Innholdsfortegnelse for June/July 2020 i Working Mother

“The demands to do our jobs, teach our kids and keep our families healthy are just too much.” My friend Kerry’s wedding weekend was one of the most joyful experiences I’ve had. It was the first time my husband, Paul, and I had taken a vacation without the kids. The weather in Austin, Texas, was gorgeous. Several of my friends of more than 15 years were in attendance. Donkeys delivered our drinks at the cocktail hour. There was a karaoke booth. It was downright magical. But it was early March, and a sense of dread hung over the festivities. Our gastroenterologist friend updated us about what Dr. Anthony Fauci, who has since become a household name, was predicting. At the end of the wedding night, as guests put their arms…

Women, and particularly black and Latina women, are often labeled “angry,” “fiery” or “aggressive,” Scott notes. The bias hinders women in more than one way—it can encourage them to dial back the personality traits that make them great leaders, out of fear of conforming to a stereotype about their race or gender, a phenomenon known as “stereotype threat.” “These stereotypes come up frequently across the talent life cycle, but particularly when organizations are recruiting and interviewing, as well as in performance-management and talent-promotion discussions,” says Tsai-Munster. For example, a Harvard Business Review report examining 200 performance reviews at a tech company found that references to “being too aggressive” were present in 76 percent of the women’s reviews, and only 24 percent of men’s. If You Made the Comment Time to…

Another common experience for women: having their work contributions disregarded. Marginalized workers are hurt when colleagues and clients display an affinity bias for their own group—and that group is often white men. Sometimes an affinity bias shows up when employees only seem to hear comments made by men during meetings—even when they repeated (or, “hepeated,” as it’s been dubbed) a woman’s idea. If You’re Overlooking or Ignoring a Colleague’s Contributions Recognize that we all have an affinity bias for people who are like us, but that it’s up to us to get comfortable working with all of our colleagues. Ask them to run to Starbucks with you, Scott suggests. “You have to be intentional about creating inclusive environments because it’s never going to happen by accident.” If you talked over…

These three women have strong opinions on what corporations should do to keep their multicultural women. These are their recommendations. A full toolkit of solutions, some already making a difference at progressive companies, will be featured in the new Gender Gap at the Top for Multicultural Women: Challenges and Opportunities report* to be released July 22-23 at Working Mother’s Multicultural Women’s National Conference. • Look hard at who qualifies for high-potential programs or stretch assignments, and ensure that multicultural women are well-represented. “We too often go after someone who is already baked instead of cultivating someone who is still raw,” Darlene says. • Ensure that those making hiring and promoting decisions have training to understand their own biases. • Ask tough questions at exit interviews, especially for women and multicultural…

L’Oréal USA New York, New York President and CEO Stéphane Rinderknech Senior VP, HR and Chief HR Officer Stephane Charbonnier Program Women of Color Think Tank, inspires multicultural women with professional development and external community work. Employee Melissa Davis, Assistant Vice President, Marketing, Matrix Hair Color What She Learned Success, at any level, is not achieved alone. Being part of a group of women who serve as mentors, resources, advocates and confidants to each other is invaluable. Employee Puja K. Dutta, Director, Customer Marketing What She Learned I didn’t have a sister growing up, but the Think Tank has provided me with the guidance, support and unedited realness that only sisters truly offer. Employee Emily Perez, Director, Safety, Regulatory and Claims Acquisition and Integration What She Learned By amplifying my exposure and access…

Bank of America has committed $100 million in philanthropic grants to support local communities in need. From addressing food insecurity to medical-response capacity and more, their partners are working to respond to the challenges brought on by the virus. Eli Lilly and Company is giving full base pay to the licensed medical pros on their staff to allow them to return to serving patients directly. Johnson & Johnson, with BARDA, committed $1 billion to novel coronavirus vaccine research and development. The company also donated 1 million face masks, isopropyl alcohol, generators and other medical devices to China in February, then donated an additional $50 million to support frontline workers globally. The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. donated $2 million to Doctors Without Borders and reopened a factory to manufacture hand sanitizer and hydroalcoholic gel for…

