How do we really engage with the workforce that has values that we may find challenging today?
This last week, #YakBit has been on the panel at the Norfolk Chamber Talking Tech Summit 22, talking about the importance of work place #softskills. The audience found #YakBit’s contribution ‘constructive and informative’.
Today, my own dad, pa, father, ‘Pops’ to me, would have been 100 years old. He died a few years ago now, but it feels like yet another moment to reflect on how values change in society. It seems to be the moment to do that. My dad held many racist and sexist views; not only challenging for the family at times, but a reflection of his time and place in society. Yes, he did face World War and plenty of economic uncertainty and a time that we can only imagine. He was also incredibly future orientated in his business mind and embracing of all things tech. His rural retail business was one of the first to adopt bar code scanning as a way of stock management and customer engagement. Many decades ago.
And so I invite you to take one more generational step again. Let’s take us all back just one more generation. My grandmother, my dad’s mum, would certainly have been pushed towards a mental asylum or at best, been arrested, for the thoughts that I share today in a open forum. Sobering. Particularly with the news that we no longer have a minister for women.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/sep/07/disappointment-over-liz-truss-decision-not-to-appoint-minister-for-women
The progress has been immense in the last few seconds of the 2000 years of patriarchy- and yet still many hurdles to overcome. We are not equal. Let’s just recognise and sit with that for a moment.
The debate still rumbles?
Is it better to see us all as equals, and run with those that creep to the top in capability or stronger communications styles? I would argue not.
Women only panels?
Always a great conversation to be had with delegates and truly hard working individuals in the scene of #tech. Like many industries, how much do we need to nurture, hold out, celebrate and designate particularly under represented groups? The reality is that we need to do this more than most of us feel comfortable with. The desire to magnify personal struggles amongst society at large is our shared and very human eternal struggle. Recognising that we do not for instance, have gender equality is a first hurdle to wrestle with. How inclusive are your meetings at work? How included do you really feel? How much do you really offer your thoughts in a psychologically safe place?
New contacts
It was, as is always, a pleasure to meet new faces, new perspectives, and to listen to others at the forum in Norwich, and to try to make sense on how we actually connect with each other, against our backdrop of assumed and comfortable cultures of the here and now.