Building a better workplace

BUILDING A

better workplac Diversity, leadership and an openness to new perspectives is essential to business. Without it we’re going backward instead of forward.

KATHLEEN RYBCZYNSKI, professor of economics, Faculty of Arts

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Challenging the status quo

How diversity makes organizations more successful Half a century after the height of the

“Most studies show mild decreases in the

feminist revolution, we may have moved

gender wage gap over time, primarily due

well beyond the Mad Men stereotype. But have

to increases in educational attainment

modern sensibilities simply driven gender

and occupation,” she says. “But the gap is

discrimination underground, making it more

by no means eradicated. Very broadly, the

insidious and harder to fight?

female-to-male wage ratio in Canada is

From wage disparity to office politics, workplace equality in 2015 is far from the norm — and in STEM disciplines (science, technology,

However, this estimate can vary by age, industry and other characteristics.

engineering and math), the possibility of

“And there are studies that suggest the

gender balance seems even more distant.

gender gap may be small for new graduates,

According to University of Waterloo economics professor Kathleen Rybczynski (MA ’99), the gender divide in STEM is a self-perpetuating cycle. The more women there are in STEM disciplines and positions of power, the more excited girls and young women are to move

but after several years in the labour market, the gap is larger. For example, one study finds that a cohort of law students had similar earnings upon graduation, but 15 years out the women were earning only 60 per cent of what the men were earning.”

in that direction. But in the current climate,

The most obvious contributor is the fact

it’s tough for women in STEM to see the role

that women are the ones taking time off

models they need to see.

work to have children, and by choosing

This has an impact on Canadian business, in limiting the perspectives and innovations that both genders can bring to the table, and curbing

e

estimated to be in the 80 per cent range.

Canada’s impact on the global marketplace.

to do so they often fall behind on the career ladder. Part of the reason may be that women make different choices. If men choose a STEM vocation and women choose humanities, for example, there’s

“Despite knowing better, people often have

already a built-in wage differential, also

preconceived notions about what women and

known as an “explained gap.”

men should be doing, and who should be hired for a particular position,” Rybczynski says.

“We have social and cultural influences that affect not only women’s and men’s labour

A large part of the “unexplained gap,” however, may be that women’s work is still relatively undervalued.

supply choices, but also how we value work

“I’ve seen enough examples where, if you

done by men and women.”

discuss any research associated with gender,

Rybczynski points to a December 2013 Statistics Canada study by Darcy Hango, which suggests

the automatic reaction is, ‘we’ve already studied that, it’s old news,’ ” Rybczynski says.

that despite the advances made in recent years,

“And yet we’ve been studying the minimum

women remain less likely to choose a career

wage literature for 100 years and there’s no

in STEM (least of all engineering, math and

knee-jerk reaction, like ‘oh we’ve already

computer science), and when they do choose

solved that problem.’ ”

careers in those fields, they’re not getting paid as much as men.

Limits on women’s participation in the workforce can have impacts on business,

Rybczynski says the wage gap in Canada

both in leadership options and responsiveness

remains problematic.

to new corporate directions. »

TEXT NANCY HARPER | PHOTOGRAPHY ONE FOR THE WALL

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“A lot of research is talking about how we need women to participate in the market and we need women to take on leadership roles,” Rybczynski says. “Diversity, leadership and an openness to new perspectives is essential to business. Without it, we’re going backward

Workplace diversity: A business imperative Professor Corey Johnson, who teaches recreation and leisure studies with an emphasis on social justice, says working toward inclusivity in the workplace is imperative to maintain a balanced and adaptable business ecosystem.

instead of forward.”

“We must acknowledge that the workplace was designed for

The reality is that Canada’s future in the

and by men,” Johnson says. “All the decisions around industry,

global marketplace depends on receptiveness

structure, engineering — our entire social system — are

to new ways of doing business that overcomes

grounded in patriarchy. That’s just the way things were.

impediments to ideas.

