International Women’s Day is back on the 8th March 2022 and celebrates women across the world. This year the theme is #BreakTheBias.
We’ve got so many amazing women across Norfolk doing incredible things so we’re celebrating them across the month of March. We’ve also got some inspirational women who work within Norfolk Chambers of Commerce, and we're shining the light on them too.
We asked Norfolk Chamber Member, Laura Brown, Legal Director and Employment Law Solicitor a few questions...
Why is supporting women in business so important?
In a nutshell, a diverse workforce is an innovative workforce! As women gain more power and influence in the world of business, they bring fresh ideas and innovation. Women represent a huge economic power and a 'gender balanced' workplace is known to increase profitability, attract and retain talent, and achieve an enhanced business reputation.
What do you or your business do to support women in your teams?
I strive to be a role model to junior females - especially to those who are considering a family and are concerned how they might balance work/children. I am fully aware of the issues that are involved in this 'balance' and am a big advocate of mentoring and coaching to support women (particularly when returning from maternity leave!). Upon recently joining Howes Percivial, I was impressed by the action the firm takes internally and externally to support women's career development with regular internal discussion groups, talks, mentoring, and focus groups on subjects such as equal pay and unconscious bias.
What skills do you feel are the biggest asset that women have in the workplace?
Many of women I have worked with / learnt from over the years have been fantastic communicators and very emotionally intelligent. Of course, these skills are essential when dealing with people/staff in order to build trust, encourage openness and collaboration, and prevent interpersonal conflicts.
What challenges do women face in the workplace that are different to men?
A few key challenges I've seen during my career include: - Career progression (or lack of) - I've seen many talented women who have failed to progress or have quit their jobs because of the struggles they have faced due to unconscious and conscious biases in the workplace. - Imposter syndrome - from what I have read/witnessed, imposter syndrome seems to impact women more - perhaps due to how we've been socialised or lack of female role models? This type of thinking can have a devastating impact on the career (and financial) progression of women. It is why I am such an advocate of coaching and why I am frequently advising my clients to ensure they have senior women in leadership positions who will act as role models to junior females. - Gender pay gap - there are numerous studies that demonstrate that it will take years to close the pay gap despite equal pay still being a significant issue in the workplace. I have witnessed pay negotiations and bonus structures that have been inherently biased against women. It's also interesting that men are more likely to be successful when asking for a pay rise compared to women...
What advice would you give to male colleagues to support women in the workplace?
1. Always challenge sexism (direct or indirect) and advocate fair working practices including equal pay. 2. Ensure your business has comprehensive policies on equality and diversity and rolls out regular interactive training on this topic. 3. Be mindful of the key obstacles that working women are dealing with (for example, an increase in women now working remotely may be exacerbating previous gender inequalities) 4. Include and sponsor women in the workplace 5. Ensure women's voices are being heard in meetings and discussion groups.
What top tips would you give your younger self when it comes to business?
1. Find a decent coach and mentor 2. Don't be afraid of being that person that challenges unfairness, inequality, and discrimination 3. Be yourself and speak up (even when intimidated!) 4. Find female alliances / establish a network at an early stage in your career 5. Make your invisible work visible. If you don't communicate your value, no one else will do it for you.