While it is admirable to strive for an inclusive and supportive workplace, achieving this goal is often difficult.
In order to build a better workplace, it is crucial for employers and employees alike to ask themselves: how?
Leaders across various businesses, political parties, and cultures came together in a two-day conference to answer this question, discussing challenges faced by women in the workplace and how to create a better workplace for all involved. Hosted by the New York Times and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists leading the conversation around gender and equality, the New Rules Summit took place on June 12-13 in Brooklyn, N.Y. Participants were encouraged to propose concrete solutions.
Read on for highlights from the summit as leaders shared their opinions and ideas about how to create a more diverse and inclusive workplace.
“For years, organizations incentivized inclusion with a carrot. They rewarded participation, but they didn’t hold accountable a lack of results. They were like, the program is enough. But now, we have to hold people accountable for results. We often say, ‘What gets measured gets done.’” —Michael Chamberlain, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at Catalyst
The burden of correcting the ‘motherhood penalty’ should not have to be on the women impacted by it. And yet, we will, one working mom at a time, if we have vital support for concrete policy and culture change from our employers.” —Lauren Smith Brody, author, “The Fifth Trimester”
“The way to create accountability is to take actions, and even if these efforts fail, reward that failure as a learning experience.” —Mabel Abraham, Associate Professor of Management, Columbia Business School
“If we want the full benefits of diversity, we need more than one woman — or one person of color or one L.G.B.T.Q. person in the room. Diversity starts with real numbers. And it’s about creating an environment where everyone feels like they belong and can do their best work.” –Rachel Thomas, Co-Founder and CEO, Lean In
During the summit, specific practices for companies to implement were discussed, as well as overall mindsets needed in order to work toward a more inclusive workplace.
Read more insights from the full article from the New York Times.
