WUN was delighted to host an Executive dinner last week very kindly sponsored by National Grid.

The topic of the night was the importance of leadership and culture in accelerating the transition to equitable and inclusive workplaces. The starting point, derived from research, is that at the current rate of progress it will be 180 years before we achieve equity, compounded by the risk that 1 in 3 women are thinking of leaving the sector in the next 18 months. There is still a lot to do to really accelerate change.

Cordi O’Hara (President UK Electricity Distribution, National Grid) set the scene brilliantly- highlighting, once again the basic fact that diversity at all levels delivers better business outcomes. Sharing personal stories, and both macro and micro perspectives, Cordi got the room thinking and set the scene for a thought provoking and progressive conversation.

Some key outputs from the discussions:

• We need to shift the narrative. EDI , for all sorts of reasons both political and societal, needs to change from being a functional ‘thing’ towards being a cultural norm and way of doing business. National Grid are leading with a transition to a focus on Respect, a term which resonated with everyone in the room. The conversation was broad, addressing the damage done by toxic masculinity as well as the truly shocking recent watching of ‘Adolescence’. There was strong consensus that making true progress requires a resetting of business cultures with respect to everyone being at the heart of the change. There was strong agreement, that most people, whatever gender, would prefer to coalesce around more compassionate and respectful cultures than the traditional masculine dominated command and control. The best businesses are already doing so, and delivering better results.
• We need to start early. Career expectations are established early by home life and education. Parental role models, a focus on ‘can do’, not ‘can’t do’ and recognition that individuals must not be pigeonholed early in life is essential to setting foundations for career success.
• Parenting is a shared responsibility and should be celebrated as such. Whilst many businesses now have the policies in place, it is still mothers who take on the majority of parental leave and caring responsibilities. Several of us shared stories of our stay at home partners, the taking of paternal leave and the challenge for partners in taking on part time working. We recognised that in today’s society, whilst brilliant for us (and our partners), it can still be perceived as emasculating by others. We agreed that the normalisation and celebration of ‘non traditional’ ways of working, the taking of paternal leave and the sharing of child care is essential to allow men, women and their children to move to a truly equitable and fulfilling work/life balance for all.
• Super flexibility pays dividends. We all loved the example where a super flexible return to work scheme for returning parents had resulted in better retention and productivity. Allowing individuals to work as little or as much as worked for them, in the early parenthood phase, had more than delivered over time. Whilst we have moved a long way, allowing policies to work around individuals in a truly flexible way, has the potential to support and develop the best workforce.
• The over 50s is an underutilised talent pool. Whilst there is a lot of support now for menopausal women, there is little recognition that it is also often a time of liberation for women who still have the second half of their life to live without childcare responsibilities. Ensuring that we don’t lose talent from the corporate workplace in this period of life is essential for growth of capability and leadership. We also really latched onto the need, and core belief within WUN, that real success will come by supporting all women at the level they want to be, where their contributions can still be incredibly valuable and valued.
• There is a leadership responsibility to act as role models and tell our stories. The talent, passion and camaraderie in the dining room was a privilege to be part of- and the energising effect for all was clear. Whilst finding it a little uncomfortable, and slightly unbelievable, the group recognised that we individually and collectively have a bigger impact than we might think on those earlier in their careers who are looking for their role models. As we finished the evening we all committed to consciously supporting and championing all that we’d discussed for the benefit of others.

Jo Butlin, Wun Co-Founder & Director.