Across the globe, International Women’s Day will be celebrated on 8 March with this year’s theme of #BreakTheBias.
In the lead up to IWD we will be shining a light on some of our wonderful female employees.
Meet Linda, our General Manager of People. Linda’s experience across multiple industries throughout her career makes for an insightful perspective towards breaking the bias.
“For many years my chosen profession of Human Resources was undervalued, seen as a ‘girls’ thing. Coupled with working in male-dominated industries, my career advancement was difficult at times to say the least. There were times when I was not only fighting for equity for other females in my organisation, but I was also fighting my own fight.
It is pleasing to see that society has come some way in this arena, but we have a long way to go. I can work with unconscious bias where individuals become aware and work hard to address it, but unfortunately throughout my career, I have seen way too many on the wrong end of conscious bias. Raising awareness and speaking openly about bias is a welcome step that must be seen as a positive cultural change.
Yes, bias is out there and yes, it’s not right but we can’t lay back, get disgruntled and give into it. It’s one of many challenges we face in our careers and one of those issues that will take generations to fix. My advice – most times bias is unconscious. If it’s pointed out to you, be receptive of the feedback and seek advice on how to change your thought process.”
