Team to talk about how Google is creating pathways to pay equity for women of color.

Here are five lessons we learned:

1. Make compensation analysis business-critical. Equity starts at the top, and ensuring that comp analysis is fundamental to your strategic priorities gives pay transparency the gravitas it deserves.
2. Look at fairness holistically. Companies must invest in pay transparency to better understand the pay equity gap and do it continuously. Pay transparency is also just one component. Companies must also consider the role a person plays, their location, benefits, and other factors that could impact their pay.
3. Identify moments where inequity may be reinforced—and do something about them. Melonie’s team looks at each step of the employee’s journey to identify moments or places that might create or compound inequity. For example, at each level, Google does a salary reset so that when team members enter the organization at different levels, that inequity doesn’t compound once they are promoted. Similarly, her team schedules its compensation analysis so it aligns with annual merit and promotion increases.
4. Help team members understand the system. Many people take it for granted that employees understand performance evaluation systems and how salary bands and role expectations are structured. HR leaders and managers need to communicate how these systems work so employees can invest in the progression path that best suits their needs and lifestyle. Google takes this a step further with their Stay & Thrive program, which provides one-on-one guidance to employees, creating a process where an employee can feel heard and supported.
5. Don’t just guide, advocate. Having a mentor to help guide you through critical career moments is important, but people also need advocates who have access to the right rooms and conversations. At Google, the Stay & Thrive team works across the organization to advocate for the employees in the program.

Endnote:

1. Kochhar, R. (2023, March 1). The enduring grip of the gender pay gap. Pew Research Center.

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The post Unlock Equity for Women of Color: 5 Strategies from Google appeared first on Catalyst.

Melonie Parker, Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, Google recently sat down with Mellody Hobson, Co-CEO and President, Ariel Investments to hear Mellody’s story of rise within the corporate ranks and her hope for the future and women of color in leadership roles. This interview was shared as part of the 2024 Catalyst Awards.

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Transcript

00:00:13,555
Mellody, it’s so great to see you again. I still think fondly of when you came to Google a few years ago at our Women of Color conference, and then most recently, your lifetime achievement award with the Executive Leadership Council.

Congratulations again.

00:00:28,028
Thank you so much. I remember going to Google for that conference and being so excited to be there. Of course, having so much admiration for the company that has been built over all these years. And the ELC, if you get a lifetime achievement award are they telling you you’re old? But that was very, very exciting to be honored amongst so many senior leaders from Corporate America
who I admire.

00:00:49,257
You know what I took away from your remarks at the Executive Leadership Council gala was really how you inspire followership. And you gave such incredible kudos to your co-founder, John, and gave an incredible walk through of your career. And I thought it would be so fitting for our conversation today. If you could talk about your role as co-CEO of Ariel Investments. You’re the chairwoman of the board for Starbucks. What have you learned along the way? Who and what has led to such tremendous success?

00:01:22,499
Sure. I’ve talked a lot about growing up. I grew up in Chicago. I’m the youngest of six kids. My mother was a single mom. My siblings were much older than me, a couple of decades older. I was not planned and they told me that all the time. I’m the only Hobson. I have a different father than my siblings. And so I was this sort of misfit kid who was growing up in a circumstance that was challenging, often. I talk about the fact that we often got evicted or our phone disconnected or lights turned off, and that gave me a lot of focus. I became very, very focused on school because I felt that that was my best way to change my circumstances. Even as a child, I really knew and understood that. And it also ultimately led me to focus on the investment business because I was desperate to understand money. I wanted to understand how money worked. It wasn’t about having a lot. It was about how do I ensure that I am secure financially for the long term?And so I found my way to Ariel Investments, which was life changing as a summer intern —

00:02:23,893
Wow.

00:02:24,352
– when I was 19 years old between my sophomore and junior year at Princeton. And literally from that moment on, I knew what I was going to do. I came back to work at Ariel after I graduated from Princeton. I am the only person in my graduating class of 1,100 people who supposedly has the same work phone number for 33 years.

00:02:43,163
Wow.

00:02:44,247
Yes, I’ve had one job. The average American has 11 jobs in their lifetime. But I knew when I got there that this would be my home for a very, very long time. And it’s exceeded all of my expectations.

00:02:57,760
No, that level of focus and commitment like it’s inspiring and it makes me think about just the challenges as a woman of color and a leader. Like what specific challenges have you seen, have you faced and what words of wisdom
would you share?

00:03:14,027
One of my friends years and years ago who was on the board of Starbucks with me named Olden Lee, who was the head of HR for all of Pepsi. I was talking to him once about the challenges that we face as people of color and as women.

And he looked at me and he said, “Mellody, how long have you been black?”

