With ‘inclusion’ as the chosen topic of our most recent WEC Social Dinner, the spouses of several Women Empowerment Council Members joined and participated in a lively and insightful conversation on August 16.
Vamsi Mohan Thati, President, Coca-Cola Greater China, shared his insights on the ‘Power of 3.’ He noted it was the magic formula to increase the number of women in a traditionally male-dominated department. From their experience, when there are at least three women in a department, the probability of them staying and growing in numbers was much higher. He found that with three women working in the department, they were able to bond and support each other so that they felt more stable and content in a department which was previously predominantly men, e.g. warehouse jobs. He also introduced the concept of ‘Sticky Floor’ (as opposed to Glass Ceiling). It was acknowledged by other members as a real issue in that women tend to be less confident about taking on more senior positions. Several Members shared specific examples of women who they felt were capable of taking on a leadership role but it took much longer to persuade these women to take that step.
Michael Zhu, Managing Director, HPE China, highlighted the paternity leave policy that won the company the Best Policies and Practices to Promote Gender Equity at the inaugural Women Empowerment Award in China. He noted that the six-month leave for both the father and mother is global and unprecedented.
The diverse group shared other significant and memorable points including:
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Defining diversity in China can be complicated and is about more than gender. Several noted the importance of under-represented groups such as minorities, LGBTQ, socioeconomic levels, other ethnicities, etc.
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Al Gabor, President, Merck China highlighted that the velocity of promotion was much faster for males than females and this was attributed to ‘Sticky Floors’ just as much as ‘Glass Ceilings’
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Jingqi, Senior Principal at Korn Ferry, reviewed the key findings of a report, The Inclusive Leader, and enlightened members on the various headwinds and tailwinds which slow or propel leaders in a company. For a copy of the report, click “Read more” at the bottom.
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For Chinese employees, their comfort in speaking English fluently was also considered an impediment for promotion to the most senior roles in an international company.
From the exchange, we recognize that in order to be fully inclusive, some obstacles to overcome may involve acceptance in diversity related to identity beyond gender, culture, language, and more. Thank you to Merck for hosting this engaging WEC Social Dinner that left everyone with meaningful takeaways.
Stay tuned for details on the launch event of Merck’s forthcoming report in partnership with WEC on “Understanding Working Women’s Experiences and Gender Diversity Policies in China” as part of their Healthy Women, Healthy Economies global initiative that strives to unleash the economic power of women.