By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

In a Forbes piece last month, Stacey Gordon, Managing Principal of The Gordon Group and former President of the National Association of Women MBAs asked why women need women-only networks.

After all, if the majority of powerful people at this point are men, wouldn’t it be wise to network with them? Of course. But there’s good cause to build relationships in a women-focused environment as well. Gordon’s answer is simple and powerful.

Women’s networks are the one place where women don’t face questions about whether they belong, based solely from their gender. She writes, “When we’re not being judged by our actions, our speech, our tone of voice or our discussion of families and babies in business setting, we are able to put those perceived (and in many cases, actual) condemnations aside and get down to business.”

When gender differences are removed from the equation, questions of legitimacy are based solely on your credentials.

“We are judged all the time and we’d like to occasionally be in a place where we are judged less. Or at least judged on criteria that pertains to our jobs rather than to our gender,” she adds.

Read more

By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

“We recognize that there are millions of L-women across Europe and globally as well, with many of them active in the labor market. From that perspective we should have a huge influence on the workplace, yet generally we have not been in a position to do that,” began Claudia Woody, Vice President & Managing Director at IBM.

Woody is part of L-Women at Work, a new group to help lesbian, bisexual and transgender women across Europe connect professionally.

The new group’s first event will take place in November, with IBM as its presenting sponsor. Woody explained, “From an  IBM standpoint, for years we have been supporting various Lesbian groups in Europe, but we have been looking for a pan-European group, to share best practices, create business networks, and articulate the business proposition around lesbians in business.”

Woody explained that many lesbian professionals see a “double glazed glass ceiling” but, she said, that needn’t be the case. “A lot of us can hide, and do – and a lot of us are reluctant to put our hands up and say ‘discriminate against me again,’” she explained.

“We have to give that power back to Lesbian women. It means having the energy to do your work, to be authentic, and not spend energy on hiding who you are. You can do this. You can succeed. Being Lesbian is not a barrier to success.”

Read more

By Camille Reyes (New York City)

For many people, networking is on par with dental extractions when it comes to their list of favorite activities. For example, a friend of mine confided in me her horror about an upcoming corporate retreat for new hires, including an team-building adventure course and “trust falls.” Networking is often a painful experience, and the prospect of having to “fall” into the arms of a stranger – and then make small talk with him – only compounded her apprehension.

Perhaps this dread helps explain why so many people at networking events suddenly turn into pitch-men (and women), attempting to sell, sell, sell to anyone who will listen – and why an equal number suddenly sprint to the bar for a refreshment in response to a particularly unctuous pitch. But the uncertainty doesn’t stop there. At a panel event, for example, the question of whether or not to approach the speaker afterward gnaws at your brain. Common wisdom says to do these things often, yet so few people know how to do them well.

But then, of course, there are those confident types who seem to work a room effortlessly. Gold dust falls from their eyelashes as they confidently shake hands with strangers without even a hint of sweat in the pits of their perfectly starched shirts. She will come home with C-level business cards and action plans. She will get buckets of referrals. What is the secret to such networking prowess?

Read more

By Cleo Thompson (London), founder of The Gender Blog

As part of this year’s celebrations of Gay Pride, The Glass Hammer decided to take a look at Sexuality in the City (of London) and ask – how are London’s big companies and financial institutions approaching the LGBT agenda and what do best practices look like in 2011? Are networks making a difference, is it any easier to be out at work than it once was and what does “success” look like if you’re building an integrated and inclusive workplace?

We started by examining the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index – Britain’s leading tool for employers to measure their efforts to tackle discrimination and create inclusive workplaces for lesbian, gay and bisexual employees. Since launching in 2005, more than 650 major employers have taken part in the Index, using Stonewall’s Index criteria as a model for good practice. Each year, Stonewall publishes a list of the Top 100 Employers – the list of those they dub “the most gay friendly employers in Britain.” 2011’s top three such employers are the Home Office, Lloyds Banking Group, and Big 4 accounting firm Ernst & Young and, when we asked around, it became clear that having a place in the Stonewall Index was regarded as essential best practice amongst the LGBT community, with one typical comment being:

“… I would … research the company’s stance and reputation on “gay equality”. I have previously checked whether a company has ever featured in Stonewall’s Equality Index and also spoken to friends who have knowledge about the company.”

After several interviews, we determined a number of best practices that the City’s top companies are engaging in to attract and retain LGBT talent. Here are just a few of the methods these firms are employing to create more inclusive workplaces.

Read more