Being Out at Work: Exploring LGBT women’s workplace experience in the UK | Whitepaper

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It is my pleasure to publish this piece of research focusing on the experience of LGBT women who work within the UK’s financial and professional services industries. We aim to explore the perceptions, realities, and trends around how women interpret their environment whilst at work.

Our respondents to this UK survey are mainly readers of TheGlassHammer.com, some of whom attended our 2012 event “Managing Multiple Identities: Being Out at Work,” which was held in London. Our methodology was both qualitative and quantitative for this research and we formed questions around the following hypothesis:

“Competence assumed and compensation being equal, LGBT employees feel more engaged at work if they are shown increased organisational and managerial support.”

This approach to our research is very much at the core of the work we do at Evolved Employer. We engage with clients to examine and improve organisational culture and work with leadership to increase competency around diversity and inclusion issues so that talent and business strategies can be successful. After all, if culture can be defined as “the way we do things around here” then it is critical for leaders to understand how to engage and include different types of people. This has been shown to increase performance and engagement and this is the business case for diversity work.

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Being Out at Work: Cultural Implications for the “L” in LGBT | Whitepaper

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I am delighted to welcome you to our first in the series of reports on Managing Identities at Work. This report focuses on “Being out at Work” and we look at the LGBT experience through a gender lens. By conducting research and hosting career panels exploring career challenges for certain talent groups, such as LGBT employees, we aim to shed light on what companies can do better for diverse high performers.

After all, if culture can be defined by “the way we do things around here” then it is critical for leaders to understand how to engage and include different types of people so that every individual in the firm can bring their best selves to work. This research report is the first of its kind to explore specifically the workplace perceptions and experiences of professional lesbians in financial and professional services.

The Glass Hammer is perfectly placed to examine deeper issues around gender and identity at work and our goal is to empower women of all types to advance in their careers. Our research arm, Evolved Employer, is working hard to benchmark diversity so that the industry as a whole can better understand how to remove and reduce systemic biases. In my opinion, it is only when we work in this manner that we can truly further the dialogue around diversity – to start leveraging diversity as a business driver. Achieving inclusion is a cultural change project; changing culture is only possible when led with a vision and backed by compliance, not the other way around.

The most striking finding from this report is that many women, despite being out to everyone, are still uncomfortable in their immediate environment and would like their company to do more education around LGBT issues. Reassuringly, several companies were recognized as going above and beyond in their efforts to ensure organizational and managerial support, reinforced with strong networks and programmatic solutions.

I hope that you enjoy this whitepaper and share it with leaders, managers, employee networks, straight allies, and LGBT employees alike.

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Career Tip of the Week

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women shaking handsThis Week’s Tip Is…

Do you have a mentor? Do you need a new one?

Write down what they do for you. What do you reciprocate with as part that arrangement?

How useful is this relationship in practical terms? How could this relationship become more useful?

Welcome to Career Tip of the Week. In this column we aim to provide you with a useful snippet of advice to carry with you all week as you navigate the day to day path in your career.

By Nicki Gilmour, Executive Coach and Organizational Psychologist

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Voice of Experience: Kiran Kaur, Managing Director- Technology, TIAA-CREF

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KiranKiran Kaur has seen the powerful effect that strong women mentors and sponsors have had on advancing her career. “Together we need to help other women be promoted to leadership roles. We grow the chain by passing it on.”

Kaur came to the United States from Sydney, parlaying her master’s degree in computer science into a position at a small Wall Street consulting firm. As the only women in the IT department, she found herself rolling up her sleeves to install big machines – doing everything her male counterparts were doing.

That can-do attitude caught the eye and impressed one of her clients, a hedge fund company, whose CTO paid a finder’s fee to her consulting company and offered her a job. It was a critical milestone in her career progression, giving her entrée into the financial industry.