Women, especially those who work in male-dominated fields, often elicit shock that they’re intelligent, skilled or competent, Govan says. It comes up even more for women of color. Over a quarter of black women (26 percent), 18 percent of Latinas and 16 percent of Asian women report they’ve heard others express surprise at their language skills or other abilities, according to the McKinsey/Lean In study. If You Made the Comment Acknowledge your unconscious bias, apologize for it, and examine it, Goodman says. “Say: ‘I’m really sorry; I just realized the assumptions I was making. I’m going to think about where that comes from for me.’” If You Received the Comment Humor or sarcasm can be helpful, Goodman says. “Yes! It’s amazing what women can do these days!” Or ask questions…

Employees of color are often tapped to speak on behalf of a broader group that they might—or might not—identify with. While it’s great to solicit feedback from diverse voices, remember that one person doesn’t represent an entire community’s view. “I have been targeted for anything having to do with Asian culture,” Tsai-Munster says. “I’m not Japanese—I’m Chinese—but I’m often mistaken that way. ‘I have a Japanese funeral to go to. Any customs I need to know?’” It’s problematic because it implies the listener is not an individual. “You’re lumping people into a category,” Hoesman says. “Just because I self-identify as LGBTQ doesn’t mean I’m a great party planner.” If You Made the Comment Thank the person for the feedback, and ask if they would like to share more about their…

San Diego-based Irina Jordan is the CMO for concussion-assessment technology company ImPACT Applications Inc. Married with three children, she, like other working moms, deals with her share of anxiety. She felt like she was always on a quest for a healthy stress reliever. Last year, she found a fix almost accidentally. Irina, who is a fan of author Gabrielle Bernstein, was watching one of her YouTube videos when she “noticed her doing this tapping thing when she was talking,” Irina says. “Tapping her head. Tapping her face. I did a Google search and found she had made videos about that tapping. I watched them, did more research, and decided to try tapping on my own.” Irina found more tapping how - to videos on YouTube and started practicing the technique…

Most people know the sting of being demeaned at the office. But when indignities are directed at members of a marginalized group, and rooted in bias, it’s not a simple snub. It’s a microaggression. And it has the power to do lasting harm, not just to the people involved in an exchange, but also to an entire organization. They happen a lot. A 2019 study by McKinsey & Company and Lean In found that 73 percent of women have experienced at least one type of microaggression in their workplace. Women who identify as black, lesbian, bisexual or disabled are twice as likely as men to experience microaggressions at work. Psychologists liken microaggressions to death by a thousand cuts. Individually, they’re a minor nuisance, but research shows that over time, they…

Women are twice as likely as men to be mistaken for someone more junior, according to the McKinsey/Lean In study. (It often happens when a woman manager or exec meets someone new and is mistaken for her male assistant.) If You Made the Comment Apologize on the spot, then challenge yourself to stop making assumptions. “We are living in a, thankfully, more diverse world, so to keep yourself from being embarrassed, go into rooms asking questions, not making statements,” Scott says. If You Received the Comment “What’s behind it most times is not malicious intent but unconscious bias,” Scott says. Govan suggests saying with a laugh: “Yes, people think that all the time.” If You’re a Bystander Provide a gentle correction: “Actually, Jane is the CEO, and Joe is her…

“More and more of our clients are getting comments that discount or question their experience with racism,” Tsai-Munster says. “Things like: ‘Are you being oversensitive? Is this a race-card thing?’” Govan notes this line of questioning invalidates another person’s experience. A good example: “When a woman shares in a meeting that she experienced sexism at a conference, and a man responds, ‘Yes, but we’ve come a long way, because we’ve hired a lot more women.’” If You Made the Comment Recognize that when you commit an invalidation, the person is less likely to want to continue the conversation or they’ll feel like they have to offer up so many examples, Govan points out. Next time, try leading with curiosity. “Say: ‘I’m sorry. Can I start over? I immediately went to…