That infuriating situation got me thinking about whether such a policy has a place in business. I concluded that it does — like a tourniquet on a bleeding leg. Necessary, for as long as it takes to change mindsets at a deep level.
These policies exist to counter, among other things, an ill our society no longer tolerates: misogyny. We want to be rid of it, but we are not out of the woods!
“Are you here to take the notes?”, “Don't worry, we'll explain it, it's technical.” How many times, in industrial settings, have people reported remarks like these to me, hostile to women! Despite awareness efforts and training in favour of an inclusive workplace, that kind of behaviour persists among a few hardened cases.
Is it possible that, as leaders, we act as though these behaviours do not exist, on the pretext that we have other fish to fry? Or that, deep down, we are afraid of these shadow influencers who run their areas by their own rules? We would like to correct course, but operations cannot slow down. The fight would be long and hard, and we probably would not know where to start, because the witnesses stay silent… and so do the victims.
And yet people talk about it in the corridors, at parties. Unspoken things we would like to see disappear.
I run a business in the industrial sector, and this kind of situation has been reported to me many times. Like any decent manager, I often swept it under the rug — I lacked the courage. But on reflection, I found a solution: use our convictions as a vector of solidarity… and equip our management staff! New managers are now selected on the basis of their deep-seated beliefs, and they are given cultural codes — promoting them day to day has become a condition of employment. Here are a couple of them: “The unsaid is enemy number one”, “We win together, we lose together”. These codes are known to everyone and exist for one reason only: to encourage observable behaviours we actually want.
In my company, people even say these codes are the recipe for happiness. They generate trust, boost productivity, and create a climate of safety for everyone.
If Maryse were working today in a company whose leaders were “culturally united”, she would have what she deserves: legitimacy and the pleasure of living her professional dream. And believe me, the affirmative action policy would no longer be a topic of discussion around the coffee machine.
There is something to think about there, isn't there?
