“ There is a need for collective responsibility in shaping workplace culture and behaviours. The focus should be on inclusion to create an environment where all talent can flourish.” MARK FREED, MEN FOR INCLUSION
“Some are participating because they feel they need
to meet targets. We try to engage them in conversation, but by calling men privileged, biased and aggressive or setting them targets and then telling them to be allies we are not providing them with a great sales pitch or motivation.” Conversely, those men are already motivated to
become more aware of DEI and want to understand and solve these issues and are often more aware of workplace inequality at a personal level. “They are actively engaged because they understand that cultural change is beneficial to them as well,” he says. “Quite often, they have been inspired by the women in their life: their mothers, their wives, girlfriends, partners, daughters or indeed sons. They want to see change, to change the world and change the culture.”
ENGAGEMENT STRATEGIES TO TACKLE RESISTANCE To make more progress, Mark emphasises the need for men to be motivated by understanding the benefits of DEI for themselves and their organisations, rather than being forced into it. Men are often just as confined by
30
social and cultural constraints as women and taking away some of these pressures can be just as liberating, he says.
“When we look at the Resistors and the Passives, we
have to understand that there is still a variety of views about the role of men and women. As long as those views aren’t hindering colleagues in the workplace, then I should respect them, but there is a group of men who are so entrenched in old-fashioned ways of doing things that they are going to be very resistant to change. “Once you start engaging with those men and talking
about inclusion, rather than just men and women, and address the culture instead, you find that men too want to work in meritocracies and don’t want to work in environments with bullying and aggressive bosses. They too don’t want to be interrupted in meetings or have to behave in certain ways or be denied time off to be with their family. If we start engaging with men at this level, rather than sending them off on another unconscious bias training course or giving them targets, then you start to see real change.” By focusing on diversity and talking about inclusion
in the workplace, he says organisations can start to change the tone of the conversation.
HOW TO RAISE AWARENESS OF DEI IN THE WORKPLACE Mark says there are key steps organisations can take to start the journey of inclusion and cultural change. These include:
• gathering inclusion and lived experience data • raising awareness and engaging men • building capability through workshops • addressing gender stereotypes early • changing meeting dynamics so all voices are heard.
“It is important to gather robust data on inclusion and to document lived experience data in order to identify
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86