“It’s hard to come to the realization that you might be a ‘good’

“If everyone has the same way of thinking,

man but that nonetheless you still have all of this unearned

you’re not going to break those barriers. And

invisible privilege. A lot of men can’t see that. But once they

it’s not just about gender. It’s about having

do, to ask a man to give up his power and resources is even

diversity across race, sexual orientation, class,

more of a difficult challenge.

age, ability — these are all really important components to having different perspectives on things and to really bringing innovative ideas to the table.”

“We’ve seen much progress in relation to women’s equality.

What we have to do now is really look at the system and how it continues to invisibly privilege men — and that means more access to opportunity and resources for women. We have to begin to move resources and think critically about the system so that we can create opportunity for women.

“For a long time we’ve had conversations where women need to fight for women’s rights. If we’re really going to think about our moms, our sisters, our daughters, we have to work in solidarity with women and think about how men and boys can begin to participate. Sometimes that even means giving up a little bit of power, engaging in hard conversations and making decisions to change the nature of the workplace.”

Conversations about gender equity take on a new character with the widening of gender expression to include the transgender population, he says. The astute employer will anticipate changes, rather than react to them.

COREY JOHNSON, professor of recreation and leisure studies

“As we see transgender people not only entering the workplace but possibly also transitioning during their work life, we need to have conversations and be supportive of them,” he says.

“We often look to them to educate us, but it puts a lot of

GENDER AND THE WORKPLACE: THE STEM DIFFERENCE*

$61,100

$66,300

7.1%

4.3%

Median earnings for women with engineering degrees

Median earnings for men with engineering degrees

Unemployment rate for women with engineering degrees

Unemployment rate for men with engineering degrees

* Based on individuals aged 25-34 in 2011 * Source: Darcy Hango, 2013, “Gender differences in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and computer science (STEM) programs at university” for Statistics Canada

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Challenging the status quo

responsibility on that person, who already might be managing a lot. Instead we need to look to experts to provide opportunities in the workplace and education so we can respond most appropriately. These conversations around gender and sexual identity are going to increase so we need to be on the proactive side of things.”

Invisible walls: Why fewer women are in STEM (and fewer still stick around) It’s not uncommon to believe that achieving equity is a matter of slow, steady progress. But in computer science, for example, the participation of women that peaked at 38 per cent in the 1980s has undergone a marked decline.

It’s no secret that male-dominated industries tip the scales in favour of men, and that some work environments remain stubbornly hostile toward women.

There are many reasons cited for the lack of girls and women in STEM. Most common are the unfriendly environment, the isolation that comes with having fewer female colleagues, and the lack of female role models in the boardroom.

According to last May’s Harvard Business Review, companies that aren’t proactive about these issues tend to drain women’s ambition after as little as two years. It’s a challenge to businesses that face losing this pool of highly trained and talented workers.

Jo Atlee, a professor of computer science and Waterloo’s

Almost any business indicator you can point to improves as workplace diversity increases.

JO ATLEE, director, women in computer science Faculty of Mathematics

director of women in computer science, believes that unbalanced workplace cultures become self-perpetuating — and that when women are earning less and battling to stay

Atlee says workplace diversity matters to the

afloat in a toxic work environment, nobody wins.

bottom line: “It matters with respect to the quality

Her best advice for women pursuing a career in STEM is to look

of the software, and it matters that a more diverse

for a company with a relatively high percentage of women.

Atlee spoke at an International Women’s Day dinner at the University in March 2015, where the topic was gender diversity in computing. The event covered a lot of bases, including the value to business of diversity in the workplace.

team will come up with a greater diversity and number of creative ideas. The products themselves are different, the company performs better, they make better decisions — almost any business indicator you can point to improves as workplace diversity increases.

“These are arguments we’ve made for years, but now we’ve got some science behind it and I think that’s what’s making the difference now in the companies starting to pay attention to this issue.

“They understand that they will be more

8.5% Unemployment rate for women with math/computer science degrees

4.2% Unemployment rate for men with math/computer science degrees

successful if they have a more diverse workplace.”