Two years later, when the fund manager decided to retire and downsize, he invited two major Wall Street firms in to interview and place the remaining employees. Kaur decided that Morgan Stanley was most suited to her career progression at the time and joined the firm. For 13 years, she held a wide variety of roles, becoming a vice president and then an executive director and overseeing a global team of more than 100 in Asia, Hong Kong, London, Australia and India.

In 2012, a former boss who had gone to TIAA-CREF reached out, inviting her to visit the Charlotte, N.C., headquarters, assuring Kaur she would be well-suited to the culture and there were plenty of opportunities to leverage her experience.

Kaur eventually joined TIAA-CREF in 2013 and was recently promoted to managing director, overseeing technology. She says she is looking forward to being part of some upcoming transitions in the company and industry. TIAA-CREF’s current CIO has advanced to become COO, opening up the position for someone from the outside. “It will be interesting to see their perspective and how we will adapt and deliver on any directional changes they make,” Kaur said. In addition her team has been actively pursuing an initiative designed to drive accountability and shine light on enhancing the exchange management process.

Brand Presence as a Driver of Success

Through her transition to TIAA-CREF, Kaur became acutely aware of the differences in company culture and the importance of adapting. “Morgan Stanley was a very aggressive environment, very competitive, where you had to prove yourself to even be considered to have a seat at the table,” she says. “When I first started at TIAA-CREF I would march in with a solution to a problem, but it wasn’t long before I realized that I needed to tweak my style – they weren’t just about speed but execution.”

That’s when she began to focus on the importance of personal brand. “You have to be constantly conscious of what people are saying about you and how you are being perceived by those around you because it sets the tone for what others think about you, even if they might not have worked directly with you,” she says, adding that brand encompasses everything from how you walk into the room to what you have to deliver.

Even though she acknowledges that her brand spoke for itself when she was first tapped by the hedge fund firm, she says that had she been more consciously aware of its importance, she would have been more intentional about using it to build stronger relationships.

“Had I gotten a career sponsor earlier on, perhaps I would have had quicker ascensions. Finding career sponsors and mentors, people who will recognize and champion your talent, will push your career forward,” Kaur said. “You can be the best person, but if no one knows about it, especially as you get more senior, you won’t get the opportunities you want. Success is reliant on negotiating and influencing skills.”

Although the industry has advanced in gender diversity, Kaur still sees that there is a long way to go to achieve parity. Not only is the financial services industry still largely male dominated, but it is even more pronounced when you layer the technology function on top, which can cause challenges for networking opportunities.

For example, men frequently participate in golf or sports outings, and that can seem alienating to women. “Women know the importance of gaining insights by participating in events outside of work for relationship building, but it can be harder for women to insert themselves into these scenarios. We typically have to go home to our families, where men don’t have to adapt their schedules as much.”

Additionally, some traits that are acceptable coming from a man are still perceived as overly aggressive in women leaders. One area where Kaur urges women to take control is in speaking up for themselves. She points out that men have no qualms about asking for a raise or promotion and women need to do the same.

Despite the gender differences Kaur believes women shouldn’t alter themselves to try to fit in. “Some women try to act like men, which is fine if that’s your choice, but we should be proud of our femininity and stop pretending. Women can drive the agenda just as effectively.”

And that extends to emulating managers too. “Sometimes we get into the shadow of our leaders and start imitating their behaviors which can be positive, but it also means you can lose your individual personality. It’s important to stay true to your own brand.”

Kaur personally stays involved in a number of women-oriented councils and encourages other women in the industry to help increase the percentage of women in IT. “I am an example of someone who got chosen by a woman leader, who put me in a position where I was exposed so that my talent was recognized.”

World Traveler

A multi-national citizen — born in Africa, and then moving to Sydney and ultimately the United States — Kaur has been traveling since birth, and she has passed that love on to her family, which includes her husband and four- and 11-year old children. On a regular basis, she counts fitness, especially yoga, and cooking as her stress busters. For her it’s about being with her family doing something they all love, together.

