Five minutes with a leader: Emma Skea

At just 21 years of age, Emma Skea IMLa started to forge a successful career. She previously worked in administration and as a paralegal at Shine Lawyers on the Sunshine Coast and now is an Administration and Operations Officer with recycling giant Remondis. Leadership Matters asked her to share five reflections on leadership.

 

1. COMMUNICATE

I am still quite young and I am still learning, but I observe a lot and have managed staff myself. I recognise that communication is the most important thing. You have to be honest as an employee and as an effective leader. Communication is something that you must learn and adjust to. In my workplace, we work in very close teams, and communication is essential. We have several team huddles throughout the week to ensure we are all in constant communication. Our team huddles allow us to touch base, as well as bounce ideas off one another.

 

2. BE HONEST

If you are having a problem with something or someone, you need to fix it. It needs to get sorted in a constructive way where all parties can agree on the outcome. Regardless of the size of your team or where you rank, if a resolvable issue is at hand then honesty is the best policy.

 

3. PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

Personal development gives you tools along the way to grow your capabilities. Ten per cent of your salary every year should go toward personal development. It’s a great way to expand your knowledge and skills as well as network and meet people in a similar industry, or even the complete opposite. I myself take it as an opportunity to get to know my community as well as grow my skill set and knowledge.

 

4. SET AN EXAMPLE

I worked in hospitality and, when I was running events, I would have 30 staff with 500 people attending and it could very easily turn into a high-pressure situation. One thing I took out of it, was that everybody has to be on the same page. If the manager is saying one thing and doing another, not only is it a bad look, it gives extra room for errors and doesn’t allow you time to perform at your highest standard. The best teams are headed by strong managers who nurture growth and play to their team’s strengths.

 

5. BE KIND

I have always been told: do to others as I would like done to myself. If you are kind to your colleagues and team, especially in a high-stress workplace like a law firm, that kindness is contagious. Being kind is such a little thing but it can change someone’s day and mindset. The happier you are as a team, the more productive you will be.

Data detective: Harnessing machine learning

By Emma Mulholland

 

Many of us don’t realise that, as we go about our days, we leave long data trails behind us. When we use our smartphone, for example, not only is our location and interlocutor recorded, even the way we hold the headset is. Is that a bad thing? It can be, says data innovator Shashank Pawar MIML. But in the right hands, he says, our data can help us take control of our financial future.

Pawar has worked at Microsoft for 19 years, where he oversees healthcare and banking portfolios. His mission is to bring back customer service – albeit in a modern, digital way. “I think about my mum and dad’s experience of banking,” he says. “They used to deal with one person at a local branch who knew everything about their lifestyle. He knew how old their kids were and would say, ‘Why don’t you set up a college fund?’ There was a level of service that we’re not enjoying today, even though the banks probably have more information about their customers than they’ve ever had.”

A computer science graduate, Pawar helps organisations store and protect customer data and put it to work (under Australian legislation, companies keeping information must have customer consent).

“I help my clients get the most out of the biggest asset they have within their organisation, which is data,” Pawar says. “When a person walks into a bank, essentially everything is recorded: the time it takes to solve their enquiry, the nature of the transaction and the money involved. That data becomes a competitive difference: it’s something you know about your customer base that your competitor doesn’t.”

And that’s where artificial intelligence comes in. Pawar develops algorithms that can sift through millions of these recorded interactions, establish patterns and make predictions about each customer. In years gone by, it could take up to a year to set up an algorithm; with cloud computing, Pawar can now run tests in a matter of days.

He hopes to create the banking equivalent of Spotify, a music-streaming service that uses machine learning – based on tracks played by the listener and their friends – to suggest new playlists. “Why can’t we do that with financial advice as well?” Pawar asks. “The bank knows my peers’ spending habits so if I’m aiming to save a large amount of money, it could tell me what other people my age, who managed to reach that goal, did – it might be shopping at alternative grocery suppliers.”

Pawar imagines a future where no-one will have to wait in line at the bank. Instead, organisations will analyse data and predict their customers’ needs. “Then we can use digital technology to text them the solution,” he says. “Or the next time they pop in to a branch, a friendly face will come and say, ‘This is what you’ve been looking for.’ The interaction is seamless – we seem to know about the customer and can give them personalised service. That’s the vision.”