Not having that workplace diversity can mean a loss of talent to an entire sector of the Canadian economy. Consider the tech field, with its notorious long hours for talented engineers and designers. »

A better workplace

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RISKY BUSINESS

“People tend to burn out,” Atlee says. “But instead of leaving for another company in tech, women tend to leave the field entirely instead — which is an interesting phenomenon because there

When junior investing partner Ellen Pao sued

are so many different types of jobs, so many different intensities.

her former employer for gender discrimination,

There isn’t this need for a mass exodus.

it was one of the most prominent trials ever

“All the stories about the tech field tend to be about Silicon Valley,

to grip Silicon Valley.

but that’s just a small fraction of what computing is about. It’s not

Pao claimed she was not promoted because

always the startup mentality of working 80 to 100 hours a week.

of her gender and that she was fired in 2012

Computing is a lot like math. It’s in every field. It’s in medicine,

from Kleiner Perkins Caulfield & Byers — long

science, banking, insurance. There are lots of companies that

considered the quintessential venture capital

require people who have computing skills. They’ll have positions

firm — for complaining about it.

that are nine-to-five, well-paid and secure.

Her suit helped bring the male-dominated venture

“What we’ve found is the companies that have the most hostile

capital industry under increasing scrutiny — and

environment are those that have the fewest number of women,”

although she ultimately lost in court, Pao was

she says. “Part of what we’re trying to do is to educate people that

quoted in The New York Times as being pleased

their experience is probably more specific to their environment

to have sparked debate about the issue.

than something about the job. It’s not that they don’t belong.

It’s a debate Rachel Bartholomew (MBET ’14) is following closely.

Bartholomew, 25, is well-versed in the art of risky business, having spent her childhood and

It’s really just that there’s a mismatch with that particular working environment. If you don’t like a place, there’s a good chance it’s the place and not you.”

And as for the men themselves … they say they don’t all want

youth racing motorcycles and cars.

to work in a room full of guys all day.

She saw that Waterloo’s entrepreneurial

“There’s plenty of male students who bemoan that they’re

community was in dire need of alternative sources of funding, and after graduation established

surrounded by other male students,” Atlee says.

the investment fund CyberNorth Ventures Inc.

Women in the driver’s seat

to fill that gap.

Women can and do choose to leave the pressure cooker behind.

Bartholomew is well aware that the venture

But it doesn’t mean they’re opting out of the workforce.

capital industry is for the most part a boys’ club.

For electrical engineer and high-tech entrepreneur Cat Coode

But she also knows that venture capitalism is

(BASc ’01), shaping her own destiny meant getting out of the

about collaboration — and that without a diverse

corporate world and finding ways to use the STEM and business

set of experiences in an organization, it’s tough

skills she’d already acquired to her own, self-employed advantage.

to come at potential new ventures with all the right questions.

Having graduated in 2001 from the University of Waterloo with a degree in electrical engineering and a minor in computer

“This is such a tough, tough topic to talk about

engineering, Coode spent 12 years at Research In Motion (now

because it’s so complex,” Bartholomew says.

BlackBerry), first as a developer and later in management. She

“Women are not represented well in venture

put in some heinously long hours — until she reached the point

capital, in either Canada or globally. In Canada,

where it no longer worked for her priorities.

less than 15 per cent of the total are women.

Only six per cent are actually partners in the firm.

How can you be innovative and move forward if you don’t have that diversity?

People often ask why or how being a woman in tech is different.

Coode illustrates with an analogy: “If a room full of teenagers are all chit-chatting and an adult walks in, the dynamic and energy in the room changes,” she says. “In tech, I consistently experienced

“I’m usually one of maybe five women in the

the same thing. There are so few women that when I walked in

room, if I’m lucky, and usually it’s Caucasian

a room of just men, I felt the men change their tone, their

men above 45 years of age. I put on my neutral

demeanour. I felt that energy in the room change. I believe it

face. I’m there to do a job and I try to push that

was done intentionally and to be respectful, but it was a reminder

all aside but I do notice it. This is a traditional

that I was different.

industry that hasn’t innovated and really needs an overhaul. That’s something I’m trying to tackle.”