By Cathie Ericson

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Mover and Shaker: Amaly Homer, Chief of Staff to the CEO of Mercer, a subsidiary of Marsh & McLennan Companies

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amaly6_(1)As chief of staff to Mercer CEO Julio A. Portalatin, Amaly Homer holds a powerful position as a gatekeeper, confidante and strategic consultant – all focused on maximizing the organization’s goals.

She has been in the role since 2013, and within the Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE: MMC) family of organizations for 12 years in varied roles that have included global sales support, business development manager, proposal team lead and senior M&A project manager.

Before joining Marsh, Homer worked for a small insurance company, and finds the similarities to be more surprising than you would think. Though resources were scarce at the smaller agency, she also appreciated that there was a lot of recognition when you created something, and she believes that that gave her a strong foundational beginning for her current rise.

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Career Tip of the Week

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cardsThis Week’s Tip Is…

Understand what leverage you have at all times!

Continuing the negotiation theme, do you know what cards you have to play? What is valuable to others? You could be in a better position than you realize!

Welcome to Career Tip of the Week. In this column we aim to provide you with a useful snippet of advice to carry with you all week as you navigate the day to day path in your career.

By Nicki Gilmour, Executive Coach and Organizational Psychologist

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Voice of Experience: Anne Ozimek, SVP Securities Operations, of Voya Investment

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Ozimek_Anne_ copy“Through every step of my career, I have focused on learning a set of skills and doing everything possible to meet the needs of my clients, so that when an opportunity came up, I was ready,” says Anne Ozimek, senior vice president at Voya Investment Management. “Each job will offer a different set of challenges and every one of them will prepare you for your next step.”

Ozimek’s career in the insurance and investment business has spanned many years and a wide variety of positions. As she has taken on different roles, she has always preferred those that were fast paced and required ongoing problem solving.

Her first job out of college was at The Hartford Insurance Group, where she traveled to regional offices to offer the production teams solutions to improve workflow and reduce backlogs. She became part of their management training program and held several positions before moving to Aetna. She started as a business analyst on an investment accounting system, handling the production functions, and then worked her way up to supervisor of the unit and ultimately manager – all while obtaining her MBA.

As a result of the business knowledge she acquired supporting those functions, Ozimek left that daily production role to manage a small unit of business analysts working on a large accounting system replacement project. Completing that project allowed her to enhance her project management skills, working closely with IT and the business to develop specifications, test plans, identify, document and resolve issues and then ultimately implement the new system.

Based on that work and connections she had formed, she was offered a new role putting together an institutional shareholder recordkeeping unit for what was then Aeltus Investment Management (and became ING and now Voya).

This entailed learning the functions, hiring the team and then working with IT and Client Services to develop a proprietary recordkeeping system to handle the client level transactions for the funds the firm managed. The system was in place for more than 15 years, since replaced with a new operating model where an external service provider does the recordkeeping work and other back office functions and the Voya Business Support and Operations team oversees the work. Her team’s role has thus shifted from processing to oversight, analysis and problem solving.

Having been a member of an operational team for most of her career, Ozimek relishes her collaborative role – performing the day-to-day jobs to meet client needs but also supporting huge projects. “It’s fast paced, but what I love the most is the mentality of operations. The team always displays a can-do attitude. We know that no matter what the obstacle, we can figure out a way to get it done.”

She sees the industry as being a vibrant one for years to come, as baby boomers hit retirement age and need new products and advice as they segue from the asset accumulation phase to the spending phase.

Advice for Rising Stars

Ozimek had an excellent role model of a career woman in her mom, who worked at a time when many women didn’t. That gave her a good grasp on what the corporate world was like and how to mesh home organization, occasional late working hours and family needs, all while performing at her job.

Early in her career, she recognized that you may come into situations where you work hard and yet you still don’t get the acknowledgment you want or the job you want. At that point you have to assess what happened, determine if there was anything else you could have done differently, and then move on, making sure that you are getting the skills you need and connecting with the managers and mentors who are interested in making sure you succeed. She has had some great mentors over the years.