Straight Talk: See the world differently

By Jane Caro

 

Throughout all the years that I was one of the few women working in creative departments in ad agencies, I often asked myself the question why so many managers seemed to prefer employing clones of themselves. To be fair, I did have one creative director who hired a variety of people for his department – women, people from other ethnic backgrounds, different ages and sexual orientations. It was the best creative department I ever worked in, but it was also highly unusual. Most creative departments were (and still are) staffed by white blokes in their thirties, many of whom (oddly) were English. He was also the only manager I ever had who hired his staff with care and then left them alone to do their job. That was also rare.

In the end, the only answer I came up with about why so many bosses seemed to prefer homogeneity was fear. They felt at home and at ease with people like them. Difference – be it of gender, race, class, sexuality or anything else – seems to present a challenge to many people. Perhaps that’s why we have turned hiring a variety of people into a buzzword and tamed it under the cloak of ‘diversity’.

Difference can be challenging but it can also be exciting and lead to much better results. There is now so much research indicating that the greater the variety of people you employ (particularly at decision-making tables) the healthier the business, it almost does not need commenting on. Yet the resistance remains.

 

GENDER AGENDA

Women, in particular, were lectured for years that we needed to make ‘the business case’ for our right to progress up the management ladder (aka diversity). And we have, yet that ubiquitous ladder still remains out of reach for most of us. While enduring that lecture, I confess I often wondered where the business case was for justifying having overwhelmingly white, privately educated, blokes at the top. To this day, no one has ever been able to find a copy of it for me.

As my enlightened boss from the late 90s showed, managing diversity does not need to be either difficult or frightening, especially if you see difference and new ways of looking at things as an opportunity. Perhaps it is hard for bosses who want to be the authority on everything and do not like their decisions to be queried or analysed from a different perspective. If you are genuinely open to new ideas; however, I can’t see how it is any harder than managing any other group of human beings.

Sure, women, people of colour, people of different faiths, ages, sexual identity or orientation and social class have different life experiences, which, of course, is a large part of the richness they bring to any table. However, they are all in essence just other human beings. They are not some kind of alien ‘other’ to be feared and distrusted. Every human on the planet, whatever their background, likes to be treated with courtesy and respect, to have their professional contribution fairly acknowledged and rewarded and to be taken seriously as a colleague. Do that and I doubt you will go far wrong.

After all, there is just as much diversity within groups as there is between them. Women are not a job lot, nor are people of colour or members of the LGBTQI community or those from a working-class background. Managing anyone is sometimes difficult. People have personality clashes. They can be needy, particularly when work gets stressful. And this applies to everyone – whatever their background.

In fact, once you try, you may find that managing diversity is no different from managing homogeneity. It won’t be easier, certainly, but I bet it isn’t harder.

Jane Caro runs her own communications consultancy. She worked in the advertising industry for 30 years and is now an author, journalist, lecturer and media commentator.

Bullying, harassment and abuse are workplace hazards too

By Karyl Estrella MIML

 

Genuine human concern and a duty of care means for most managers maintaining a safe workplace is a must. Hence offices are fitted with fire systems, first aid kits and evacuation plans are set out. We do everything in our power to eliminate safety hazards. However, if we think about what a workplace hazard is it’s really anything that could cause potential harm, injury and illness to your people. So, beyond trip, slip or electrical hazards, psychological and emotional risks should also be removed.

Compared to most common hazards, psychological and emotional threats, such as bullying, harassment and abuse result in more severe damage to the employee’s wellbeing. Even more of a concern is that it may not always be easy to detect.

Managers and leaders play a crucial role here. According to Safe Work Australia, one of the central reasons for the occurrence of bullying and harassment in workplaces is the lack of managerial regard for creating an emotionally and mentally safe work environment. Clearly, this is a significant concern for all managers and leaders.

 

A danger hidden in plain sight

This issue is magnified when we consider the impact of the workplace on an employee’s life. In the 12 months preceding March 2018, the figures reveal Australians spent 20 billion hours at work.

Creating a safe environment becomes even more critical given the current state of Australian workplaces. Alarmingly, the Australian Human Rights Commission reports that 23% of women and 16% of men have experienced sexual harassment at work.

If employees are spending the majority of their time in an environment where they do not feel safe, it will no doubt affect their engagement, productivity and loyalty to an organisation. Even worse, is that the effects of bullying, harassment and abuse have far-reaching impacts on how they function within society.