“How long have you been a woman?” It sort of you know, underscoring
the point that the challenges – it starts very early. And you decide what you want to be. And I always had this perspective. I could be a victim or I could be a victor. And I wanted to be a victor. And so even though I knew there were many times when race or gender were being my words used against me, I did not allow that to happen. Now that doesn’t mean it wasn’t hard.

That doesn’t mean that sometimes I had challenges that kept me back, but I was always trying to find another way.

My husband always says to me, he says, “You’re the kind of person,
if there’s a brick wall, you look for loose bricks.”

I’m that person. I’m looking for loose bricks.

And so there were times when those walls did exist, but I just decided to, to be and do something else.

I mean, I’ve told so many stories about, you know, people asking me to take their coats when they got to Ariel or things like that.

No, I’m happy to do it.

But they just didn’t realize I was President.

00:04:32,230
Oh, yeah.

00:04:32,981
And so, you know, I would do it,  put the coat away and then come and sit in the room and there’d be a little bit of shock and awe in those early years because I wasn’t someone that people knew.

It was unexpected.

It says a lot also about –

00:04:44,742
It does.

00:04:45,326
– people’s mental models. And one of my goals in life has always been to break their mental models. That, whatever they thought I’m supposed to be, you’re supposed to be how we’re supposed to show up, that I could break that, which then allows the opportunity for them to think about people like me and you in a very different way, open up their minds to what is possible.

00:05:04,679
And like, when I think about the stories you know, that you’re telling now and the ones I’ve heard  you share over the years, one of the things that’s striking to me is that from the time you were a little girl, you were able to recognize that school and education, like, was a path forward.

So you’ve been navigating this journey for a long time. Like it didn’t just show up when you were at Princeton or when you interned, or when you came back to Ariel Investments. This is a lifetime of navigating and hitting against those walls. And I wonder what hope do you have for the future and for other women of color in leadership roles?

00:05:45,178
They say that in America we have optimism and hope as unique American characteristics –

00:05:51,100
Yeah.

00:05:51,684
and I think they are magnified in black people. I really do. I think that our expectations are not always as big as they could be just based upon the circumstances that we’ve come from and lived in.

But we always have this hope and belief that things will be better. There are lots of surveys that show that. And I think that’s one of the things when I think about all the things I do, I have great expectations for our society, for –

00:06:16,834
I do too.

00:06:17,293
– people who will come after me.

00:06:18,336
Yes.

00:06:18,711
Now that doesn’t mean we are there –

00:06:20,213
That’s right.

00:06:20,963
and we’ve had some setbacks.

00:06:21,839
Yes, we have.

00:06:22,590
Massive setbacks.

00:06:23,591
Yes.

00:06:23,966
But I do think that to the extent that we can continue to, again, break mental models, open up opportunities for others, do our job as well to carry us forward.

I think to the extent that that happens, there will be more Melonies and Mellody’s that can move in the world.

But there are too few of us. Our numbers are too small and we need to be more properly resourced to be able to go up against, the best and the brightest. And, and I think we have all of the talents, all of the skills.

You know, one of the things I say all the time, talent and genius do not discriminate.

00:07:00,878
That’s exactly right.

00:07:02,004
They actually show up in equal proportions. When you look in any ethnic community and gender as well. And so then the question is, what keeps that talent and genius from breaking out? It’s often the opportunities that are not there.

00:07:16,686
That’s right. And the safety that people feel in those environments to navigate, to network, to strive, because often I find that women of color can toggle between hyper-visibility and being invisible. But when you feel your experiences are accepted in that environment, you navigate that path a little bit better. Mellody, can you share how do you believe leaders should help continue to create safe and equitable workplaces for women?

00:07:47,008
I think a lot of things can be done. But in short, I have this saying that math has no opinion. The math tells the story. So first of all, you have to have people represented in the numbers that we are represented in society, and that has to be a goal. It’s not a quota. It’s a target. You’re targeting representation. I love Shonda Rhimes, who says she doesn’t like the word “diversity.” You would say,
“What do you mean by that?”  And she always talks about the fact that when you walk around a metropolitan city like San Francisco, like New York, Chicago, Atlanta, etc., you see all these diverse
people in the street, every walk of life, gender, race, etc. You go up into these towers and the buildings get whiter and whiter and more male. And the higher up you go, the more male, the more white. And she’s like, “Diversity? Normal is on the street. Not normal is in the tower.” So we really need to aspire to what we see when we’re walking around every single day being represented in our environments.

The other thing that I think is very important, okay, the numbers are one thing. Asking and including people in decision making and having their point of view is what really allows, I think, companies to have superpowers, to use diversity to their advantage. What ultimately helps them better understand their customer, better understand the people who work inside of their company and therefore lower their turnover. All sorts of opportunities to scale growth in their companies through diversity or diversity can be an edge.

