Season 2, Ep 5: Solutions for a Workplace Welcoming to All, Part 2 of a Conversation with Karen Catlin
After 25 years as a senior leader in tech, Karen Catlin saw a decline in the numbers of women in tech. Frustrated but galvanized, Karen became an author and coach focusing on helping women navigate the male-dominated tech industry and coaching men to be better allies. In this episode, we discuss hiring for a “culture add” and other tips to create a more inclusive workplace.
You can read a transcript of this episode here.
Subscribe! Today’s guest is Karen Catlin - this is part 2 of a 2-part conversation. Time-stamped show notes are below.
If you would like to learn more about today’s topic:
Better Allies: Everyday Actions to Create More Inclusive, Engaging Workplaces by Karen Catlin
Better Allies Approach to Hiring by Karen Catlin
Waking Up White by Debby Irving
20 Books to Help Break the Bias for a More Gender Equal World
1:09 Do women need to explain bias in different ways so male allies better understand
2:17 What should male allies do if a woman discusses her experience with gender bias
3:40 How to move from being a bystander to an upstander
4:13, 7:37 Does the U.S. being so litigious hamper conversations about gender bias
5:50 Story of a male boss who says “my wife will be jealous if I interact with female colleagues” and how this view helps men get ahead of women
9:25 Job description best practices
10:10 Rethink whether a college degree is necessary for all jobs
10:45 Check job descriptions for masculine word choices like rockstar, driven, aggressive, and “right-hand man” because some women won’t apply
12:40 Use diverse hiring panels so applicants see themselves on the hiring team
13:51 It’s not challenging to find women applicants if you look in the right places and have the right hiring practices
14:50 The difference between a “culture fit” and a “culture add” - we need more “culture adds” and less “culture fits” in organizations today
19:18 Per Dr. Talitha Washington at Spelman College, HBCUs are excellent places to find Black women for STEM and other roles
17:40 Women receive less actionable feedback than men
18:45 The danger of “benevolent sexism” and “gatekeeping”
19:45 Story about male employee saying that a woman wouldn’t want a role because of her young children
21:48 Strategies when people are resistant to change - focus on what you can do and don’t worry about everyone else
22:35 How to be a “ripple” within your organization
23:25 How to incent people to be better allies through compensation and bonuses
24:21 “Stop trying to change women” is an element of the Parity Prescription
25:20 Strategies to adapt the workplace to be more inclusive of all instead of pressuring women and other people who are underrepresented to change
30:15 Confirmation hearing of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson
30:45 Using extra credential questioning to try to cast doubt on qualifications
32:38 Women and other people who are underrepresented face “prove it again” bias
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Co-Hosts: Deborah Pollack-Milgate and Cathy Nestrick
Email CathyAndDeborah@par-ity.com with questions or comments