 

A solution is imperative

There are some ways workplaces can respond to these severe hazards. These include:

  • Setting clear guidance. Implement a zero-tolerance approach when it comes to bullying, harassment and any form of gross disrespect in the workplace. Your policies should support this through clear guidelines and consequences for offenders.
  • Offering information and support. Supply all employees with clear information on what they should do if they observe any form of abuse in the workplace. Provide support services for employees who have experienced bullying, harassment and violence – regardless if it’s at home or work.
  • Walking the talk. Leaders in the workplace must be role models of respectful behaviour. By setting the tone from the top, you build an environment where people feel they are safe from abusive behaviour.

 

Embrace the right outlook

Empowering managers and leaders with the skills, knowledge and courage to create a positive influence on our workplaces – and society – is at the heart of what we do at IML ANZ. That’s why we’ve focused our Leadership Outlook 2019 series on creating safe and respectful workplaces. We’ve partnered with White Ribbon to deliver a national series of thought-provoking and practical workshops.

During each session, a panel of local leaders will share real-world experiences and discuss:

  • Best practice approaches to support employees who are experiencing domestic violence, bullying or harassment in or out of the workplace
  • Knowledge and skills in applying a strategic, evidence-based methodology drawn from White Ribbon’s work with organisations on the Workplace Accreditation Program
  • Strategies to support staff which minimises risk and promotes a supportive workplace culture
  • Resources and tools to assist in creating a safe and respectful workplace
  • Practical case studies to work through key learnings from the sessions

We all deserve to feel safe. Join us for an event that will help transform workplaces, leadership and society.

Visit managersandleaders.com.au/leadership-outlook-2019/ for locations, dates and to book.

Karyl is IML ANZ’s content producer. Contact her for queries regarding the IML ANZ blog and quarterly magazine, Leadership Matters.

Career Doctor: How can I build a high performance team?

By Peter Cullen FIML

I was extremely fortunate and very grateful to have been a member of a really great team on one occasion in my career. There were seven of us with a very close bond that was forged over time. People from outside the company wanted to join our team. They could not, because no-one left. Our team exemplified five fundamental foundations that most great teams share: leadership, purpose, values alignment, accountability and communication. Here are some ideas to help embed these five foundations in your own team.

1. LEADERSHIP

As a leader remember: it is not about you, it is about what you do. You need to consistently role model the behaviours you seek in the team because your attitudes and behaviours are contagious.

Trust sits at the heart of any high performing team. Displaying genuine vulnerability is an essential ingredient in establishing trust and it must start with you. This should be encouraged within the team as people flourish in an environment where they feel safe. You need to be open and honest about your mistakes as well as your achievements.

Give your time to your team and people. And have courage! Be the advocate of your team and their protector.

2. PURPOSE

Do you and your team members know their purpose and that of the team? It is a great idea to develop this with the team so everyone has clarity, buy-in, ownership and responsibility for their purpose.

Provide time for team members to consider the who, what, when, where and how of their work. Plan a team meeting to brainstorm and consolidate all this information into a concise paragraph that is relevant and easily relatable.

3. VALUES ALIGNMENT

Knowing, understanding and living your personal values provides personal satisfaction, contentment and a sense of quiet confidence. Values form the basis for your attitudes, beliefs and perception of the world and how you fit in it.

People whose personal values are aligned with team and company values usually perform at a higher level because they are generally happier and want to contribute. They want to support each other and the team. Help yourself and your colleagues by providing a personal values assessment then ask the team to create some jointly agreed team member behaviours.

4. ACCOUNTABILITY

Knowing what team members need to be accountable for – and then consistently following up – has a big influence on how a team performs. KPIs are normally front of mind when we think about accountability. Remember that these need to be realistic, achievable and agreed by both you and the person who reports to you. It is beneficial for a team to create and develop some targets collectively and they should feel comfortable to hold each other accountable for them. When working in an environment of trust, team members will appropriately and respectfully call each other on it.

5. COMMUNICATION

It is essential to be open, honest and transparent with the team and your people while being appropriately respectful. Two important motivators for people are recognition and acknowledgement. These can be delivered by providing regular feedback which should always be affirmative and supporting, never blaming, criticising or judgmental.

Depending on how many direct reports you have, consider weekly 20-minute catch-ups and weekly structured team meetings. To ensure you all get the most from every meeting, ask what worked well and why and what can be improved and how.

