Monthly Archives

September 2021

Fostering equality by embracing same-sex marriage

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Same-sex marriage is becoming the new norm in many areas of the world and accepted as something barely evoking any exceptional commentary. Symmetra lauds this progress as this indeed is to be welcomed.

Citizens of Switzerland have just voted by a 64.1 per cent majority to legalise same sex marriage. Supporters of the forthcoming legislation say it will put same-sex partners on an equal footing with heterosexual couples, allowing them to adopt children together and facilitating citizenship for same-sex spouses. All the major countries in Western Europe now have legalised same-sex marriage.

Some in Eastern Europe like Croatia, Hungary and Montenegro recognise same-sex partnerships short of marriage. There is, however, no legal recognition of any type of such relationship in Russia, Slovakia, Lithuania and Poland.

Notably, the trend shows clearly that advances in removing discrimination and pointless barriers to equality, which detractors argued would have dire and damaging consequences, have been adopted and absorbed with hardly any problems at all.

What drives employee engagement?

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Recently a Symmetra post commented on “The Great Resignation” – a flood of employees leaving to seek greener pastures as the pandemic starts to ease. So how can organisations counteract this outflow which is clearly a result of long built-up dissatisfaction and disillusionment?

What is it about an organisation which makes employees engaged, committed, loyal and excited? The view which has gained great currency of late is that “a sense of purpose“ is the bedrock upon which an inclusive and engaged culture can be built. However eminent professors, Cross, Edmondson and Murphy, following a decade of research have just revealed unequivocally that this premise is misconceived.

For example, they found, contrary to all expectations, that a cancer hospital treating the world’s most devastating cancers and which should have imbued all with an enviable sense of purpose was beset by low morale and fear and consequently, high worker turnover. In stark contrast, a retail chain with stores across the globe had a notably higher spirit of camaraderie amongst staff, generally more energised and enthusiastic employees, and very satisfied customers. What this demonstrates is that purpose is important but should not be the starting point. The primary concern and drive of leaders should be to build trust and safety.

Crucially, employees will respond if they are able to trust their leaders and colleagues in three areas: trust that people will act in the interests of others, not only themselves; trust that people will be consistent in word and deed; trust that people have the competencies they claim for themselves. Once trust is established, two latter elements can be brought into the mix: purpose-instilling behaviours and energy-generating behaviours.

Leaders who are adept at leading inclusively will certainly understand the priority order of these factors to generate the best and most sustainable results.

Better results and better decisions: How sound anti-bias training can help

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Can we rely on scientific training to eliminate or at least reduce poor decisions resulting from unconscious bias? Apparently not.

As our understanding of unconscious bias increases and deepens, we are learning two important things: firstly, that these biases intrude into areas that we might imagine as being insulated; secondly, we are understanding which sorts of programs work to reduce the deleterious effects of unconscious bias and which do not.

On the first point, one example is that comprehensive studies show that women are often not getting the right or adequate medical treatment because clinical research focuses on men’s ailments and also because biases lead to women’s health complaints being downplayed or ignored. On the second point, a current article in HBR confirms that misguided or unskilled forms of anti-biasing training can be counter-productive and actually further entrench biases.

Training that is successful involves awareness-raising; education on the pre-eminent forms of bias in the workplace and equipping participants with tools and skills to recognise and counteract unconscious biases. In addition, organisations should introduce systemic processes which counteract bias, measure improvements, encourage employees to engage with diverse groups and nurture curiosity. These recommendations align very well with the programs that Symmetra has been using with clients across the globe. The conclusion is, thus, no area of decision-making is free of biases and sound anti-biasing training is fundamental for effective decisions at every level of the organisation.

Better results and better decisions: How sound anti-bias training can help

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Can we rely on scientific training to eliminate or at least reduce poor decisions resulting from unconscious bias? Apparently not.

As our understanding of unconscious bias increases and deepens, we are learning two important things: firstly, that these biases intrude into areas that we might imagine as being insulated; secondly, we are understanding which sorts of programs work to reduce the deleterious effects of unconscious bias and which do not.

On the first point, one example is that comprehensive studies show that women are often not getting the right or adequate medical treatment because clinical research focuses on men’s ailments and also because biases lead to women’s health complaints being downplayed or ignored. On the second point, a current article in HBR confirms that misguided or unskilled forms of anti-biasing training can be counter-productive and actually further entrench biases.

Training that is successful involves awareness-raising; education on the pre-eminent forms of bias in the workplace and equipping participants with tools and skills to recognise and counteract unconscious biases. In addition, organisations should introduce systemic processes which counteract bias, measure improvements, encourage employees to engage with diverse groups and nurture curiosity. These recommendations align very well with the programs that Symmetra has been using with clients across the globe. The conclusion is, thus, no area of decision-making is free of biases and sound anti-biasing training is fundamental for effective decisions at every level of the organisation.

How should diverse and inclusive organisations approach mandatory vaccination rules?

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What happens when diverse and inclusive organisations decide on mandatory vaccinations for their workplace?

Mandatory COVID-19 vaccination for employees is being adopted daily by more and more public sector agencies and private sector organisations. What should the approach be for an organisation which espouses diversity and inclusion but whose leadership considers that mandatory vaccination is essential?

The issue is fraught with legal, ethical and cultural complexity. The legal questions in Australia are governed by a matrix of interweaving laws including Fair work; discrimination; privacy and WHS.

Symmetra agrees with this writer that the federal government bears the responsibility of passing overarching and specific pandemic legislation to clarify matters as soon as possible. But there will always be the need to cater for exemptions, exceptions and outliers. There are and will continue to be strongly held views that may be irreconcilable. Leaders should prepare to lean into tough conversations. But they must be transparent and always willing to listen.