“If you’re not in a good situation for your skill set, recognize it and make a change,” she says. “Defining your world too narrowly is not a barrier in the business but in your mindset.”

Ozimek’s own personal philosophy on getting ahead is to work hard, and make sure you’re not getting caught up in an “it’s not my job” mentality. “If you go out of your way to help other people with their issues, you become a ‘go to’ person. Then the next time you need help, others around you are more likely to reciprocate. Every time you go the extra mile, you’re building those relationships and creating a situation where people are looking out for you.”

Saying yes is another crucial factor in a successful career ascension. “So many times, when someone approaches us to do something, we find reasons to say no. Instead, we should determine if there are good reasons to say yes,” she says, adding that it’s important to try to figure out why you were asked to do something. “Don’t discount that you just might be the perfect person..”

As the industry has evolved, Ozimek is no longer the only woman in most meetings and appreciates that change. She sees the benefit of having been involved in both formal and informal mentoring programs over the years and actively works with younger associates to provide that perspective. She knows that having a mentor offers a comfort level in talking through an issue or a problem and getting advice from someone who’s been there. She urges people to speak up if they want a manager to act as their mentor or coach. “Don’t be shy about what you want.”

Away From the Office

Ozimek has been married for 37 years and has two grown sons and two daughters-in-law. On the weekends she and her husband spend as much time as they can at their second home in Vermont, joined by family and friends. “This stage is a blast,” she says, “watching the ‘kids’ make their way in their lives and careers.”

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Men Who Get It: Mike Jones, CEO, Core Consulting

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Mike Jones“As a country, we are 80 years away from gender equality.” That statistic, which was shared during the World Economic Forum, caught Mike Jones’ attention, because as he says, “If that’s true, I won’t live to see it.”

Jones is CEO of Core Consulting, a technology and management consulting firm. His personal mission is reflected in the company motto: “Have a positive impact on the lives of others – do that and you’ll be ok.”

Jones’ varied career spans from his early years in banking to a stint in IT for an international insurance company to eight years with a large consumer electronics retailer. Along the way, he has had numerous career-defining moments that have underscored the importance of increasing gender equality.

He recalls an incident in the early 1980s when the bank president took a female loan officer to a customer lunch. The customer later called and said “If you replace my current loan officer with the woman you introduced me to, I am leaving the bank.” In Jones’ eyes, the customer was wrong, but the bank president wouldn’t stand up for his female loan officer. Jones recalls that he said that it was the customer’s choice, and the male colleague remained as the loan officer, even though the female had excellent credentials.

“Life might not be fair, but I realized that some of us could play referee and arrange the game so it’s a better playing field,” Jones said.

He sees gender inequality heightened by the lack of role models. At the electronics retailer, Jones said that only one of the 16 decision makers were women. “When she left, we became an all-male society, and we all knew we needed more balance.” He knows that the problem can be self-fulfilling. “How do we give our female middle managers someone to aspire to be and learn from? Who will they turn to for mentoring opportunities and to discuss the issues with which they are wrestling?”

A Strong Commitment to Giving Back

As a seasoned volunteer, Jones has spent ample time in the non-profit world, which he finds to be more balanced with women in key positions.

As part of his work on the board for the United Way, their Women’s Leadership Initiative held a breakfast attended by 600 women leaders. He said it was empowering to see how people will flock to support something when you establish the support mechanism.

He has also been supportive of Women in Technology, a subgroup within RichTech (Richmond Technology), which regularly meets to tackle relevant issues facing women in leadership. His company also organizes a dinner every other month that helps support and encourage women executives in technology.

Diversity in all areas is important to Jones. As he says, he wasn’t born with a silver spoon in his mouth. In 1990, he began working with Partnership for the Future, a non-profit that pairs CEOS with potential interns from the inner city. “We work with them to help them rise above the hand they were dealt, and give them a lift. We provide interviewing skills; match what they save dollar for dollar; help them get scholarships and essentially give them the tools they need. Many in this group would be lost if we didn’t lend a helping hand.”

