INCLUSION THROUGH THE EYES OF A PASSIONATE BRIDGE BUILDER
It is still summer when I meet Claire Godding, though not face-to-face but via Teams. Despite the screen, I immediately feel as if I have connected with a warm personality. I am glad that this Senior Expert Diversity, Inclusion & Societal Needs, who has been co-chair of Women in Finance for three years, allows me to have a look into her years of experience in terms of inclusion, gender and diversity. “Expertise is everywhere, but that is not the case for visibility”, is Claire’s mantra. It’s an interesting conversation about an often-polarised subject. I am quickly convinced that, in addition to inspiring all of us, it will also provide tangible tools.
How would a close colleague describe you?
Godding: Many colleagues know that I am very strong in networking. I did the count recently. I could think of 7 to 8 networks that I started back in the day that are still active now. Ten years ago, I established Diversity Managers Association Belgium, a network of companies from a variety of sectors that invest actively in diversity and inclusion. We meet at one of the member’s places four times a year. In September, we will meet at Decathlon to share experiences about one specific subject.
Where do you see the power of networking?
Godding: In order to have a progressive impact on a comany’s culture, I launched six different internal networks at BNP Paribas Fortis, where I was responsible for diversity and inclusion for ten years. One of them is the still-growing gender network. Everyone is welcome, women as well as men, and that is exactly what helps accelerate gender equality. The mutual connection and contacts with the management allow people and their talents to become progressively visible within a company. Through multicultural networks, managers suddenly discover the talents of employees from various ethnic and cultural backgrounds.
What in particular interests you today?
Godding: Sexism is a topic that wasn’t addressed for a long time. Until three or four years ago, it was a topic that was difficult to address in the corporate world. But a culture in which sexism is obviously present reduces women’s confidence. It even reaches the point where women internalise sexism. Statements such as: “That doesn’t work on my computer, probably because I am blonde. Ha ha…” do not appear from nowhere. In order to be accepted, women are forced to go to extremes, such as laughing with sexist jokes made by male colleagues to avoid being told they have no sense of humour. That is not ok. Sexism isn’t always about severe behaviour that is subject to legal sanctions. Even seemingly friendly jokes without the intention of hurting can have an impact. If a company doesn’t do anything, nothing changes. The same goes for racist microaggressions.
What achievement are you proud of?
Godding: There are concrete techniques to develop inclusion in an organisation. We offer a toolbox with 25 tools. This includes a decision tree to help witnesses of aggression take steps: what can I do, how do I address an offender, how do I address a victim, etc. Another strong achievement is Women in Finance, the most visible network of the last three years. It focuses on financial companies that want to accelerate gender equality. We come together systematically with colleagues from various institutions to share actions on, for instance, recruitment and selection, networking and working inclusively. After three years, 48 companies have signed the binding charter and have committed to measuring the glass ceiling every year. We offer a methodology that enables companies to identify the levels in which the number of women decreases. Peer pressure helps: ‘if company x is a member, we should be too.’ Even if that isn’t the right reason to sign the charter, it at least is an effective motivator.
Where do you think leadership can make the difference?
Godding: The first priority is commitment by the top of the company, supported by clear communication. The management needs to address the importance of inclusion and respect, and encourage employees to come forward if things go wrong. Not only victims, but also witnesses should speak out, whether it concerns sexism, racism or other forms of discrimination and inappropriate behaviour. The help that is internally available should be communicated to ensure that words are translated into action.
Where do you think things are moving too slowly?
Godding: Although more than 50% of employees in the Belgian financial sector are women, only 28% of those women hold a senior management position. We are making progress, but we cannot deny that said progress is happening fairly slowly. We haven’t even reached 1/3 to be able to speak of potential for gender diversity. And 37% of women holding a senior position think about leaving, which is a high number. However, we need gender diversity to make better decisions, become more professional, address risks in a better way and boost innovation. All of this is fundamentally linked to a broad mix, on all levels and in all teams – in terms of gender, language, generation and culture in the broad sense of the word. That is what inclusion is all about.
Do you believe in quota?
Godding: Women work hard, but are often not visible enough. Inspiring female role models have a significant impact on other women’s ambitions. Pertinent self-imposed quota could be interesting in order to give women a better chance of holding higher positions. One specific company, for example, abandoned their general objective: “within three years, 50% of bank managers should be women.” The objective was made more concrete: “because we have a great potential of women in the level below the bank managers, 50% of the annual new appointments of bank managers should be women.” Result: the proportion of female bank managers grew from 24 to 41% in three years. Institutions will therefore prefer to use the word targets instead of quota.
What advice would you like to give?
Godding: To men in senior positions, I would say: be open to learning more. You don’t know everything, take the time to talk to women and listen to them. To female managers, I would say: take the chance to be authentic. Because for many women, adopting a masculine style was the only option to get to the top. The challenge for younger women is to not strive for perfection. It doesn’t help your career, it just uses up all your positive energy.
What is your ultimate message?
Godding: “You can’t be what you can’t see!” At an event following the Covid pandemic, five white men of the same generation presented an analysis of what life would be like after the pandemic. To put a stop to this, we created the website www.inclusivepanels.be with gender experts from both Belgium and the Netherlands. It contributes to a commitment from organisations to systematically invite a mix of experts for panels and speeches. It helps spread the message: whoever you are, you belong!
www.inclusioninfinance.be | download an e-book about the 25 tools (NL/FR/EN)
www.inclusivepanels.be | sign the charter for a better balance between gender, generation and ethnicity or find a speaker
Never Work Alone 2022 | Author: Sandra Vercammen | Image: Daniël Rys