Recently a Symmetra post commented on “The Great Resignation” – a flood of employees leaving to seek greener pastures as the pandemic starts to ease. So how can organisations counteract this outflow which is clearly a result of long built-up dissatisfaction and disillusionment? What is it about an organisation which makes employees engaged, committed, loyal and …
Can we rely on scientific training to eliminate or at least reduce poor decisions resulting from unconscious bias? Apparently not. As our understanding of unconscious bias increases and deepens, we are learning two important things: firstly, that these biases intrude into areas that we might imagine as being insulated; secondly, we are understanding which sorts …
What happens when diverse and inclusive organisations decide on mandatory vaccinations for their workplace? Mandatory COVID-19 vaccination for employees is being adopted daily by more and more public sector agencies and private sector organisations. What should the approach be for an organisation which espouses diversity and inclusion but whose leadership considers that mandatory vaccination is …
Nations which suppress the rights of women are more likely to be failed states overall. The latest edition of the Economist magazine is one of great significance for women. Both the editorial and the lead article explore in-depth how nations which suppress the rights of women are more likely to be failed states overall. Naturally, recent …
What is the “great resignation?“ This is a phrase coined by Anthony Klotz of Texas A&M University. Initially, he observed as Covid-19 struck, that the number of resignations declined. Employees, naturally in a state of uncertainty, clung to their jobs. However, he predicted that this trend would be reversed and this seems to be taking …
The right of women to abortion in the USA is under threat. The Supreme Court has declined, for the time being, to interfere with a Texas law which effectively prohibits abortion when a heartbeat can be detected. Astonishingly it gives any private individual the right to institute legal action against a clinic or other person who participates …
WGEA has announced that 31st August is Equal Pay Day for 2021. This is the date on which the average wage for women In Australia reaches the level attained by men at the end of the past financial year. Put differently, Australian women need to work, on average for 14 months to accrue the same …
Symmetra is finding with its clients across the globe that many more are recognising the imperative to proactively address employees’ mental well-being- an obligation heightened by the pandemic. An OECD brief found that pre-COVID mental health conditions in 15 member-countries, including Australia, UK, New Zealand, and the USA, had been largely unchanged for decades. However, from March …
In the long struggle against racism, in its various manifestations across the globe salutary acts is the removal of racist symbolism which is expressed in statues, architecture, language, names, adornment, artifacts and even packaging for consumables. Examples of these are legions and they range from statues erected in honor of slave-owners in the Southern United …
“A new pejorative term has imprinted itself in the corporate lexicon: “woke-washing “. This now goes beyond just superficial brand upliftment and extends to question the reality of internal diversity and inclusion commitments. Symmetra suggests that Corporations and other employers should take note. Increasingly, shareholders and other stakeholders will not be content to accept lip service …