How to support women in the workplace? Try fostering a people-first company culture

A focus on gender and ethnic representation has been a strategic focus for many years.

(Photo: loreanto/Adobe Stock)

Creating a people-first (and second and third…) culture

Helping people isn’t just what we do, it’s all we do. We’re in the people business. We care about our employees by providing them with a career where they can dedicate their skills to making a difference in millions of lives every day. By putting people first in everything we do, we ensure that our employees can do their best work and live their best lives.

It was this desire to serve that first attracted me to OneDigital. And as my career grew, I set a goal for our company to not be a great place to work, but the best place to work. This meant creating a people-first culture where everyone is seen and respected for who they are, and you are supported to achieve your highest potential.

My story

When I joined OneDigital in 2007, it was to build a Marketing function from the ground up. At the time, the company was about 125 people in a niche area of employer benefits. In the seven years that followed, I grew the Marketing team and helped differentiate our brand in a crowded industry. The company was also growing fast, and about 40% of the growth was through acquisition. We were approaching 1,000 people with expectations of over 5,000 in the next ten years.

Our CEO, Adam Bruckman, approached me to discuss the importance of keeping our culture strong while we continued to add new practice areas and new people at an accelerated rate. Our executive team knew that our secret sauce is our culture; it’s never been just a buzzword. Culture is truly the heart of the organization​.

He wanted someone who was thinking and nurturing the culture 24/7. Although I always considered myself a marketer, he saw skills I didn’t see in myself​. He knew that I always had my finger on the pulse of the company, not just from a client perspective but within each of our regions and with all of our people. We now have over 3,500 employees, and when I started my new role as Executive Vice President of the People and Culture function, I was also tasked with leading HR, which was entirely new for me. Together, with the support of my amazing team, we went from a few paper pushers and bearers of bad news to a strategic powerhouse with a seat at the table for all of our most strategic decisions. This shift happened by applying what I learned from my marketing and communications background: to treat every person in the company like a customer.

In 2019 I was promoted to Chief People Officer, and my role expanded to oversee Internal Communications and our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging departments. I was excited to be “in the land of the Chiefs,” but realized immediately that none of my peers understood what it felt like to be “the only” in the room. At that level, I was the first woman and “the only” for quite a while. I made it my mission to change that dynamic. I wanted others to see themselves in the company’s leadership ranks and know that it was possible to become one too. I’m excited to share that I’m not the only one any longer.

That’s what I love most about OneDigital. It’s a place where you can be great at your work and still have opportunities to do more. You may even explore something completely different if you desire. Throughout your career here, you will be encouraged and supported to succeed. Our growth allows for that.

It takes many villages

OneDigital touts the “The Power of ONE,” as a marketing message in our external communications. Still, it takes a community of people to make it happen when it comes to attracting and retaining women into leadership roles.

OneDigital has always been a place where women can have successful careers. Today:

Across our management levels:

While there are opportunities to increase women’s representation at the highest levels of leadership, we are still proud of what we’ve achieved. This wasn’t by luck or a happy accident. A focus on gender and ethnic representation has been a strategic focus for many years. We executed this strategy by leveraging an “all of the above” approach to talent acquisition and management.

  1. Talent Acquisition: Throughout the recruiting process, we share our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging data for full transparency. Our Glassdoor and other social media sites demonstrate our commitment to DEI&B and candidates, including women, will see others who look like them growing and thriving in their careers here. We also ensure that all open roles have diverse candidate slates across gender and race.
  2. Talent management: We assess our people using the 9-box planning tool. This tool allows our managers to assess the quality and depth of their team. We can make proactive and strategic decisions about promotions and leadership opportunities by evaluating each individual’s performance and potential.
  3. Retention and engagement: Our people stay engaged and connected throughout the career journey through our Employee Resource Groups, such as the Women’s Network, which sponsors a mentoring program open to all genders.

Having a seat and a voice at the table

It is well known that when more perspectives are being heard, you get better ideas and outcomes. In many cases, the people who speak up, especially those closest to the situation, to share a concern can prevent mistakes, saving the company from financial or reputational risks.

A seat at the table means nothing if that person isn’t heard. Psychological safety is the most crucial factor in ensuring everyone uses their voice. To feel safe, there must first be a high-trust environment. This means seeing others speak up, offer ideas, disagree or take calculated risks without adverse consequences. It means knowing that the people around you have your back. In a meeting setting, everyone should feel confident that being interrupted, ignored, or experiencing other dismissive behaviors like eye rolling or snickering will not be tolerated. Similarly, attending without participating is unacceptable – if you’re there, you are encouraged and expected to contribute. This means being present (not multitasking) and bringing your whole self to the proverbial table. Other women should set an example and encourage their male counterparts to do the same.

I like to start meetings with some ground rules, sometimes writing them on a whiteboard if needed.

  1. When you’re at the table, we expect you to be present and contribute.
  2. All opinions are heard and respected. Do not talk over each other or make disparaging remarks. If you disagree, say, “I have another point of view to express.”
  3. In this room, there are no titles or hierarchies. Good ideas can come from any one of us.

It’s also helpful to assign an unofficial moderator to ensure everyone has a chance to speak, and if someone is dominating the conversation, they can call a “time out.” I also make a point of inviting each person to speak. Going around the room before a big decision is made and having everyone say one thing they think will make the solution more successful and prevent it from going off track. Another approach is never ending a discussion without asking, “Is there anything we didn’t cover? Is there anything you wanted to say that we didn’t get a chance to discuss?”

Caring for your people means providing support across all areas of wellbeing: professional, physical, mental and financial. A place where they know what it takes to thrive in a high-performance culture. And an environment where individuals are challenged and supported to dream big and achieve their highest potential. This combination creates a culture where your people are not only your first, but your second and third most important priority.

A few words of advice

Research shows that women are less likely to ask for a promotion or a raise. They are less likely to apply for a job when they don’t have every skill on the long list of bullet points in the job description. Sometimes one can be blind to what’s truly standing in their way.

Related: Health care increasingly unaffordable for people, especially women

My advice for anyone looking to grow in their career is to form a personal “board of directors,” a group of friends, business colleagues, or others in your professional network who will be completely honest with you. Sometimes a bit of tough love is needed to give you the clarity to see things from another point of view. Ask your board what they see as your most significant strengths, your areas of opportunity, and ask for feedback on how you are perceived in the workplace. Then ask them to help you rehearse a conversation to have with your manager. This will provide you the tools and confidence to ask for specific training, a stretch assignment, and what skills your manager expects you to have to move to the next level. By simply asking the right questions, you’re likely to get the answers to help you reach your highest potential.

Elizabeth Chrane, chief people officer, OneDigital

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