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“A new pejorative term has imprinted itself in the corporate lexicon: “woke-washing “. This now goes beyond just superficial brand upliftment and extends to question the reality of internal diversity and inclusion commitments. Symmetra suggests that Corporations and other employers should take note. Increasingly, shareholders and other stakeholders will not be content to accept lip service or lack of transparency on D&I measurement and progress.

For example, in anticipation of a shareholders meeting scheduled for October 6, Nike shareholders have requested that the company publish a report which measures metrics on promotion, recruitment and retention of protected classes of employees Nike is not amongst the 71% of S&P 100 which releases its statutory EEO-1 report which reflects detailed data on workforce composition. Nike’s internal report is inadequate, say the shareholders. It provides, they assert “…. Insufficient quantitative data for investors to determine the effectiveness of its human capital management program as it relates to workplace diversity.”

In the coming years, at least in developed economies, this demand is likely to become routine and as essential a feature of corporate reporting as audited financial and sustainability metrics. Symmetra, which has premised its D&I programs on sound and reliable metrics, welcomes the move of stakeholders to demand transparency and adequate detail in D&I reporting. It can only augur well for the health of the operating environment for both public and private sectors.  Australia has useful compulsory reporting to WGEA on gender metrics but the moves in the US indicate that a broader perspective is what is becoming considered necessary.

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.

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.

Women who complain that sexism, discrimination, casually dismissive attitudes towards females and victimisation are cultural, are often accused of paranoia or of having a fertile imagination. In fact, there is an abundance of evidence that many organisations simply overlook ´bad boy “behavior – or worse still, encourage it.

California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing is taking legal action against gaming company, Activision. Allegedly: men arrived at work ”proudly“ with hangovers; play games and delegate their work to female juniors; joke about rape; openly discuss sexual encounters. When complaints were made, female employees were deprived of work, transferred or selected for layoff. Allegedly, at least one suicide resulted. As Symmetra has argued, until it is recognised that many of the ills which women face in the workplace are systemic and borne of toxic cultures, little progress will be made in alleviating them.

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.

By now, most people recognise that humans are subject to a range of unconscious biases which negatively impact decisions. Combatting these biases as an individual is difficult because, by definition, they are numerous and lurk beyond ordinary awareness.

Working with global organisations, Symmetra advocates it as critical to focus on vital areas of biased decision-making.

The research described in an HBR article has identified four key patterns of bias which undercut the ability of women and diverse groups of colour to compete on an equitable basis in recruitment, promotion and workplace selections.

They are:

• Prove it again – women and people of colour have their mistakes noticed more and remembered longer
• The tightrope – women and people of colour are judged frequently on personality traits (helpful, modest, pleasant)
• The maternal wall – mothers are believed to suddenly lose their ambition and commitment to the job
• Racial stereotypes—for example, only white males exhibit leadership qualities.

This distillation of critical biases provides a sharp framework for leaders to hone in on some of the biggest barriers regarding the intersectionality of racial and gender inclusion.

In the long struggle against racism, in its various manifestations across the globe salutary acts is the removal of racist symbolism which is expressed in statues, architecture, language, names, adornment, artifacts and even packaging for consumables. Examples of these are legions and they range from statues erected in honor of slave-owners in the Southern United States to casual and unthinking use of the “n…“ word; calling Asians “slit-eyed“ and so on.

Hurtful racist symbols have been seamlessly integrated and accepted into the everyday life of many communities and nations. People who are not victims or targets are often not even aware of the offense or the wounds caused. But individuals and groups who are subject to slights or insults which have racist undertones are all too aware of these, though they are often borne in silence. They mount up creating a corrosive impact on confidence, sense of belonging and a belief that some people are just non-persons in the minds of others.

Governments and organisations as well as educational institutions need to commit themselves to a systematic review of all images, documents and communications to make sure that anything with racist imputations is removed. Symmetra is inspired by the growing number of our global clients who have brought us on board to help with auditing systems, symbols, policies and processes as part of the implementation of their anti-racism initiatives.

“A new pejorative term has imprinted itself in the corporate lexicon: “woke-washing “. This now goes beyond just superficial brand upliftment and extends to question the reality of internal diversity and inclusion commitments. Symmetra suggests that Corporations and other employers should take note. Increasingly, shareholders and other stakeholders will not be content to accept lip service or lack of transparency on D&I measurement and progress.

For example, in anticipation of a shareholders meeting scheduled for October 6, Nike shareholders have requested that the company publish a report which measures metrics on promotion, recruitment and retention of protected classes of employees Nike is not amongst the 71% of S&P 100 which releases its statutory EEO-1 report which reflects detailed data on workforce composition. Nike’s internal report is inadequate, say the shareholders. It provides, they assert “…. Insufficient quantitative data for investors to determine the effectiveness of its human capital management program as it relates to workplace diversity.”

In the coming years, at least in developed economies, this demand is likely to become routine and as essential a feature of corporate reporting as audited financial and sustainability metrics. Symmetra, which has premised its D&I programs on sound and reliable metrics, welcomes the move of stakeholders to demand transparency and adequate detail in D&I reporting. It can only augur well for the health of the operating environment for both public and private sectors.  Australia has useful compulsory reporting to WGEA on gender metrics but the moves in the US indicate that a broader perspective is what is becoming considered necessary.

This week, like most Australians, I participated in the National Census. We were told that participating is an important part of telling Australia’s story. Yet the feelings I’m left with after completing the census is ‘this is not my Australia, or my reality’.

As an Organisational Psychologist and an equity, diversity, and inclusion consultant at Symmtera I spend my time helping organisations, leaders, and teams to consciously adapt their language, behaviours and ways of working to be more inclusive of differences. I am often asked to review policies, processes, and documentation to help organisations hardwire equity, diversity, and inclusion into their DNA.

So, whilst it does not surprise me that in 2021 our national census embodies biased and limiting views of gender identity, family constructs, abilities, or health – to name a few – it certainly does disappoint me.

It does not require much effort to:

• Update the gender question to allow for non-binary response options
• Recognise that whilst many families today do have a mother and father – there are also many who do not
• Know that labels, such as mental health, can exclude neurodiverse people.

It does require recognition that unless you consciously include people you will unconsciously exclude them. And language is a visible signal and symbol to Australians of the extent to which the non-dominant groups are seen, heard, and valued.

ABS – you can do better than this – particularly if you are intending to represent our diverse lived experiences to tell the Australian Story.

This week, like most Australians, I participated in the National Census. We were told that participating is an important part of telling Australia’s story. Yet the feelings I’m left with after completing the census is ‘this is not my Australia, or my reality’.

As an Organisational Psychologist and an equity, diversity, and inclusion consultant at Symmtera I spend my time helping organisations, leaders, and teams to consciously adapt their language, behaviours and ways of working to be more inclusive of differences. I am often asked to review policies, processes, and documentation to help organisations hardwire equity, diversity, and inclusion into their DNA.

So, whilst it does not surprise me that in 2021 our national census embodies biased and limiting views of gender identity, family constructs, abilities, or health – to name a few – it certainly does disappoint me.

It does not require much effort to:

• Update the gender question to allow for non-binary response options
• Recognise that whilst many families today do have a mother and father – there are also many who do not
• Know that labels, such as mental health, can exclude neurodiverse people.

It does require recognition that unless you consciously include people you will unconsciously exclude them. And language is a visible signal and symbol to Australians of the extent to which the non-dominant groups are seen, heard, and valued.

ABS – you can do better than this – particularly if you are intending to represent our diverse lived experiences to tell the Australian Story.