Jones says he was inspired by his boss at the time to become involved. “He taught me you have to stand up for things that aren’t fair and give people a chance they otherwise wouldn’t have.”

Promoting the Best Person

At the boutique firm he leads, he tries not to draw a distinction between men and women, but always hires the best person for the job. The controller and the vice president of recruiting and staffing are women, but he says that he can only draw from the pool that he is offered, which is why he knows that women need to be reached earlier.

He sees that the problem starts young, noting that there’s a point in middle schools where boys continue to pursue STEM endeavors and girls drop out. “I believe we have to reach young women earlier in their school career if they want to be ready for the boardroom,” he says. We are seeing that young girls are lacking confidence and don’t have seat at the table. We have to start earlier, to find ways to increase and maintain their interest at a young age and in the tech and science industries and then help they see how they can be leaders like Carly Fiorina.”

A Lifelong Mentor

Mentoring is part of the fabric of Jones’ life. He is part of an organized group at the

Virginia Commonwealth University’s graduate school, where he mentors one or two students a year.

He also lends a hand to anyone who asks or with whom he interacts, particularly helping those who need an injection of confidence. “My goal is to ‘encourage greatness,’ he says, adding that he mentors anyone who transitions through his life who needs encouragement. He even compiled his advice into a book, called “Hello Old Friend,” designed as a resource for career development.

“My mentoring is mostly not part of a formal program; I just live it. People have to care,” he says.

His mantra is to exceed the Golden Rule with what he calls the “Platinum Rule,” which focuses on paying it forward.

“I have never turned away someone who wanted to network or needed a hand, because we’re all one step away from needing that help.”

Advice for other Leaders

He firmly believes that promoting diversity is everyone’s job, and that you can’t be caught up in your own myopic world. “You have to engage and listen and recognize the need and then do something about it. Be the change agenda, and have the courage to stand up for what you believe in.”

In his view, a career is composed of two halves – the first half, which is when you’re taking and learning and building, and the second, when you find out what you’re called to do.

“Everyone should have their own personal ‘why,’ and mine is to inspire others to find what inspires them. We can be both a student and a teacher at every level of our career.”

By Cathie Ericson

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Career Tip of the Week

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Nicki GilmourThis Week’s Tip Is…

Know your bottom line. On Everything. Where are your boundaries?

Last week we talked about “Everyday Negotiations” in Career Tip of the week. What is your bottom line? What is acceptable and what is out of the question?. Know this ahead of every meeting!

Welcome to Career Tip of the Week. In this column we aim to provide you with a useful snippet of advice to carry with you all week as you navigate the day to day path in your career.

By Nicki Gilmour, Executive Coach and Organizational Psychologist

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Voice of Experience: Seble Tareke-Williams; Managing Director, NYC Interborough Fund; Emmes Asset Management Company LLC

Seble Tareke-Williams-thumbSeble Tareke-Williams describes her professional path as nontraditional, but each step has been vital to creating her current career, which combines her real estate investing acumen with her passion for community development.

She started her post-college career at a social policy think tank before running an economic development program at Pratt Area Community Council, a neighborhood-based community development organization. That’s when Tareke-Williams realized it was necessary to acquire solid business experience for her next career step, whether she decided to transition to the private sector or progress to a more senior management level in the nonprofit sector.

She decided the most expedient way to make a professional pivot was to earn a graduate degree in business and chose Harvard Business School because of its strong focus on leadership across disciplines, combined with the opportunity it provided to network with people across a broad spectrum of professional and cultural backgrounds. “As a career changer, I also felt it was important to attend a top-tier school; that I would benefit from that extra stamp of approval,” she says, although she adds she doesn’t think this route is necessary for everyone.

