So many lovely awesome people I’ve worked with or know professionally feel they “don’t get it.” If we’re already dedicating a day to women, it’s time to start getting it.
It seems especially hard for many to understand the snowball effect of years of keeping silent. I hope more and more people will not only listen but be prepared to *stand up* as we get more and more publicly-personal about female power struggle and sexual harassment in professional life.
It could start right here: To all the well-meaning companies and professionals, posting social media tributes to their female employees and colleagues for #InternationalWomensDay:
Will you stand up when some % of us approach you about being sexually harassed, bullied or demeaned by a colleague or superior?
Better yet, will you build from the ground up a company culture that is open, welcome, and healthy for women and, well, all employees? So it never comes to the awkward choice of approaching a lukewarm HR or friendly colleague with shame and conflictedness? Or, more likely, staying silent?
In the words of a colleague, Ariella Bernstein, who is absolutely here to speak if you’re willing to listen… or vice versa.
And I’m here to brainstorm about making your workplace into an Open Space, or if you have ideas about helping us encourage our industry ‘influencers’ and local tech leaders to take actual stands beyond signing pledges.
Whadya got: