Diversity at work: 4 keys to promoting it on a daily basis

Diversity at work has been one of Talentis' main priorities for over 10 years. We have supported more than twenty major French and international groups on issues related to gender diversity in companies. Developing female talent, guiding companies in the development of real diversity policies, and disseminating mentoring practices, are among the main areas of our expertise on the subject. During the week of March 8, International Women's Rights Day, we produced a series of videos on the subject of gender diversity in companies to reaffirm our strong commitment to this cause. Discover in video, 4 keys to promoting diversity at work on a daily basis.

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‍Valérie Rocoplan, CEO of Talentis and professional coach :

“We have been talking about gender diversity at work for several days, but finally, beyond the fact that it is important for companies, that women take control of their ambition and their professional project, isn't it also and above all everyone's business? So yes, we tend to say: “Well, as long as HR doesn't do this, as long as the manager doesn't do that, as long as...” Like all causes linked to profound cultural changes, gender diversity is a matter for all of us on a daily basis at work.Here are some keys to ensure that you promote diversity in companies at all levels of the company.

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#1 Key number 1 to promote gender diversity at work: recognize that we are all subject to stereotypes.

In other words, unconscious biases will influence your daily behaviors and attitudes in the company. How do you identify them? Already, the simple fact of recognizing that the fact that we expect a woman to be nicer, kinder, more pleasant, or of a man to be stronger, more toned, more courageous, is already creating stereotypes. Studies have shown that, it's a bit sad, but these practices are still very common.

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So every time you make a decision about recruiting, about a promotion, every time you meet a woman for a job, just be asking yourself: am I looking at her through my prism and my stereotypes about men and women or am I looking at her (or am I looking at her for that matter) as a talent, as a skill, as a professional in my company?

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#2 Key number 2 to promote gender diversity at work: pay attention to ordinary sexism.

So this is a bit different from the stereotypes. Ordinary sexism is what we observe all the time in life in general, but still a lot in business. Small remarks about women at work, short remarks about blondes. All these little remarks that are supposed to be funny, but that actually don't make many people laugh and in the end pass by like that, that slip, that let you hear and that you can say without anyone saying anything around you. Well, stand up and say: “I don't think that's a way of speaking, I don't think that's a very pleasant remark, I don't think that this remark is professional.” Is it true that until now, especially in France, because in Anglo-Saxon countries it has been a long time since No longer tolerated at all, ordinary sexism has been accepted. Accepted as something fun, etc... No, today, to act effectively for gender diversity in companies, let's refuse these stupid remarks that are of no interest.

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#3 Key number 3 to promote gender diversity at work: stop systematically associating “woman” with “motherhood”.

Why is diversity in business everyone's business? Because one of the most important factors of discrimination is the association between women and children. Let me explain. Most of the time, women in business are seen as potentially mothers or already mothers or future mothers.So, it's everyone's business to disassociate these two terms, “woman” and “motherhood.” Let's say now: “I am dealing with a talent, she may be a mother, she may be a mother, she may be a mother, she may be a mother, whatever, there are dads who also have children, I will not be fooled by this kind of benevolence concerning This topic of motherhood.” Ask yourself: “Do I consider any talent in my company, whether he's a dad, whether he's a dad, whether he's Mom, like a talent? Am I going to stop talking about this topic as a disabling factor? ”

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#4 Key number 4 to promote diversity at work: talk about it around you!

The last key, as with any major change, is to talk about it. Talk about gender diversity in companies to your peers, colleagues, employees, managers: “Say, is it normal that there are so few women at this type of job? Why do we have so few female directors in our Comex? ” Talk about it. The more we talk about it, the more friction it creates, the more it awakens awareness and it creates dialogues and finally dialogue is a vector of change.To conclude, before telling you that Diversity in business is a HR subject, a managerial subject, that you can't do anything about it, that you can't do anything about it, really ask yourself if there weren't a thousand things you could do on a daily basis to promote equal treatment between men and women in all companies.