Driving positive change for women in the workplace: Q&A with Caroline Barth, CHRO, Lonza Group
Over the course of your career, have you ever had to challenge bias? What advice would you give to women looking to overcome bias in their own careers?
We see unconscious bias when a perception or decision is based on preconceived assumptions or opinions. It may not be intended to offend, but often it can have harmful consequences. In the work place, it can prevent career progression, inclusion and equal opportunities.
Many of us have experienced conscious or unconscious bias, irrespective of gender, age, race or ability, and I include myself in that group. I also believe we are all capable of holding unconscious biases, so it’s important to actively acknowledge and manage them.
To ensure equal experience, we need to create equal opportunity. This means challenging the stereotypes and norms. We should not simply accept situations because “that’s the way it’s always been”.
Sometimes, we can limit our own progress by placing an unconscious bias on ourselves. If you have been deterred from pursuing an opportunity because you feel you are “not the right person”, it may be that the opportunity itself is counter-inclusive. In this situation, it is down to you to break down another’s person’s bias and forge a new path.
Do you have any advice for young female professionals who want to take on leadership positions?
In research from the pandemic, leadership effectiveness was rated higher for women leading in a crisis (57.2% effectiveness), compared to their male counterparts (51.5%). However, women rated themselves less generously in self-assessments. Research also shows female applicants will only apply for a role if they meet 100% of the requirements, whereas men will apply for a job when they meet only 60% of the criteria.
With this in mind, you should work to understand what is needed to deliver in the role you want to pursue. Consider your transferable skills and believe in your own capabilities and potential. Be bold – remember you will miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. Bias can only be challenged if we are confident enough to put ourselves forward to succeed, and if we are prepared to ask for what we want.
What is Lonza doing to support female employees? What changes would you like to see in the future?
I am encouraged to see Lonza’s commitment to supporting gender diversity. Currently, our new hires are 40% female, and 17% of our top management is female. We are making progress in both areas, but there is still work to do to ensure women progress through the ranks.
We have embedded a Women in Leadership metric into our ESG goals. Our progress in gender equality is therefore directly linked to our company performance, which impacts our global employee incentive plan. This means that our colleague community is collectively committed to making the positive change.
To support our goal, we are ensuring diverse interview panels and demanding a diverse selection of candidates from our recruitment partners. We have also introduced female mentoring programs to support career development and expand internal networks. I have benefited from mentoring in my career and I understand its power in unleashing possibilities.
I am also excited by RiseUp@Lonza. This grassroots movement was set up by our employees to create opportunities for women to build relationships, gain confidence and be inspired. It is helping us to take small but important steps to drive change from within.
Do you feel like progress is being made to fight bias in the workplace?
Looking more widely at the working world, changing the status quo is never easy, but it is encouraging to see steps forward. The global average of women at Board Level now sits at 19.7%, which is an increase of just 2.8% since 2019. If this rate of change were to continue every two years, we could expect to reach a level approaching parity in 2045. While this feels very distant, the pace of change is accelerating and we have good reason to expect full equality before this time. While this may feel slow, it is also important that we do not knee-jerk into equality through positive discrimination, which is also a bias. Any positive change also needs to be sustainable.
We should also consider how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted women in the workplace. Evidence from McKinsey suggests that women are carrying a greater share of domestic burden since the pandemic, and conscious efforts should be made to ensure that this does not result in women leaving the workplace. For us to address new challenges, we need to create an environment where women feel they can speak up about issues and allow employers the opportunity to listen, adapt and change.
The most successful teams and workplaces are diverse and inclusive. For women, ask for what you need and be bold. For men, think more about how you can encourage women in your team to grow their careers and understand what barriers are in their way, either real or perceived. We all play a role, and we can all do more to try to eliminate our bias.
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Voice Over Talent
2yHappy International Women's Day to Caroline and all of the women who are raising the tide for all of us!
Executive Director, Global Head of Bioprocessing Sales
2yHappy International Women's Day 2022! Great to see that Lonza is taking it serious!