Category: Latest Insights From Symmetra
Sexual Violence in our Midst: Where to go from here.
It is both astonishing and revealing that simultaneously women here in Australia as well as in the UK (and men who support them) have, over the past week needed to raise their voices in anger against the pervasive and continuing scourge of sexual violence and rape. Repeatedly, long-buried stories have emerged portraying the willingness of …
International Womens Day 2021 – #ChoosetoChallenge
“I’m about to embark on a six-month secondment.” That’s what I’ve been telling myself these last few weeks as I transition into the daunting world of parenthood. All the parents out there reading this are no doubt having a chuckle to themselves thinking I must be kidding myself if I think I’ll simply snap back …
The Chinese Diaspora welcomes a New Year
I once heard a saying that the Chinese are probably the most dispersed diaspora across the globe, albeit ranked third behind the Indians and Mexicans by the UN in 2019. While this might surprise many, Chinese migration started in the 10th century settling as far as Kenya .Various points in Chinese and global history exacerbated their departure such as …
Working Remotely? Make Sure You Are Silo-Busting
A number of recent articles have pointed out that one of the potential negative consequences of the new work-from-home paradigm is that our links to acquaintances and our weak ties may dissipate or be lost. We may no longer have a chat with the barista or the receptionist on the way to the office or …
Can We Halt the Perverse Cycle of Racism?
This is a very personal piece for me to write, as a White privileged person, who has sought over a large part of my professional life to mitigate some of the most egregious manifestations of racism and prejudice directed towards persons of colour. I come from South Africa (am now an Australian citizen) where race …
A Sexual Predator Stalks the High Court of Australia: A Call to Action
The revelation that Dyson Heydon, a former judge of the High Court of Australia had been a serial sexual harasser and that female judges and associates at the Court had been amongst his victims is shocking, but not really surprising. The accounts given by the female victims reveal a startling degree of recklessness on the …
Female Leaders Shine in Crises – will this debias the lens through which they are seen?
The best lack all conviction while the worst are full of passionate intensity –William Butler Yeats Male leaders stumble Disasters and Crises show leaders at their best and worst. Some political leaders show their underlying strength, the ability to listen and a talent to rally the troops when decisions to act are taken. Others respond …
Why are 75% of suicides by men?
By the end of today, 12 people will have taken their lives by suicide, 75% of them will be men. In recognition that the Covid-19 Crisis would place a significant burden on the mental health of citizens, the Australian Federal Government approved long overdue additional funding for mental health services in March. It unfortunately needed …
What will the Future WorkPlace, in the “Future of Work”, look like?
As we enter Phase 3, of the S-Curve (A. Edmondson, adapted from G. Land), we have a unique opportunity to design “Future WorkPlaces” as a win-win-win for business, teams and individuals. The “Great Working from Home Experiment of 2020”, did not have the benefit of the consciously considered human-centred design principles, we typically recommend for …