Be present! Ensure you ‘walk the floor’ and chat with people to see how they are going and whether they have any concerns you can help them with.

Keep people informed on the progress and developments of the company. Remember, we are all human and as such we will make mistakes and we will have wins. Use each mistake or win as an opportunity to build self-awareness through self-reflection.

If you can establish these five foundations with your team then you will be a formidable force together. And you will be the leader your team needs you to be.

Peter Cullen is an education and training facilitator. Each of his three-day programs engages participants in developing and implementing their capabilities as managers and leaders.

The real battleground for gender equality

By David Pich CMgr FIML

(Warning: This is not an article about the ins and outs of Brexit!)

As a dual citizen of Australia and the UK, I tend to keep a foot in both camps, so to speak. Whilst primarily focusing my attention on local leadership issues, I do keep a keen eye on leadership matters in the land of my birth. This inevitably brings me to the absolute shambles that has commonly become known as ‘Brexit’.

Before your eyes glaze over, before your finger twitches towards the minimise button, let me restate that this isn’t another article about Brexit! It’s about something arguably more significant. It’s about institutional gender inequality. It’s about the fact that – typically – our institutions remain male-dominated domains. And it’s about the fact that this needs to change.

A reality check is needed

On 14th January there was (yet another) crucial vote on Brexit in the House of Commons. (It was a vote so crucial that most people, including me, have long since forgotten what was being voted on). My interest was piqued not by the vote itself but by the reports and images of Tulip Saddiq, the MP for Kilburn being wheeled into the voting chamber in a wheelchair.

The issue was – and still is – that Westminster doesn’t have a proxy voting system that allows absent MPs to vote in debates when they are away from Parliament. In fact, the British Parliament almost has a proxy system. About 12-months ago all political parties agreed that a modern political system needed this facility. And then nothing happened.

Back in 2018, Harriet Harman MP arguing in favour of the introduction of proxy voting pointed out that there 200 women MPs in Parliament and that an increasing number were young. She went on to say that ‘there are two babies in the offing and it’s time we just got on with it’.

Indeed. I find it almost unbelievable that the institution that arguably holds a good many of the keys to political power in one of the most advanced democracies in the world doesn’t have processes in place that accommodate the realities of modern life. And that promote one of the very basic principles of gender equality.

Of course, I’m actually not that surprised at all. The ‘Tulip Saddiq incident’ is just one example of the way that women in leadership roles are viewed and treated.

What often surprises me the most about this, and other examples is the reaction of men (and yes, I’m one of those!). One notorious Parliamentarian at the time of the discussion around proxy voting in the British Parliament proudly pointed out to a newspaper that he was no ‘modern man’ and that he hadn’t changed a nappy in his life (or in the life of his kids!). That he said this proudly says it all really. That he said it at all should surely disqualify him from voting on issues such as this!

Systemic change is needed

As leaders, we are always accountable for the decisions we make. Taking personal responsibility for the way we view, decide and act on matters is part and parcel of the job description. The equal treatment of women should be no different. ­

Unfortunately, the fact remains that men continue to dominate many of the positions of responsibility in society. Until there is parity in positions of power men must play both a leading and a supporting role in the fight for gender equality.

This is a real battle and better leaders need to lead the charge. Better leaders are key. The mark of a great leader rests on decision making based on the highest standards. The highest standards of our society demand that decision-makers show the respect and consideration that women deserve. Our actions, great or small, as leaders is what will shape the society we desire. Indeed, we need to rethink how to create a gender equal future. This cannot be done in isolation, it needs the cooperation of all regardless of gender.

Cooperation is needed

Right thinking men need to be there to support women in the push for gender equality. That struggle isn’t a one-sided battle; we are stronger fighting inequality together.

My view is that cooperation is always desirable. This isn’t a fight of us and them, of men v women. It’s a battle between equality and inequality. The battlegrounds are everywhere – in the workplace, in our political institutions, in religion, families and throughout society.

The only way to fight inequality of any sort is through collaborative action.

David Pich is the Chief Executive of IML ANZ.

The Info: Women in leadership must-read books

By Sarah McDuling

 

We are living in a time of great change and challenge; a time when people are being encouraged to examine gender biases and work towards gender-balanced leadership.

The goal, of course, is to create an environment of inclusivity and equality – a culture which not only allows women to achieve their goals, but one that actively encourages young girls to succeed professionally in the same way that young boys have always been encouraged. The question is how do we get there and, perhaps more importantly, how long will it take?