While at Harvard, Tareke-Williams was named a fellow by the Robert Toigo Foundation, which works to advance the development and careers of minority MBA talent seeking careers in finance. Toigo allowed her to build a greater network with peers across business schools. “Toigo has such a great reputation in the industry for its strong caliber of fellows so I felt the Foundation offered an extra level of credibility.” She says the Toigo Foundation was influential in landing her internship at GE, and later for the number of interviews it helped coordinate, including with Emmes, where she has been since graduation.

I find that women are naturally bolder when we’re representing the interests of others, including our firms’, because it’s how we’re built. We feel more comfortable in that role. But we need to exude that same level of confidence and boldness when representing our own interests

Real Estate Fund Combines Her Interest in the Public and Private Sectors

Tareke-Williams decided to focus on real estate based on the exposure she had received at the community development organization prior to business school.

Emmes acquires, manages and sells commercial real estate on behalf of institutional partners, primarily domestic pension funds. While at Emmes, she’s been involved in asset management, capital raising and acquisitions and takes pride in the depth and range of her professional experience.

“The diversity of assignments I’ve undertaken has made me a better leader; it’s allowed me to be able to have meaningful context when making decisions. And ultimately, that’s just as important as your innate abilities. Your experiences are what make you an expert in your field.”

She currently manages the Emmes Interborough Fund that is solely focused on markets across New York City that have historically lacked institutional investment, namely Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, Staten Island and pockets of Manhattan.

“When you think about the attributes of these markets within the context of the entire United States, there are tremendously positive fundamentals, including density and cultural value.

“I’m going back to my professional roots as we bring institutional dollars to these markets. It’s exciting to think about the economic development implications of investing in these markets, while still working within the private sector,” says Tareke-Williams.  She notes that while the primary goal, of course, is to make money on behalf of pensioners who are investing, there is also the secondary positive impact on these communities. “It is a great marriage of the two phases of my career.”

She finds the real estate industry to be in a fascinating phase given several economic trends such as technological growth. Technology is changing where and how people work: technology increases worker mobility and productivity which impact space utilization as, for example, the average square footage dedicated per worker is decreasing. And the growth of technology firms, as well as other high-growth industries like media, are attracting workforces that value working and living in culturally relevant urban markets that foster creativity and business development such as the ones that the Emmes Interborough Fund invests in.   These residential population and workforce shifts are creating resurgence in the outer boroughs of New York City.

“Real estate is fascinating because it touches every aspect of your life- where you live, work, and play.”

Confidence Will Lead to Success

Tareke-Williams knows that the No. 1 asset a professional needs is confidence – in your own work, ideas and perspective.

“I find that women are naturally bolder when we’re representing the interests of others, including our firms’, because it’s how we’re built. We feel more comfortable in that role. But we need to exude that same level of confidence and boldness when representing our own interests,” she says.

She notes that the men with whom she interfaces are more transparent about their own interests – they tend to be clear about their personal intentions, including making money. She finds they’re not shy about it, and in return they more often get what they want.

“When we represent ourselves well internally, that also raises our value to the firm. The assumption being that if you can represent yourself well, that you will also represent the firm with conviction.”

Striving for Balance – In All Areas

Though her company, as a boutique firm, doesn’t lend itself to having robust, scaled programs dedicated to diversity, she has always felt supported by the firm’s leadership who encourage her to develop and retain a strong external support network. She is active in WX, a group of women executives in real estate, as well as the Toigo Foundation.

Tareke-Williams has three daughters, soon to be ages two, four and seven. She spends as much time with them as she can, but considers balance to be about more than work and family. She is proud to have come full circle and be engaged at a deep level as the board chair of the non-profit where she worked prior to business school. “No matter how busy I am with my work and family, I won’t feel complete unless I’m also involved in community.”

And even with all that on her plate – or maybe especially because she has all that on her plate — Tareke-Williams knows that she has to make a little time for herself. She does that through training for races and is especially looking forward to an upcoming all-women half-marathon.

By Cathie Ericson

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