Practical Ways to Change Workplace Culture Athena SWAN Research Institutes March 2018

Why do we need to change workplace culture? Women are still the minority group in positions of power To have women more equally represented at the top means addressing barriers to women’s progression through the middle Men and women need to work together to achieve gender balance

Workplace culture perceived barrier to career progress 38% Factors attributed to workplace culture 22% Factors attributed to balancing work and family life 2014 Murray Edwards College survey of almost 1,000 alumnae Murray Edwards College: Collaborating with men for a more inclusive workplace culture

Sir Philip Hampton, Chair. Hampton Alexander review, 2017 “There should be an expectation in business that…the ‘best’ person gets the job. Given the disproportionate number of men to women in senior roles business should question the soundness of their meritocracies” Sir Philip Hampton, Chair. Hampton Alexander review, 2017 Too few women get to the top and there is a “permafrost” in the mid-tier where women do not progress or they leave the [financial] sector. This is not just about childcare. Women are leaving because the culture isn’t right. Virgin Money Empowering Productivity 2016   Murray Edwards College: Collaborating with men for a more inclusive workplace culture

Benefits for men Better relationships Involved fatherhood Inclusive environments influence engagement Benefits for men Health benefits Engagement correlates with creativity and productivity Murray Edwards College: Collaborating with men for a more inclusive workplace culture

6 examples of workplace culture problems Informal networks that are vital to accessing opportunities tend to be male-dominated When male and female managers behave in the same way women are often more negatively judged Benevolent Sexism Well motivated men can ‘kill careers with kindness’ Double standards in the way potential and performance is assessed Women are interrupted in meetings and presentations far more than men – which means women are less likely to be credited for the contribution they make Women have less access than men to powerful sponsors of career opportunity Murray Edwards College: Collaborating with men for a more inclusive workplace culture

MEC Research Process Workshops with 40 men – 34 in middle management or early career Mixed gender conference Survey and workshops now running in 15 organisations Why gender balance is still a problem and how to take action

40% 81% of women feel they are judged unfairly of men Double standards: Women are judged more negatively when they behave in the same way as men 40% of women feel they are judged unfairly 81% of men think this rarely happens to women Aggregated data from 4 science institutes – 337 men and 445 women

Informal networks influence opportunities but tend to be male dominated 57% of women report that informal networks in their organisation are male-dominated 56% of men report that informal networks in their organisation are male-dominated Aggregated data from 4 science institutes – 337 men and 445 women

reported they had not noticed the issue Informal networks influence opportunities but tend to be male dominated 75% of senior women report that informal networks in their organisation are male-dominated 81% of men reported they had not noticed the issue Data from a pubic sector organisation where women are in the majority and are well represented at the top

Murray Edwards College: Collaborating with men for a more inclusive workplace culture

Women report they are interrupted and talked over by men in meetings 100% of women report they are occasionally (86%) or often (14%) interrupted by men 33% of men think this occasionally happens to women 53% of men say they are occasionally interrupted in meetings STEM company – survey response rate more than 70% of team

Murray Edwards College: Collaborating with men for a more inclusive workplace culture

Reverse Mentoring MEC Survey and Workshop Ideas about how to tackle barriers to progression by merit Reverse Mentoring MEC Survey and Workshop  

Challenging double standards Amplification Tips on how to run a meeting more effectively & inclusively

Running Inclusive Meetings Tips Conduct Objectives Notify Value Environment Note Evaluate

Informal Gender Mixed Networking Tips Men mentor women Fun social events that are inclusive New joiners: coffee with 10 people in their first 3 months Rules about eating only in social spaces Pair up – ‘Take 2’; attend formal networking events together

Invitation to get involved Male and Female survey to benchmark WPC issues Define your issues and take action Credited as a case study in our next research report