Telstra is an Australia-based telecoms company founded in 1975. HR Magazine met up with Lynne Barry in Telstra’s Hong Kong office. Barry began serving as HR Director in 2014 and moved up to Global Head of Learning and Development in the first half of 2016. HR Magazine wanted to find out just why retaining female talent in a firm is more important now than it ever has been.
The role played by women in business is now more relevant than ever. By not acknowledging that they are a key asset to your organisation, you will be left behind not only in terms of workplace equality, but also in competitiveness.
Gender diversity increases performance. Having a woman on the board is a must, because companies with at least one woman on their board outperform similar companies with all male boards by 26% (source: catalyst. org). However, if you do not actively cultivate your female talent someone else will snatch it up, and then they will be your competition.
Lynne Barry, Global Head of Learning and Development, Telstra
Ambition is not enough; women still have to overcome more hurdles than men when it comes to employment, and especially in obtaining high status jobs. This is not isolated to developing economies with a traditional view of the work place being just for men—it happens worldwide. In Europe, Norway scores highest on gender equality with 35.5% of Board Members at European Stock Index Companies being female (source: Korn/Ferry International, “Mind The Gap, Half of Asia’s Boards Have No Women, A Risky Proposition for Governance and Growth). Progress, yes, but there is still a ratio of 1:2 of women to men, and this is the best-case scenario. Most EU countries are hovering around the 10% mark, only slightly more than Asian countries, with Hong Kong coming in at a dismal 8.6% of board members being female.
So why are women leaving the workplace before they reach senior positions? Barry said she found that many of them left for the same reason as men would leave the workplace. The traditional idea that most women are leaving their work to start a family is false. Common phrases such as, “I have found a job that pays more elsewhere,” “There are not enough opportunities for learning and development for me here,” “There is not a fair balance between how hard I work and the compensation I receive,” could all be uttered by men or women alike. So what else is limiting women’s advancement?
Unconscious bias, not discrimination
While discrimination certainly still exists in some areas, the problem now is often more about unconscious bias. This means while you may think you are making a fair judgement on who you promote, naturally your mind makes unconscious choices. If you are used to working in an all male office, you may have a bias towards choosing another male simply because it is the status quo. Barry stated that while it is not something one should be blamed for—it is unconscious after all—it is something that needs to be acknowledged. Barry mentioned that as an example, Telstra performs role-play exercises in an attempt to help you realise when you are affected by an unconscious bias, so you can then challenge it and make a more balanced decision.
Do more
As a HR representative, more effort invested to retain not just your top female talent, but all talent, is necessary. This can be managed through a number of methods. Barry cited Telstra’s All Roles Flex initiative that is open to all employees, old or new. “All Roles Flex at Telstra means that flexibility in some form is something we’re open to discussing for all our jobs. We’ve adopted a very broad definition of ‘flexibility’ in this regard, recognising that the practice will mean different things for different people and different work types. Flexibility can include part-time work, different working hours, or working from different locations, instead of the traditional 40 hour week.” Consult your employees, open a dialogue and allow them to tell you what they need.
Women also need to know that they can learn and grow within the organisation. Barry stated, “You want them to know ‘Yes I can be a senior member in this organisation’. Make it evident that they can obtain it.” Give them recognition for their achievements, and make sure that they know they are working in a meritocracy. Barry also advises letting people know that mentoring is available for those who need and want it, which can help them to truly reach their full potential.
It is also necessary to get men in on the act. Change can only happen when men support it as well. Not only will it add weight to the argument, but pushing for equality in the work place is everyone’s job.
Avoiding positive discrimination
Positive discrimination means intentionally favouring individuals from groups that are usually left out, for example by deliberately hiring more women than men. It can be just as tricky to deal with as negative discrimination. Barry mentioned, for example, that Telstra never works to quotas. Quotas imply discrimination because it means you will be employing someone not based on their merits but with the only goal of reaching targets, to give the appearance of being diverse. However she states that sometimes you may have to search longer and harder to find a woman suitable for a role, compared to their male counterparts. To say ‘I must find a woman for this role’ may sound like positive discrimination, but if you want a more diverse board sometimes it is necessary. As mentioned before, only having one female board member can increase performance by up to 26%. It certainly is a tricky call, and every situation is different.
Office injustice
To women who feel like they are being pushed out or receiving unfair treatment compared to their male counterparts, Barry advised, “Talk about it, you’ve got to declare it. Go straight your mentor [if you have one]. Take control of the situation.” Go to your manager, mentor, boss or whoever you can and explain the situation and how you feel. Those involved may not even realise something is wrong, or that you do not feel like you are reaching your full potential. For HR, working through the case, listening to voices and promoting a dialogue between appropriate parties to manage a solution is very important. Not only is it the right thing to do, but losing female talent will make your firm weaker as a whole.
Paul Arkwright
Publisher
