Don't Say It With Flowers: 5 Inclusivity Practices Managers Can Adopt This IWD

Last week, I found myself in a heated debate about International Women’s Day. A thirty-something year old friend of mine, a worldly professional at an MNC, casually declared that he would be giving flowers to the women at his office, as a token of appreciation for everything they do. No doubt, the annual IWD sees a fair share of flowers, chocolates and other gestures at workplaces. But if ever there was a year to go beyond the tokenistic, this would be it.

In late 2019, just before the global lockdowns began, the World Economic Forum predicted that at current levels of progress, it will take 257 years to close the gender economic gap. That timeline has only lengthened in the past year, during a pandemic that has disproportionately affected women. According to McKinsey and Leanin.org’s Women in the Workplace study, “women—especially women of color—are more likely to have been laid off or furloughed during the COVID-19 crisis, stalling their careers and jeopardizing their financial security. The pandemic has intensified challenges that women already faced. Working mothers have always worked a “double shift”—a full day of work, followed by hours spent caring for children and doing household labor. Now the supports that made this possible—including school and childcare—have been upended.” 

As women employees face unprecedented challenges, workplaces that aspire to gender parity will have to go above and beyond annual celebrations and bare-bones, decorative policy. And believe me, even the most equitable workplaces can stand to be more inclusive. 

Let me give you an example. A good friend back home in the US – a white woman – was recently asked to be on a panel. Before agreeing, she looked at the panel so far, and saw that it was comprised entirely of white men and women. In response, she bowed out and spoke to the organizers about adding a woman of color on the panel who shared the same expertise in the space. That was an ah-ha moment for me and reminded me of several important things. That more than splurging on gifts and flowers, supporting women in the workplace may often involve graciously ceding space for those who are overlooked. Secondly, it showed me that women, too, have work to do, beyond celebrating their wins. And finally, that feminism without intersectionality is incomplete. 

Managers will have to think and work harder and smarter to create inclusive teams and environments for women. I'm so proud to learn everyday from the brilliant Asia Pacific Diversity & Inclusion team at Bloomberg. Through my role leading the marketing team that supports them, I have learned the following five strategies that managers can adopt to foster a more inclusive workplace, even those who think they're doing a good job.

1. Create a safe space for feedback: A good leader is one who seeks out their team’s opinions often. Ask them what you can do to be a more inclusive manager. At the same time, be mindful that a long history of non-inclusive spaces means that many people will hesitate to speak openly. An anonymous survey might help gain the insight you need. Address what comes out of this in a frank and open forum so your team knows that you’re listening and ready to do something about it.
2. Audit your hiring practices: What does your team look like? Does everyone have similar backgrounds or is there a diverse mix in the group? What are you doing to make sure you are hiring diverse candidates? We know that diverse teams lead to more collaboration, different perspectives and a better reflection of the world at large but there is a business profitability case to be made here too. According to the World Economic Forum, companies with more diverse management teams have 19% higher revenues due to innovation. Closing the gender gap would add $28 trillion – a 26% increase – to the value of the global economy by 2025.
3. Broaden the culture of inclusivity: To foster a more inclusive culture, training is a start. But beyond the basic implicit bias and inclusive language workshops, can you model what it means to actually have and respond to conversations that will ultimately benefit all? For example, are you able to talk about parenting and care-giving challenges, and make it part of your team culture to offer/seek support? And let's not forget those pesky video calls. According to a recent CNBC article, almost half (45%) of US women business leaders surveyed in September said it was difficult for women to speak up in virtual meetings, while one-in-five women felt they’d actually been ignored on such calls. What meeting formats and practices can you implement for greater inclusivity?
4. Perform a Pay Equity Audit: Are the women on your team paid equitably to the men? Work with your HR teams to ensure that employees doing “like for like” work are paid equitably. Some of this may not be in your control but raise it with senior leadership, and stress a need for equitable benefits as well – parental leave, as an example. 
5. Think bigger: In addition to helping your team, there’s an opportunity to help the community with them. Consider volunteering at and supporting organizations that empower women of color, queer, non-binary and trans women, amongst others. Some great examples that I’ve had the pleasure of supporting in the countries I’ve lived and worked include viBe Theatre, Aidha and Room to Read.

The past year has raised the stakes in everything that we do, and International Women’s Day is no different. Flowers just don’t cut it. Not for the 15,000 women who first marched through New York City in 1908 for shorter hours, better pay and voting rights. And certainly not for women struggling in the pandemic-era workplace today.

I also invite folks reading this to contribute ideas and practices that have made their workplaces more inclusive to women.