“I wanted to control my own life, and having left that corporate situation, I realized how many things about it were worse for me than I thought. I’m not saying it doesn’t work for any women.

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Challenging the status quo

There are lots for whom it does work. But as a mother, it didn’t work for me anymore.”

These days, Coode is a tech entrepreneur who has drawn on her computer science background to build Binary Tattoo, a company that teaches Internet safety. It’s a win-win situation for herself, her family and her career.

“From a STEM perspective in the corporate world, that onlywoman-in-the-room thing becomes exhausting,” Coode says.

PHOTO: LIGHT IMAGING

“I adapted my behaviour to what I thought a room full of guys would be comfortable with, but I shouldn’t have felt this was necessary. Sometimes I didn’t want to be a woman engineer — I just wanted to be an engineer.”

Entrepreneurship and venture capital: Investment imbalance According to Wired magazine, the gender problem in venture capital is even worse. Nearly 80 per cent of venture capital firms

An electrical engineer with a minor in computer engineering, CAT COODE, (centre), left the corporate tech sector to become a tech entrepreneur. After successfully pitching her company at Communitech’s Women Entrepreneurs Bootcamp in the past, she was invited back as a mentor.

have never had a woman represent them on the board of any of their portfolio companies, while 75 per cent don’t have any female venture capitalists at all.

And according to techcrunch.com, women in Silicon Valley make

Many promising, capable, female CEOs are out there

up as little as four per cent of deal-making venture capitalists.

pitching, but they’re getting incredibly unhelpful feedback.

Bonnie Foley-Wong is one of several Waterloo alumni working to shake up the status quo.

As the founder, CEO and Chief Investment Innovator of Pique Venture Investments Inc., Foley-Wong (BMath ’97, MAcc ’97, Accounting) brings a different community of investors to the table as she intentionally seeks out more women and institutions led by women.

Over the past four years, she’s found herself on a journey that begs the questions: Where are all the women investors?

And how can we invest differently?

One investor, for example, told a woman Foley-Wong knew that he just doesn’t invest in women with children under five years of age.

The reality is that who’s on the board matters a great deal.

Since everything filters down from the top, if there are more women up top they can actually influence what the talent search looks like and open up situations where women can rise as leaders.

“My focus is to enable more women to be in that investment leadership role and have more of a voice in investment decisions,” Foley-Wong says. “In the past, we’ve been pigeon-

“There just isn’t a lot of support for women in venture capital,”

holed into things like HR and marketing. When I was in

Foley-Wong says. “I grew up with the belief that if we’re

finance, I did deals. But there were very few women who

hardworking and we enjoy what we do, we can succeed on

were doing front-office deals. If our strengths were valued

our own merits, not because we’re women.

differently and if jobs were described differently, you’d have

“I’m in the innovation space, but there’s not a lot of innovation in the investment industry itself. There’s an old approach to starting a fund that doesn’t really make room for women, for people who are just looking at the investment ecosystem differently.”

more diversity.”

Ultimately Foley-Wong is optimistic.

“It’s an important part of this whole ecosystem: women making investment decisions as leaders and investors,” she

It may come down to something as simple as this: That despite

says. “I honestly do think women as investors are going to

the wealth of program support to enter the field, once women

be making decisions about what problems get solved, what

are looking for capital in the real world, they find themselves

businesses get started, and who the next wave of leaders are

pitching to all-male (and mostly middle-aged and white) panels.

that we’re going to support. That makes a huge difference

That lack of diversity at the decision-making level means

in terms of diversity.”

everyone is looking through pretty much the same lens —

It means that chipping away at the old structures

and since what’s in front of them might not look like a typical

is something we must do — not just because doing

startup, they may not understand the market, problem or

so is good for women, but because it’s good for the

solution being presented.

entire economic ecosystem.

A better Drivingworkplace ambition

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