A diverse and inclusive work culture should start from the top

Belinda Pervan, APJ Marketing Vice President
Veeam Software
 

“When we think about diversity, it means respecting people from different backgrounds, cultures and experiences. While we’ve come a long way, there is still much to do to ensure that we continue to make the workplace equitable for women. Historically, women have been limited to certain industries and have been held to different standards than our male counterparts. This is still largely the case for women in STEM, but we are seeing gradual changes in the industry.

Being vulnerable in the workplace helps build meaningful connections and makes one more authentic when interacting with colleagues. I remember when I started in my career when female leaders wore the same grey suit and conformed to a masculine ideal. Females essentially mirrored men in the way they spoke and acted, often downplaying their femininity and putting on an aggressive personality in order to be heard. I was lucky to have a strong female leader and mentor, Wendy Johnstone, who taught me how to embrace being authentic and vulnerable. She role-modelled how not to succumb to these pressures and how leadership was not about being available 24/7. This advice followed me when I became a mother and had to learn to set different boundaries within my week than in the past.

Setting the example for fostering a diverse and inclusive work culture should start from the top. Having more women in leadership positions and ensuring interviewing panels include better representation of all genders can address unconscious bias when hiring. These are policies and practices that are more often set by our leaders, who must understand where there needs to be more focus to achieve equity.

When we talk about equity versus equality, equity emphasises recognising that people have different needs, whereas equality focuses on treating everyone the same. This results in programs to support working parents, for example, that include flexible working hours to support their children. Understanding the equity/equality difference can also mean implementing greater support for structured programs for women to help them advance their careers, especially seeing that we currently don’t see enough women in C-suite roles.

Building that culture may begin at the top, but each individual has their role to play. I’ve spent the last couple of years getting really involved in mentoring women and giving them guidance on how they can empower themselves and make their workplace culture more inclusive. At Veeam, I am an executive sponsor of our Women in Green and Mentor Labs programs and personally co-lead Mentor Walks Singapore, all of which are aimed at connecting women, sharing experiences and making mentorship accessible. Playing an active role in such programs continues to build better inclusivity, regardless of participants’ seniority or gender.”