00:09:14,136
Yes.

00:09:14,554
And I think that when people realize they’re acting in their own best interest, I think that they get more excited about the opportunities here as opposed to seeing this as some kind of chore. But you have to actually really believe it.

00:09:27,191
That’s right. You have to see talent as an asset, not just as an expense. And so how you view talent and how you create that environment for people to feel seen and heard and recognized and rewarded need all of those ingredients.

00:09:41,789
But also understanding that talent comes from all walks of life. It can come in all shapes and sizes, all forms. And if you have an idea of talent that does not allow you to look beyond a mental model that you have. I keep using that term over and over again. You are limiting your opportunities. And so therefore you want to you want to have the opportunity to have the best and brightest and be unconstrained in what that looks like. And to the extent that environments become very homogeneous, you know you’re not doing that.

00:10:11,444
Well it becomes such a clear marker, when you look around and there’s a very homogenous organization. It means that you probably need to go walk around a little bit more and figure out what do you need to add, not what do you need to fit into your environment.

00:10:25,499
Yes.

00:10:26,459
Thank you so much for your time today and this wonderful conversation.

00:10:30,129
Thank you for having me.

The post Breaking Down Barriers for Women of Color appeared first on Catalyst.

The 2024 Awards was an exciting opportunity to see this year’s theme—the Catalyst Effect—in action: a group of individuals drawn together by their commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and respectful and rewarding work environments collectively using their influence to create a massive wave of change.

This year’s Awards was also Catalyst’s first time to include a land acknowledgement recognizing Indigenous Peoples as the traditional stewards of this land, movingly delivered by Elisa Leary, Senior Vice President, People & Culture, Catalyst.

Watch our sizzle reel to view highlights of the day, demonstrating what our community experienced together and the many critical topics we dove into.

The morning’s events were headlined by the showstopping Caroline Wanga, President & CEO of Essence Ventures and Co-Founder of WangaWoman. Caroline talked about her experience finding her own authentic self and emphasized the importance of centering corporate DEI initiatives around humans and humanity.

Anna Manuzzi, Senior Associate, Supporter Success EMEA, Catalyst shares her favorite Caroline Wanga teachings.

The event closed with a lively interactive multi-generational panel focused on the impact Gen Z is having on the workplace and DEI overall. Victoria Kuketz, Director of Supporter Success, Canada, Catalyst shares the top three things she learned from these leaders.

The day was filled with powerhouse speakers from Hillary Rodham Clinton, former US Secretary of State, US Senator, and First Lady to Reshma Saujani, CEO & Founder of Moms First and DEI practitioner Vernā Myers. All shared personal stories of struggle, discrimination, and progress.

Joylene Ceballos, Director, US Supporter Success, Catalyst shares how these personal stories have impacted her and how we can all leverage them in our work to be more inclusive.

Gender partnership and the importance of supporting one another, especially through sponsorship and mentorship, were also themes echoed throughout the conference.

Derrick Brown-Ritchel, Director, US Supporter Success, Catalyst talks about the ripple effect that women leaders can have throughout an organization.

You are the Catalyst Effect! As our community demonstrates, together we are creating a wave of systemic change for more diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplaces.

Want more? Here are three things you can do right now.

1. Catch more insights on our Catalyst Awards page.
2. Join us on 11 March 2025 for next year’s Conference and Dinner.
3. Do you have a successful gender equity and DEI program? Apply for the Catalyst Award by 10 May 2024.

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The post The 2024 Catalyst Awards: The Catalyst Effect in Action appeared first on Catalyst.

Work from home, remote work, flexible work arrangements: prior to March 2020, many employees around the world had little or no exposure to these concepts. While some organizations had built technological infrastructure and remote-work norms as part of their culture, others had not. The Covid-19 pandemic generated a need for companies to shift radically to implement remote work for office workers and a system of social distancing, testing, and other in-depth health and safety procedures for essential on-site workers.

Nearly two years later, we are still facing unprecedented challenges in the future of work, including the reopening of physical offices and the increasing desire of many employees to continue working remotely. Catalyst research has long documented the benefits of flexible work arrangements, including the recruitment and retention of top talent, as well as employee reports of increased innovation, engagement, commitment to their organizations, and feelings of inclusion. The positive outcomes are clear, but the path forward may not be.

Seven organizations — Colliers, Dentons, EY, General Motors, GitLab, Hilti, and Pitney Bowes — shared their unique perspectives on constructing this new reality of work. These examples can serve as models for strategies, policies, and practices for your own workplace.

How to cite this product: Creating an inclusive hybrid workplace (Practices). (2021). Catalyst.

The post Creating an Inclusive Hybrid Workplace (Practices) appeared first on Catalyst.