How Women can Stop Getting Interrupted While Talking in Meetings
Our team looked forward to weekly Monday meetings as it allowed us the opportunity to share useful updates with one another. I noticed that every time I began with my updates, Prasad, a recent lateral hire, would cut me off, to ask questions. Or midway through my sentence, he would second guess the outcome. Within a month, his clockwork interruptions grew exasperating. To be fair, he was...
Why we must continue to celebrate International Women’s Day
Our dear friend Dhruv was test-driving a BMW car, on the verge of realizing his long-cherished dream of owning one. My husband – Raghav and I were happy for him. So when Dhruv asked us to join him on a drive to give him feedback on the leg-room space and passenger experience, we were thrilled to help. Motivated by Dhruv’s excitement at the wheel, Raghav wanted a turn and Dhruv readily...
5 things you can do this International Women’s Day for your female employees
Remember the powerful slogan ‘Because I’m worth it’? From the stunning L’Oréal’s advertisement featuring actress Aishwarya Rai? Well, even in the 2000s, it cleverly captured the developing sentiment of a spirited zeitgeist that was to follow. Two decades later and the transformation of the present-day woman is well underway. From acknowledging her ‘self-worth’ to the belief in her...
How does a Culture of Silence creep into the Workplace
Reading an amazing article by Dulini Fernando and Ajnesh Prasad on “How Managers, Co-workers, and HR Pressure Women to Stay Silent About Harassment” made me think of Kripa, the smart recruit, whose short stint in our team was marked with turbulence. Kripa was hired to provide Senior Management with daily operations numbers. To ensure that Kripa’s dashboard did not throw any surprises, most...
The Power of Collective Complaints Against Sexual Harassment
While climbing down the stairs at the office, a kind co-worker slapped a bug off my behind. He showed me the dead bug, and I profusely thanked him. Over the next couple of months, I stumbled upon stories of three other colleagues who had experienced an ‘altruistic’ co-worker crush a bug either off their shoulder, back or behind. Like me, they had felt indebted to him for his timely help. On...
How to Enhance your Company’s Anti-Sexual Harassment Training
How to Enhance your Company’s Anti-Sexual Harassment Training At the beginning of a training program on Anti-Sexual Harassment, the trainer enthusiastically asked us ‘What do you expect from this session?’ Our group, noisy till then, miraculously turned silent in response. Each one expecting the other to answer. Finally, a senior employee salvaged the situation by providing a...
Is the “Pence Rule” Running Counter to Diversity and Inclusion?
My friend Madhav hosted a dinner for his foreign counterparts visiting India. As his millennial team had had no experience in attending formal get-togethers, he gently guided them to dress and behave suitably. To his pleasant surprise, the team outdid his expectations by dressing immaculately and appropriately engaging the guests, making the party a roaring success. Wanting to get home...
Male Silence on Sexual Harassment of Women at the Workplace
At the end of a glitzy office party, a few of us colleagues who were good friends continued the party at one of our houses. Taking a break from the regular boss-bashing, we instead, tore apart a senior leader who we noticed had got close to a female worker at the party. For, all of us had observed the senior leader hold the lady close while welcoming her; while introducing her as a top...
KelpHR Online Diversity Summit E-Book
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