Women at Indeed event addresses how to #BreakTheBias in the workplace

November 17, 2022

Breaking the bias in the workplace helps foster a world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination. A world that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated.

To this end, Women at Indeed EMEA has presented an engaging #BreakTheBias event, which took place in Capital Dock in Dublin, Ireland - and was moderated by Indeed Team Leader, Anna Doyle.

Anna drove the discussion, posing thought-provoking questions to speakers:

Indeed Senior Director, Learning & Development, AnneMarie McAuley
Indeed Senior Director, Benelux Sales, Ceagan Codrington
Indeed International Strategy & Operations, Ann-Marie Ramsay

The event provided significant insight into the experiences of women in the workplace, and advice regarding how to address and confront bias.

How can men help break the bias?

An important question often asked when discussing bias, is how can men help?

Ceagan [pictured above] offered insight stating that “Acknowledge the fact that the bias is there. Some men may not fully know what underrepresented groups are dealing with on a daily basis. Understand male privilege and show up, and be there, and speak up.”

Ann-Marie [pictured above] agreed, highlighting that the reason we need men to be part of breaking the bias is that bit requires collaborative effort.

“Are you representing the audience that is going to be in front of you?” she questioned. “Get diverse opinions. Always be mindful that we need to have a fair representation of those who are impacted by the decision that we make.”

Addressing unconscious bias in the workplace

When looking at addressing unconscious bias, Ann-Marie explained that the key is education.

"Organizations need to push from the top. Pushing from the bottom up is hard, when there’s no funding. You can’t make great strides without an executive sponsor. Organizations need to create spaces for people to have the conversations. If the leaders are doing it, people around them will also start to have conversations. Encourage allyship. To do that you need to encourage it, champion it, bring it into conversations, and normalize it in an organization,” explains Ann-Marie.

Overcoming hurdles faced by this generation of women

Bias historically creates challenges for women, and Anna Doyle [pictured above] questioned what hurdles this generation of women are facing.

Ann-Marie commented: “Complacency. Sometimes you think we’ve come so far, and we have. But it would be very easy to just put up with whatever, just because it's easier."

Highlighting the need to think about issues impacting future generations, Ann-Marie continued to say: “We’re not just forging equality for ourselves, we’re doing it for those who are behind us - the little girls who might not realize the barriers or the hurdles they may come across. It’s for us to help for when they come into the workplace, that it has progressed. We can't give up, we have to keep at it. I didn't come into this to be a ‘tick-the-box’ on anyone’s list. You have to fight the good fight. And if you see something that’s wrong...the worst thing you can do is turn a blind eye and think someone else can solve it. You're worth more than having to put up with stuff.”

How to become an ally

Breaking the bias requires allyship for women - and Anna questioned how companies can promote this.

Ceagan raised the need for goal setting. “If you drive towards something, that’s the only way to achieve it. If you don’t have a goal where are you going? It doesn’t have to be numbers always.”

AnneMarie [pictured below] concluded in saying that “Investment in time for people to learn is key. Managers are the curator of culture within any organization. If it’s done at a leadership level it will trickle down."

"Invest in leadership classes so people learn. Diversity, Equity, Inclusive and Belonging (DEIB) is the responsibility of everyone in an organization. It starts at the top to work its way down, but it's for everyone. It’s about policies and process, supporting a mindset of inclusion. We’re conscious to reflect the realities of DEIB," said AnneMarie.

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