Currently, 47% of the Australian workforce is female, but only 13.7% of chair positions in the country are held by women and only 16.5% of Australian CEOs are women. In fact, 70.9% of reporting organisations in Australia have a male-only team of key management personnel.

Meanwhile, internationally, only 25 of the CEOs in the Fortune 500 are women. When can we expect that number to rise closer to the 50% mark? It has been estimated by the World Economic Forum that the gender gap won’t close entirely until the year 2186. As a single professional woman, I find these numbers deeply concerning. Do we really need to wait that long?

Knowledge is power and when it comes to women in leadership, empowerment is key. As a woman there are two questions I find myself constantly contemplating: How? And who? Firstly, how can I achieve my professional goals in a culture that is intrinsically skewed in favour of men? And secondly, who are my role models?

Luckily, I happen to work in the book industry and so when seeking knowledge, I don’t have to look very far. Here are two recommended reading lists titled How to Lead and Who to Follow. The first is a list of books by successful women in leadership roles, full of valuable advice for women who aspire to become leaders themselves. The second is a list of powerful and thought-provoking memoirs by female role models. Read these books. Read them, not only to learn how to become a great leader, but also to discover what kind of leader you want to become.

 

HOW TO LEAD

 

DARE TO LEAD BY BRENÉ BROWN

How do you cultivate braver, more daring leaders? And, how do you embed the value of courage in your culture? Dare to Lead will answer these questions for you.

 

HOW WOMEN RISE BY SALLY HELGESEN & MARSHALL GOLDSMITH

Do you hesitate about putting forward ideas? Are you reluctant to claim credit for your achievements? Do you find it difficult to get the support you need from your boss? If your answer to any of these is ‘Yes’, How Women Rise will help get you back on track.

 

LIVE LEAD LEARN BY GAIL KELLY

The first female CEO of one of Australia’s big four banks, Gail Kelly is celebrated as one of our finest, most innovative thinkers on leadership and workplace culture.

 

WOMEN LEADING BY CHRISTINE NIXON & AMANDA SINCLAIR

Women Leading smashes tired prescriptions that women should lead like men, highlighting a long history of innovative female leadership.

 

THRIVE BY ARIANNA HUFFINGTON

As the cofounder and editor-in-chief of the Huffington Post Media Group, Arianna Huffington is by any traditional measure, extraordinarily successful.

 

HOW REMARKABLE WOMEN LEAD BY JOANNA BARSH, SUSIE CRANSTON & GEOFFREY LEWIS

How Remarkable Women Lead explores provocative issues such as whether feminine leadership traits (for women and men) are better suited for our fast-changing, hypercompetitive, and increasingly complex world.

 

WINGING IT BY EMMA ISAACS

CEO and entrepreneur Emma Isaacs believes that you can’t plan every detail in life; instead, take action now and figure the rest out as you go along.

 

LEAN IN BY SHERYL SANDBERG

Sheryl Sandberg is chief operating officer of Facebook and co-author of Option B with Adam Grant. In Lean In, Sandberg reignited the conversation around women in the workplace.

 

WHO TO FOLLOW

 

UNFETTERED AND ALIVE BY ANNE SUMMERS

Anne Summers’s story has her travelling around the world as she moves from job to job, in newspapers and magazines, advising prime ministers, leading feminist debates and writing memorable, influential books.

 

200 WOMEN BY RUTH HOBDAY & GEOFF BLACKWELL

Two hundred amazing women answer the same questions about life, happiness and regrets.

 

FIGHT LIKE A GIRL BY CLEMENTINE FORD

Clementine Ford is a beacon of hope and inspiration to Australian women and girls. Her incendiary debut Fight Like A Girl will make you laugh, cry and scream.

 

WOMEN KIND BY DR KIRSTIN FERGUSON & CATHERINE FOX

Dr Kirstin Ferguson joins Walkley award-winning journalist Catherine Fox to examine how women’s shared clout is transforming communities, workplaces and leadership.

 

ANY ORDINARY DAY BY LEIGH SALES

In her powerful book, journalist Leigh Sales examines what people fear most and why? And when the worst does happen, what comes next?

 

EVERYWHERE I LOOK BY HELEN GARNER

Including Garner’s famous and controversial essay on the insults of age, her deeply moving tribute to her mother and extracts from her diaries.

