WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.200 --> 00:00:02.617 (soft music) 2 00:00:05.999 --> 00:00:08.370 line:15% Hi, my name is Pamela Hutchinson 3 00:00:08.370 --> 00:00:10.620 line:15% and I'm the Global Head of Diversity & Inclusion 4 00:00:10.620 --> 00:00:11.540 line:15% here at Bloomberg. 5 00:00:11.540 --> 00:00:13.632 line:15% And I'm pleased to be moderating 6 00:00:13.632 --> 00:00:17.030 line:15% Boston Consulting Group Sponsor Spotlight session 7 00:00:17.030 --> 00:00:20.150 line:15% on reinventing gender diversity programs 8 00:00:20.150 --> 00:00:22.860 line:15% for a post-pandemic world. 9 00:00:22.860 --> 00:00:26.270 line:15% Joining me today in conversation is Gabi Novacek, 10 00:00:26.270 --> 00:00:27.930 managing director and partner 11 00:00:27.930 --> 00:00:30.220 at the Boston Consulting Group. 12 00:00:30.220 --> 00:00:32.080 Gabi and her team are researching 13 00:00:32.080 --> 00:00:37.080 an entirely new approach to workplace DE&I programs. 14 00:00:37.100 --> 00:00:39.800 Gabi, a very warm welcome to you today. 15 00:00:39.800 --> 00:00:42.060 It's great to be with you, Pamela. 16 00:00:42.060 --> 00:00:43.920 So, let's just dive straight into it. 17 00:00:43.920 --> 00:00:47.070 Look, I've been reading with immense interest 18 00:00:47.070 --> 00:00:48.710 the research that you've undertaken, 19 00:00:48.710 --> 00:00:51.030 which has led to you reimagining 20 00:00:51.030 --> 00:00:52.916 gender diversity programming. 21 00:00:52.916 --> 00:00:55.280 So please, share with us 22 00:00:55.280 --> 00:00:59.570 why you believe we need a different approach now. 23 00:00:59.570 --> 00:01:01.610 Yeah, for years, we've done exceptional work 24 00:01:01.610 --> 00:01:03.590 driving DEI in the workplace, 25 00:01:03.590 --> 00:01:07.270 line:15% and we've done it by really focusing on mitigating bias 26 00:01:07.270 --> 00:01:09.740 line:15% on striving for equity of opportunity 27 00:01:09.740 --> 00:01:12.163 line:15% on increasing representation. 28 00:01:12.163 --> 00:01:14.960 line:15% But what we've missed is the other half of the equation, 29 00:01:14.960 --> 00:01:17.210 line:15% which is that we have agency, 30 00:01:17.210 --> 00:01:19.620 line:15% we make choices to come to work, 31 00:01:19.620 --> 00:01:23.060 line:15% to stay with our employers, we're motivated or we're not, 32 00:01:23.060 --> 00:01:25.710 line:15% and we've never really solved for that half of the problem. 33 00:01:25.710 --> 00:01:29.170 line:15% And the pandemic just shone a bright light on that gap. 34 00:01:29.170 --> 00:01:31.220 line:15% And especially as we're now coming back 35 00:01:31.220 --> 00:01:34.610 line:15% to the workplace and we're seeing the great resignation 36 00:01:34.610 --> 00:01:37.240 line:15% or I've heard it referred to as a post-traumatic 37 00:01:37.240 --> 00:01:38.500 line:15% kind of growth experience 38 00:01:38.500 --> 00:01:40.680 line:15% that we're collectively going through. 39 00:01:40.680 --> 00:01:42.110 line:15% We're acting on that agency. 40 00:01:42.110 --> 00:01:44.040 line:15% And if there was ever a time to say, 41 00:01:44.040 --> 00:01:45.410 line:15% "I need to influence 42 00:01:45.410 --> 00:01:48.400 line:15% how my employees experience the workplace 43 00:01:48.400 --> 00:01:51.340 line:15% and the decisions that they make about their career," 44 00:01:51.340 --> 00:01:52.440 line:15% this is it. 45 00:01:52.440 --> 00:01:55.650 line:15% And that has to come in the context of a reframing 46 00:01:55.650 --> 00:01:58.200 line:15% of how we approach diversity, equity, and inclusion. 47 00:01:59.240 --> 00:02:00.073 Thank you. 48 00:02:00.073 --> 00:02:02.400 So, let's explore that just a little bit further, 49 00:02:02.400 --> 00:02:05.410 because I know that our audiences will be keen to understand 50 00:02:05.410 --> 00:02:06.600 the how, 51 00:02:06.600 --> 00:02:09.930 how can organizations practically address the needs 52 00:02:09.930 --> 00:02:12.650 and motivations of women in the workforce? 53 00:02:12.650 --> 00:02:13.880 So the way I would think of it 54 00:02:13.880 --> 00:02:18.250 is just like you might pick a particular brand of cereal. 55 00:02:18.250 --> 00:02:20.060 line:15% You come to work every day 56 00:02:20.060 --> 00:02:21.760 line:15% and say there are a set of needs 57 00:02:21.760 --> 00:02:22.770 line:15% I'm looking to resolve. 58 00:02:22.770 --> 00:02:23.970 line:15% Some of them are very functional. 59 00:02:23.970 --> 00:02:26.210 line:15% I need a paycheck, I need benefits. 60 00:02:26.210 --> 00:02:28.220 line:15% And some of them are more emotional in nature. 