You may be aware that The Financy Women’s Index was released this week and it had some hopeful stats for all of us to digest.
Amongst them were:
- Record full-time employment among women and a 20-year low in the average wage disparity between men and women
- Improved wages and job outcomes helped the gender pay gap fall to 14.6% in May down from 15.2% in November
- Women now hold 28.5% of ASX 200 board positions
- There are also signs that the superannuation gap between men and women may be narrowing although in absolute terms the gap is still very substantial and
- The rate of female IT enrolments is three times higher than what it was in 2015. Despite this, there were 12,918 female enrolments in IT during 2016 compared with 53,468 male enrolments.
So when you read the Women’s Index this quarter you might feel like I did that, highly encouraged, occasionally disappointed but still optimistic. It’s exciting to hear that the national gender gap fell to a 20-year low but disappointing to read that the only sector where the gender pay gap actually rose was Finance and Insurance Services – the sector we work within.
However, it was equally disappointing to see the female engineering graduates paid more than male graduates on completion of their undergraduate studies. An over-correction of women’s salaries is just as unfair as the gender pay gap that currently exists.
So with much positive news why do I hear time and time again in my interactions with women in financial services that they still feel excluded. We have boards, committees and sub-committee after sub-committee looking at diversity and inclusion and talking about it a lot. So I have to ask myself whether this is form over substance, or are we generally just a little lost on what to do next?
I think in many cases we are stuck – the boiling frog syndrome. We have not stepped back and examined what makes a person in a multicultural and diverse workforce feel that they are being treated equally or excluded.
What is appropriate within the work environment versus what is engaging outside of it?
What I have concluded is that few bosses, managers or colleagues intend to make anyone feel excluded. However, something happened to me over five years ago that triggered me actioning some small changes at OneVue. One of those was around how we use language.
Many years ago, we were at an offsite and had appointed an independent facilitator who knew no one. I had briefed him but it was a very arms-length relationship. One of my colleagues had to drop his kids off at school that day therefore was joining the group a little later. All was going well and given the lack of familiarity between the facilitator and everyone in the room, people were being addressed by their first name.
An hour into the session, though, my colleague arrived and the facilitator looked up and said, “Heh, Rocko! Mate, welcome.” What happened in that second to the equal dynamics in the room?
Since that day I insist that employees, while at work, call each other by their first names. It isn’t something you think about, is it? I didn’t until that day. But by using nicknames that only someone familiar with you would use, you are by default creating an exclusive club, and exclusive clubs by default are diametrically opposed to inclusion.
I have not met anyone yet who wants to makes people feel excluded in the work environment. I have, however, met many men and women who change their language in an attempt to feel included. So I have watched with interest the ABC fallout – and, amongst other things, front and centre is language and the impact it had on the way people felt.
So while we continue with our high level committees and discussions, we can also start thinking about the small changes we can make to genuinely create inclusive work environments, not just for men and women, but for all cultures that now form our work families.
The opinions expressed in this content are those of the author shown, and do not necessarily represent those of No More Practice Education Pty Ltd or its related entities. All content is intended for a professional financial adviser audience only and does not constitute financial advice. To view our full terms and conditions, click here.
