2 minute read
‘Why?’ as a way forward
Minakshee Patel was a ‘rebel with a cause’ in her teen years – she just didn’t know at the time. Her non-conformist attitude was driven by the question ‘why?’
As an Asian female growing up in the ‘70s, childhood was full of ‘why’ questions. Minakshee quizzed her family on the cultural aspects of her upbringing, like why it was the done thing that men ate before women. Looking back on it, she realises that equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) were things she’s practiced her whole life, not just in the last 16 years of her EDI career in local government or 12 years in HR in the NHS.
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“Growing up, there were people who couldn’t quite voice what they wanted to, and I like to think I enabled Patel Consultancy provides team and individual profiling, coaching, recruitment profiling, and bespoke training programmes.
The business is centred around helping others answer the question ‘why?’. Educating and listening rather than preaching, Minakshee never tells her clients that they’re wrong in any capacity. She explains: “I don’t jump into telling people that certain things are wrong; I ask why they have used certain phrases and if they’ve thought about how that might impact somebody. If you tell someone they’re wrong, then the next time a related situation occurs, they won’t say anything out of fear of being wrong.”
Most organisations do have an understanding of women’s issues now, such as the menopause. Minakshee has worked with businesses to develop their menopause policy and raise awareness with managers about how to provide support. Gender pay gap reporting is another factor Minakshee references, requiring all businesses with more than 250 employees to publish their gender pay gap.
“I read an East Midlands Chamber report in 2022 that said four in 10 businesses do not have a policy – that’s really stark. Firms need to recognise that women make up half of the population, so if they want their business to be seen as inclusive to women, they need to have systems in place to support them. Plus, women have spending power; we can choose who we buy from and who we work for!”
The courses Minakshee Patel Consultancy provides can be tailored. She has recently been asked to cover how to make part-time work attractive to women, how to invite new mothers back to the workplace, targeted faith awareness talks and more.
She encourages people not to feel they should be ‘careful around women’, nor that they should feel the need to ‘look after’ them. “Women are actually very strong, resilient characters. To move forward in equality of any kind, it’s empowering to build our own confidence in asking ‘why’ when we hear something that doesn’t sit right with us.”
those individuals to do that growing up,” Minakshee says. “I appreciated their reasons; sometimes it’s just that they needed some support and confidence. I was doing that for classmates and colleagues. I have an open, approachable and cheery disposition, so people feel comfortable in coming to me.”
Last February, she set up her own business to help educate businesses on the importance of EDI. Minakshee