61 00:02:28.220 --> 00:02:29.580 line:15% I need to feel respected. 62 00:02:29.580 --> 00:02:30.700 line:15% I need to feel valued. 63 00:02:30.700 --> 00:02:32.290 line:15% I need to feel more secure. 64 00:02:32.290 --> 00:02:36.030 line:15% And the unlock is for companies to really understand 65 00:02:36.030 --> 00:02:37.286 line:15% what that set of needs are 66 00:02:37.286 --> 00:02:39.698 line:15% that their employees are solving for. 67 00:02:39.698 --> 00:02:42.410 line:15% And to rethink the way that they develop solutions 68 00:02:42.410 --> 00:02:45.060 line:15% such that they're really targeting those needs. 69 00:02:45.060 --> 00:02:47.210 line:15% Many companies solve for the functional side. 70 00:02:47.210 --> 00:02:50.280 line:15% They get at the better pay, they get at the maternity leave. 71 00:02:50.280 --> 00:02:52.260 line:15% They often neglect the more emotional, 72 00:02:52.260 --> 00:02:54.620 line:15% and that's where we really need to think about things 73 00:02:54.620 --> 00:02:57.310 line:15% like what we celebrate, leadership behaviors. 74 00:02:57.310 --> 00:02:58.850 line:15% How do I actually experience 75 00:02:58.850 --> 00:03:00.970 line:15% when I take advantage of some of those programs 76 00:03:00.970 --> 00:03:04.520 line:15% that may have been made available to me, etc., etc? 77 00:03:04.520 --> 00:03:07.320 line:15% And that's where the hard work really starts to kick in. 78 00:03:08.340 --> 00:03:10.850 So, what's next for the research? 79 00:03:10.850 --> 00:03:12.370 I can definitely see parallels 80 00:03:12.370 --> 00:03:14.140 with other dimensions of diversity 81 00:03:14.140 --> 00:03:18.880 or indeed informing DE&I programs more broadly. 82 00:03:18.880 --> 00:03:19.750 What's next? 83 00:03:19.750 --> 00:03:20.918 It's an exciting time. 84 00:03:20.918 --> 00:03:23.800 We started with a focus on women 85 00:03:23.800 --> 00:03:26.470 line:15% and we're in the process of expanding that research 86 00:03:26.470 --> 00:03:28.690 line:15% across multiple countries around the world, 87 00:03:28.690 --> 00:03:31.678 line:15% recognizing that kind of the inherent cultural context 88 00:03:31.678 --> 00:03:34.886 line:15% is really different from geography to geography. 89 00:03:34.886 --> 00:03:38.550 line:15% We're also expanding as you know, across diverse cohorts, 90 00:03:38.550 --> 00:03:41.380 line:15% whether it be LGBTQ or people of color 91 00:03:41.380 --> 00:03:44.336 line:15% or individuals with physical disabilities, 92 00:03:44.336 --> 00:03:46.930 line:15% the patterns remain consistent. 93 00:03:46.930 --> 00:03:50.030 line:15% There's a real need to solve for for those underlying needs 94 00:03:50.030 --> 00:03:51.510 line:15% that are shaping decisions. 95 00:03:51.510 --> 00:03:55.100 line:15% And then of course, as we think even more expansively, 96 00:03:55.100 --> 00:03:56.810 line:15% we start to find these connections 97 00:03:56.810 --> 00:03:59.660 line:15% that exist across different demographic cohorts 98 00:03:59.660 --> 00:04:01.664 line:15% inside any individual company 99 00:04:01.664 --> 00:04:03.810 line:15% and starting to build those bridges. 100 00:04:03.810 --> 00:04:06.362 line:15% Whether you say there's a caretaker need 101 00:04:06.362 --> 00:04:09.780 line:15% that sits across men, across women, parents, 102 00:04:09.780 --> 00:04:12.630 line:15% those taking care of spouses or elderly parents, 103 00:04:12.630 --> 00:04:14.290 line:15% they share a lot in common, 104 00:04:14.290 --> 00:04:15.700 line:15% and we can actually start to think 105 00:04:15.700 --> 00:04:17.538 line:15% much, much more holistically 106 00:04:17.538 --> 00:04:20.330 line:15% beyond those those demographic boxes 107 00:04:20.330 --> 00:04:22.100 line:15% that we've put people into 108 00:04:22.100 --> 00:04:23.640 line:15% about how our programs, 109 00:04:23.640 --> 00:04:25.730 line:15% our efforts can be much more efficacious 110 00:04:25.730 --> 00:04:28.023 line:15% across a broader segment of the workforce. 111 00:04:28.900 --> 00:04:29.733 Thank you. 112 00:04:29.733 --> 00:04:31.050 Look, it's a pleasure talking to you, Gabi. 113 00:04:31.050 --> 00:04:33.506 I could sit and talk about this for much, much longer. 114 00:04:33.506 --> 00:04:35.430 You've heard about it here today. 115 00:04:35.430 --> 00:04:37.150 Please do go check it out. 116 00:04:37.150 --> 00:04:39.260 The research is fascinating. 117 00:04:39.260 --> 00:04:41.730 Thank you so much for sharing this with us, Gabi. 118 00:04:41.730 --> 00:04:42.610 Thank you, Pamela. 119 00:04:42.610 --> 00:04:43.510 It was a pleasure.