 

MY LIFE ON THE ROAD BY GLORIA STEINEM

From journalist, activist, and international icon Gloria Steinem comes an all-new memoir of a lifetime of listening and learning from people, travelling America and the world.

 

NOT JUST LUCKY BY JAMILA RIZVI

Jamila Rizvi exposes the structural and cultural disadvantages that rob women of their confidence, helping women fight for a more inclusive, equal workplace for all.

 

THE GOOD GIRL STRIPPED BARE BY TRACEY SPICER

When Tracey Spicer was sacked by email after having a baby, this good girl turned ‘bad’, took legal action against the network for pregnancy discrimination. (Spicer will be MC at IML’s International Women’s Day Great Debate in Sydney on 8 March. Details at iml.eventsair.com/international-womens-day)

 

BECOMING BY MICHELLE OBAMA

In her memoir, a work of deep reflection and mesmerising storytelling, Michelle Obama invites readers into her world, telling her full story as she has lived it – in her own words and on her own terms.

AVAILABLE FROM BOOKTOPIA

All these books are available at booktopia.com.au

Sarah McDuling is the Senior Content Producer for Booktopia and the Editor of the Booktopian Blog.

Mind the gap

By Anthony O’Brien

The latest IML Gender Pay Report reveals that if you’re a female working in a C-Suite role, you could be earning as much as 15% less than your male colleagues.

The report presents findings based on an analysis of pay differentials from 2014-2018 between male and female full-time employees within the Australian workforce. The research considers different employment levels and job families ranging from administration to general management. The analysis uses IML’s National Salary Survey, updated in October 2018, and data collected from 460 organisations across Australia, covering more than 250 job roles.

The research doesn’t reflect casual or part-time workers, or maternity leave which explains differences between the IML report and the gaps reported by government organisations such as Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA), according to report author, Sam Bell FIML, General Manager, Corporate Services and Research, IML. The full-time total remuneration gender pay gap based on WGEA data is 22.4%, meaning men working full time earn, on average, nearly $27,000 a year more than women working full time.

WHY THE GAP PERSISTS

According to the IML report, the C-Suite pay gap fell to 9.8% three years ago after a high of 14.7% in 2014. But over the past three years, the gender pay gap for C-Suite roles climbed steadily and is now approaching the levels of five years ago. Bell explains that isolating the reasons for the widening gap at the C-Suite level is challenging. “There are probably more female managers in lower-paying industries. However, our research measures like-against-like job levels and job families, so more female executives working in lower paid industries doesn’t explain the C-Suite gap thoroughly.

“That there is a 14.6% difference in like-against-like general manager salaries is certainly an eye-opening statistic that organisations need to review.”

Libby Lyons, Director of the WGEA, says, “The gender pay gap is a symptom of a broader issue. It reflects the fact that women’s work is traditionally undervalued, and women are often paid less than men.

“As a nation, we need to be talking about what is behind the gender pay gap – the barriers women face in the workplace that cause the gender pay gap.”

WHERE THE GAP IS CLOSING

If you’re seeking work in an industry with closer to equal pay, then look no further than information technology (4.6%) and engineering and science (4.8%). That said, in 2014 the IT pay gap slightly favoured women (-0.1%), and the difference was only 0.3% for females working in engineering and science. On the flipside, the salary gap for women in finance and accounting improved from 13.7% down to 7.1% over the past four years.

IT continuously rates well for women’s pay rates because it’s a result driven industry that typically doesn’t differentiate between male or female employees, notes Bell. “The salary gaps in finance and accounting have dropped because there is greater awareness of gender diversity issues in that profession because of CEOs such as former Westpac boss Gail Kelly.

“That industry was heavily male-dominated, but with high-profile CEOs like Kelly championing the issue and taking it head-on, the pay gap almost halved in the past four years.”

ADDRESSING THE GAP

Paul Jury, Managing Director of Australia for global HR executive search firm ChapmanCG, resolutely believes there should be no excuses for gender pay gaps. He elaborates, “Moreover, there’s plenty of research indicating that up to 70% of employers report they have policies in place to support gender equality.

“With the gender pay gap, it is all heading in the right direction, but the speed of improvement is still too slow.”

Personal biases can come into play particularly where objective measures of performance are deficient and create incidences of gender gaps in promotions and pay, reasons Jury. “For senior roles, some managers without access to objective data may tend to promote and reward people they like and whom they perceive are more like them.