Embedding a culture of psychological safety for all is paramount and stereotyping or excommunicating those who elect not to be vaccinated without careful and deep consultation is not the way to go. Symmetra is convinced that leaders who can demonstrate the art of inclusiveness will be far more likely to find effective solutions which balance the needs of the greater good with the diverse needs of an individual when faced with addressing these new challenges.

Why nations should support women’s rights ?

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Nations which suppress the rights of women are more likely to be failed states overall. The latest edition of the Economist magazine is one of great significance for women. Both the editorial and the lead article explore in-depth how nations which suppress the rights of women are more likely to be failed states overall. Naturally, recent events in Afghanistan where advances made by women are suddenly and dramatically being reversed have brought this issue into stark relief.

In the lead article, the magazine quotes extensively from a study that measures countries on a scale from 0 to 16 to determine the  “patrilineal/fraternal syndrome” where a high rank indicates that laws and entrenched customs condemn women to varying degrees of servitude. Countries with high ranking are usually also economically and socially backwards.

However, as we all know, even in a country like Australia which has a zero score, all is not well. Women suffer abuse at home, harassment in the workplace, and have to contend with a host of biases, conscious and unconscious. As a start, Symmetra calls on all political and business leaders to read this issue of the Economist.

Why companies should evolve to meet employee expectations ?

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What is the “great resignation?“ This is a phrase coined by Anthony Klotz of Texas A&M University. Initially, he observed as Covid-19 struck, that the number of resignations declined. Employees, naturally in a state of uncertainty, clung to their jobs. However, he predicted that this trend would be reversed and this seems to be taking place. Working in completely new ways, employees have had an unprecedented opportunity to reappraise their working lives, re-adjusting their priorities and what they expect and demand from the employment relationship.

Systemic and structural changes are underway. In most industrialised economies unemployment is surprisingly low and many industries are short of workers. The overarching challenge for employers is succinctly and forcefully laid out in the LinkedIn article: “get ready – you are at risk…. If you want to keep (your top employees) you’re going to have to give them reasons to stay“.

So, all the fundamental elements of an inclusive culture become ever-more critical – instilling a feeling of belonging; embedding psychological safety; showing empathy; encouraging flexible working; making sure that the organisation is a pathway to personal enrichment and fulfillment; constantly working to make the brand one to be proud of. These are all elements that can be measured as Symmetra is doing with its global clients. Failure to do so may result in valued employees eyeing greener pastures.

Abortion rights under threat in America

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The right of women to abortion in the USA is under threat. The Supreme Court has declined, for the time being, to interfere with a Texas law which effectively prohibits abortion when a heartbeat can be detected. Astonishingly it gives any private individual the right to institute legal action against a clinic or other person who participates in or assists in the procuring of such a prohibited abortion. Roe v Wade which entrenched these rights across the USA might soon be overturned affecting the rights of women to control their own reproduction and to have autonomy over their own bodies. If carried to its ultimate goal by anti-abortionists it will be a monumental reversal of advances made to women’s rights in the 20th century.

As a further cruel irony, this situation may be the legacy of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the most doughty fighter on the Supreme Court for women’s rights. When she was old and in failing health, Ginsburg was asked by President Obama to resign so that a younger liberal jurist could be appointed. She declined and died at a time when Donald Trump could appoint a staunch conservative and active campaigner against abortion, Amy Coney Barrett. The Court now has a distinctly archly- conservative majority. Women in the USA and elsewhere will hold their breath to see how this critical issue turns out.

Does Equal Pay Day truly answer gender gap issues in Australia?

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WGEA has announced that 31st August is Equal Pay Day for 2021. This is the date on which the average wage for women In Australia reaches the level attained by men at the end of the past financial year. Put differently, Australian women need to work, on average for 14 months to accrue the same average income as men do in 12 months. The gender wage gap has remained fairly static in Australia for some years and has actually widened in the last 12 months.

WGEA describes this as a matter of concern. Of perhaps even greater concern is Australia’s decline to rank 50th on the WEF Global Gender Gap Index, 2021. Australia has been steadily falling in the rankings and we now stand in very unfavorable contrast to our near-neighbor, New Zealand which ranks 4th. While Australia has made some progress on gender equity such as female representation on boards, the drive for equity and equality in many other areas has stalled. Both the public and private sectors should not become complacent. If they do, we will continue to go backward.

Why being proactive on employee mental health is the new way forward?

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Symmetra is finding with its clients across the globe that many more are recognising the imperative to proactively address employees’ mental well-being- an obligation heightened by the pandemic.

An OECD brief found that pre-COVID mental health conditions in 15 member-countries, including Australia, UK, New Zealand, and the USA, had been largely unchanged for decades. However, from March 2020 the prevalence of anxiety and depression increased and in some cases doubled.

Clearly being close to deaths, hospitalisations, family members losing jobs, restrictions on movement, reduced physical contacts, working odd hours, having school-going children confined to home have all contributed. According to the brief, the integration of mental health support with employment support is key to successful workplace outcomes. Input from employees themselves is essential.

Bupa UK identified four fundamental learnings for employers as we emerge from the pandemic: i) favour flexibility-give workers autonomy; ii) emphasise mental health-especially for remote working; iii) give easy access to help- for both physical and mental health concerns; iv) address culture- make workplaces more diverse and inclusive, which are happier and more productive environments.

Symmetra is pleased to see this wake-up call for employers in the new and unheralded working climate where employees are giving utmost scrutiny to the honest and sustained care provided by employers in deciding where to pursue their career.