As we come to a close for March, what have you done at work to recognize Women’s History Month? This year’s theme is regarding women who advocate for equity, diversity, and inclusion. What steps have you taken to identify bias and discrimination and work to prevent it from impacting your employees and your business?
We all have biases and often we’re making decisions without even recognizing the sometimes-subtle influence those biases can have on our lives. Do you talk about this with your employees? Acknowledging the idea that we can all improve can help us move forward. We sometimes need to step back and consider why we do certain things and/or make certain decisions and whether our perceptions are based on facts or prejudices we may have developed without even realizing them?
In addition, I’ve encountered numerous circumstances where a manager or employee said or did something with a specific intent that was taken completely counter by the other individual. Problems arise when we don’t clarify things that seem wrong or insensitive to us. Wouldn’t it be great if someone said something to you that upset you if you could ask them about it rather than walk away upset because you’re not comfortable with the reaction you’d get if you had spoken up? Are we open to learning about ourselves?
Most companies want employees to work out issues amongst themselves, but are we engaging in a culture that encourages this or do we hide in the shadows, silently encouraging people to just “let things go”? When we’re talking to an employee and the atmosphere changes or we see a visible reaction to something we’ve said, do we stop the conversation and ask if there’s an issue we need to clarify (in a truly unguarded way)?
As we celebrate Women's History Month and the strides made through history, let’s honor their sacrifices and efforts by working to improve ourselves and our communication with our employees. Encourage open and honest discussions so we can improve our relationships.
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