“While unconscious bias is hard to rewire, more training, education, and awareness within an organisation can help to mitigate its impact on gender diversity, promotion and pay. This includes putting in place guidelines, along with checks and balances within a business to minimise the gender pay gap.”

Bell agrees more investment in educating managers about gender equality issues is required. “Educating managers who hire staff that pay gaps are not acceptable is a start,” he reasons. “And the fact that skills, experience, and qualifications should be paid for, irrespective of whether a recruit is male or female.”

From a leadership perspective, Bell believes an organisation should have a gender pay gap policy or statement in place that all managers “understand and take seriously”. WGEA research indicates that actions to correct like-for-like gender pay gaps are three times as effective in reducing overall pay inequities when combined with reporting to executives and boards. Bell says, “There’s a lot of large Australian companies that are certainly taking all these steps. All of them probably have a statement from a leadership level, whether it’s CEO down, saying that pay gaps won’t be tolerated.”

ACCOUNTABILITY COUNTS

Using market data such as IML’s National Salary Survey is another prudent step towards minding the pay gap says Bell. “Employers must understand what the market is paying for a C-Suite role or line manager and it shouldn’t matter whether someone is male or female.”

Another critical way to strengthen employer accountability would be to end pay secrecy, according to Alice Orchiston, an Associate Lecturer in Law at the University of Sydney. To this end the federal Australian Labor Party announced in September last year that, if elected, it will legislate for the introduction of publicly available company-specific gender pay gap data. In an opinion piece for academic journal The Conversation, Orchiston wrote: “If women discover they are earning less than their male counterparts for the same jobs, their legal avenues for pursuing equal pay are limited. It’s difficult to prove and costly to litigate.”

Orchiston continued, “Requiring employers to make their pay records publicly accessible or accessible to employees across the same organisation would create greater transparency and a basis for women to assess their pay, which in turn could facilitate negotiation or legal action.”

READ THE FULL REPORT

The IML 2018 Gender Pay Gap report can be purchased at managersandleaders.com.au/national-salary-survey

Respect your elders and give them a job

By Jane Caro

I am 61 years old. That probably means that I am more or less unemployable in terms of a traditional full-time job. Should my (so far very profitable) sole trader business fail and I put feelers out for employment, I doubt I’d get a nibble.

There’s no real logic behind this fact because I am at the absolute top of my game and I am not finished yet. I have the time, the experience and the maturity to really add value but, in a way, I suspect that is part of the problem. It would take a very confident manager to hire a person like me to work for them.

 

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT

Like many skilled and experienced older workers, I am too easily perceived as a threat. There can still be a real awkwardness experienced by a younger manager about dealing with an older subordinate, almost as if it goes against nature.
It can work the other way too. Older workers, who have been there and done that, can be impatient with what younger colleagues see as a brilliant new idea but that they have seen done before, maybe many times before. I doubt there are any really new ideas, just new thinkers.

 

BLEAK OUTLOOK

For older workers who are not seeking management or senior positions, the outlook is just as bleak. The average age of ‘retirement’ for older women is 52 and 58 for men, yet the pension won’t kick in for people who are that age today until they are 67.

Given that the average woman retires with half the super of men (and most male super is also not enough to see them through old age) and a third retire with none at all, what on earth are they living on?

That is one reason I put ‘retirement’ in inverted commas. I suspect most of the people who leave the paid workforce forever in their 50s are not retiring to a life of luxury, cruising the world’s oceans, exotic cocktail in hand. I suspect they are being forced out of their jobs and are taking early ‘retirement’ reluctantly. No wonder the fastest growing group among the homeless are women over 55.

Some older workers are taking their redundancy payments and – if they have it – cash in lieu of long service leave and buying themselves a business. The number of older people I see running small franchises like lawn mowing companies, domestic cleaning services, ironing services and courier companies is revealing.

While many may enjoy their time in small business, I doubt it was their lifelong dream to do such work. For older workers who were employed in jobs that are demanding physically – plumbers, brickies, nurses, even childcare workers – their ageing bodies may simply not allow them to stay in their chosen profession.

 

TWO HINTS

Yet surely this is easily fixed? We have an ageing population – so we need to keep as many people in the workforce as we possibly can – and it doesn’t take much adjustment to do just that.

Hint 1: stop making older employees the first on the chopping block every time there’s a round of redundancies.

