Earlier this week I discovered that the heated towel rail in our bathroom had decided not to work. Now for those of you not living in New Zealand a heated towel rail sounds very bougie but let me tell you it’s essential!

 We are moving into the very wet and mostly cold part of the year, and bath towels don’t dry in this weather. So heated towel rails are essential.

She told me her job is very busy and she was working ALL the hours. Getting to the office first. Still there while everyone has left. Takes work home every night, and works on the weekend. And guess what? She’s exhausted. And her husband ain’t happy.  

Who is asking you to do all the work, I said. She thought hard on that one, but couldn’t come up with a good answer. Well…..no one as it turns out. In fact her manager is telling her to stop working all the hours.

Do you need a more junior person, I asked. No she said. It’s work she has to do. A more junior person couldn’t do it.

What else have you tried, I asked. Just working more hours was the answer.

I have been here myself, and maybe in reading this you see yourself too? I have also had lots of experience coaching women in this situation, and here’s what I have learnt….

This week I have been delivering Respect at Work training in regional Australia for a logistics organisation. Respect at work is essentially an upgrade to the training I used to deliver around anti-discrimination, bullying and sexual harassment training. It focuses on organisations creating a culture that’s respectful of all, and prevents and eliminates as much as possible, discrimination, sexual harassment, and workplace environments that are hostile. The main focus is on the positive duty placed on organisations to present and eliminate as much as possible sexual harassment, based on the fifth national survey on sexual harassment in Australian workplaces, which showed at 33% of workers have experienced workplace sexual harassment, with

What I’ve noticed is that the attitudes and values of the audience for this training has shifted, and for the better. I have also noticed that perhaps my maturity and approach to delivering this training has also shifted, for the better.

Today the conversations in the room are heartening, and collaborative. They are open, and people are willing to share about their experiences. Not only is behaviour changing, but people are seeing the impact of behaviour that’s not respectful, and hearts and minds are shifting.

This is what happening now with AI. Some organisations have a clear strategy and are thinking about how to support leaders and their people with using these new tools. They are communicating their plans and being honest. They are providing the right training at the right time, and are ensuring it's equitable.

Others are throwing AI tools at their people, along with some online training and hoping for the best. For their people it feels like change is being done to them, and they are invisible in any decisions.

Since the dawn of time, and in my experience, going to the post office has been an excruciating activity that at times, unfortunately, must be suffered through.

Tell me you feel this way too?

When I lived in Sydney I had to go into the equivalent of a basement to retrieve packages that were apparently a failed delivery despite me being home and no one ringing the door bell or knocking. I always imagined that behind the locked door where the packages were kept, was a massive mound of parcels and packages that the postal worker climbed through to find my parcel, often returning empty handed to ask what the size of the package was, or what did I think it looked like, which is mostly a futile activity given I wasn’t the person who sent the package.

As part of starting The Culture Ministry I also started The Culture Club for organisations.

An annual membership consisting of curated resources for Diversity & Inclusion work. Research, articles, templates and tools, specialist organisations, videos and podcasts.

Depending on the organisation and their needs it could also include research and advisory services, presentations on specific topics, and coaching.

The restaurant was modest, humble. Having lived in New Zealand over three years now I would say, a relatively typical restaurant. However, it didn’t take long to work out we had stumbled into something quite special.

The pine tables and modest interior quickly gave way to an incredibly knowledgeable sommelier. And the food? Unbelievably good. Chef’s kiss.

It wasn’t long before we googled the restaurant to discover it was an award winning, top New Zealand restaurant.

Over the past couple of weeks I have been speaking to people working in Diversity & Inclusion and hearing about the current challenges.

These range from having to get executive team approval for small changes, through to dealing with the emotions created by political leaders in the US and countries closer to or at home.

Having other people for support, learning and to build your network with will help you to succeed.

What we specialise in is :

• DEI Audits, Surveys, benchmarking and Self ID work– basically helping organisations have good data, and make good decisions with it.

• Crafting Diversity & Inclusion strategy that connects with the organisations purpose, and who they serve. In my view trying to be everything to everyone needs to stop.

• Inclusive leadership development – not the 2 hour workshop delivery and leave kind. I like working with leadership teams from 8-10 months and up to 2 years because what leaders say and do has a massive impact on your culture and how included people feel.

• Providing the structures and tools for Employee Resource Groups to be successful, support inclusion and better business outcomes.

When I first started working in Diversity & Inclusion, I was the only person doing this role, in a very large organisation.

It was during Covid, and while I was part of a team of people we were all working in different areas, no one was doing what I was doing, and we were located all over the world.

It. Was. Lonely.

One of the biggest problems I didn’t anticipate in running The Culture Ministry, a Diversity & Inclusion consulting business, is getting paid.

You would think this is a straightforward task.

I do the agreed work. I give the company an invoice. They pay invoice by the date specified on the invoice. Done.

Not done 😩

I remember the day well.

The day I found out the incumbent in the global Diversity & Inclusion role in my company, had resigned. Who would resign from such an amazing role? (I thought to myself.)

I applied, and secured that role. And this is where things went a bit sideways.

When I first started working in my career in human resources, which included organisational development, change management and diversity and inclusion, I was given opportunities not because I knew all the things.

I was given opportunities because I could work stuff out. I remember saying in one interview (multiple times) that no I didn't know how to do that yet but I would love to learn. I got that job.

Are you asking for permission to coach or give advice? Or just ploughing ahead anyway?

Are you taking up all the verbal space and oxygen while people’s eyes are glazing over? 

Have you forgotten how a conversation works? Or your manners? Your ethics? Your curiosity?

Inclusion is about good conversations.

I was contemplating this thought as I entered the gym this morning. Luckily, because it’s raining, I suspect, the gym was very quiet. The last time I went (over a week ago, on a public holiday), it was heaving. So. Many. People. There were people on every machine. Sometimes two people taking turns.