Hint 2: take the best qualified person for the job, even (maybe especially) if they are older.

We have young parents – both male and female – desperate to work less hours, and experienced, older workers often desperate to work more. How hard can it be to put those two together?

 

GREAT MANAGERS HIRE GREAT PEOPLE

Yes, managers must become more confident about hiring people with skills and experience that may exceed their own – but surely that is what defines the best managers? That they have the ability and confidence to hire great people and then get out of their way and let them do what they do best. And, yes, we might have to give physical workers occupations that are more sedentary.

But most of all we need to get over our prejudices about ageing and that older people are somehow lesser people – not as smart, agile or able to master new skills the way they once could. There is simply no actual evidence for that.

Business is very outspoken about diversity these days, particularly when it comes to making sure they have teams that include women, people from different ethnic and religious backgrounds or with different sexual orientation and gender identity, but the one group we still mostly shy away from are those who are older.

And, if you think about it, while all discrimination against a group of human beings is stupid, discrimination against someone simply because they have lived a little longer than you have is the dumbest form there is. After all, if you discriminate against older people, one day you may find you have been discriminating against your future self.

Jane Caro runs her own communications consultancy. She worked in the advertising industry for 30 years and is now an author, journalist, lecturer and media commentator.

This article appeared in December 2018’s Leadership Matters. Exclusive to IML ANZ Members, Leadership Matters is the region’s only specialist management and leadership magazine.

Each edition includes sharp commentary, insightful features and best-practice resources – inspiring readers to become better managers and leaders.

Will ‘women in leadership’ ever be just ‘leadership’?

Female leadership enjoyed significant progress over the past decade. Surprisingly, despite more women currently occupying places on the boards of Australia’s largest companies, they remain woefully underrepresented. More than 100 ASX 300 companies still lack female board representation. Overall, less than 30% of board directors for ASX 200 companies are female.

At the C-suite level, the story is much the same. Consider: only 16% of CEOs in Australian companies are female and 70% of organisations have exclusively male senior management teams.

While the needle has moved, a lot must change before we see a 50-50 gender split at the top levels of leadership.

 

The cost of falling behind

Although the case for female leadership is so compelling, change is slow. One possible reason is that many women in leadership roles don’t hold roles that allow them to progress directly to the CEO position. Even though females are moving up the ladder, they climb a professional path that merely leads to higher ranking support roles.

The disadvantage of slow progress? Businesses miss out on the benefits of female leadership. For instance, Gallup research found that female managers outperform their male counterparts in engaging their employees. Additionally, companies with leadership teams in the top quartile of gender diversity had a 21% likelihood of enjoying above-average profitability.

Plus, a gender diverse leadership team can deliver results beyond revenue:

  • Be an employer of choice. In WGEA’s Business Case for Gender Equality, they reported that employers with policies and practices that support gender equality are better at attracting top talent. It also found employees are more likely to remain with employers who are proactive when it comes to diversity.
  • Create a stronger brand. Promoting gender diversity in leadership creates an inclusive, positive and engaging workplace. Without being weighed down by internal issues that ultimately affect productivity and performance, brands become strong.
  • Foster an innovation culture. Women representation in senior management also improves a company’s innovation efforts.

It begs the question, when will organisations realise the real cost of falling behind? More importantly, what can we do to create a business environment where female leadership is the norm?

 

Programs with purpose

If the solution rests on better development programs, then these must set high-potential women on a clear path towards top-level positions. Women will fare better amid gender-bias by developing their expertise and skills to make a practical difference in the workplace. They also need confidence in their development program of choice.

As the only professional development program of its kind in the region, Chartered Manager (CMgr) provides a pathway to leadership excellence. It gives aspiring female leaders the skills to stand out. It also helps current leaders to become better managers – equipped to respond to the changing business landscape.

 

Time for a perspective change

To shift the gender bias in leadership takes more than development. It requires a perspective change. To what extent? And does it rest solely on the cooperation of male leaders? That’s up for debate on March 8th at IML’s annual International Women’s Day event. We’ll explore if ‘her aspiration needs his cooperation’.

Purchase tickets now at managersandleaders.com.au/iwd or contact events@managersandleaders.com.au.

Sources:

AICD: Board diversity statistics

Gallup: ‘Female Bosses Are More Engaging Than Male Bosses’

WGEA: The Business Case for Gender Equality