Forcing Quotas

It’s been quite a long while since I last wrote. It sounds I’m not that good at multitasking and managing all my different blogs at the same time I was managing my workload and whatever I call a life.

Anyway, couldn’t help myself but to write about a trendy topic from last year. Quotas…. How many articles have you seen in the media about increasing the quotas for women on leadership? I have seen loads, and I’ve experience them in practice.

I’m against them. I simply am. It’s another ticking exercise.

“So had the goal of promoting 2 women into our senior leadership and a buy new coffee machine for the 1st floor. Check, check, well done for me.”

The reason why I really dislike quotas is that they make me “itchy”. It doesn’t go down to the route cause of why quotas are needed in the first place. It just forces a few numbers. It the problem isn’t really corrected from the source, who says you will be able to keep those numbers? Do I sound too polemic if I say it doesn’t? It’s like covering your head on the sand.

But it’s sexy, it’s measurable and it helps to achieve good numbers at the end of the year. And we all know we love good numbers don’t we?

I agree we all need to shake down things a bit and ensure a company is diverse. Our economy is diverse, people travel and move all over the world more than ever, so why shouldn’t the mix of my company reflect exactly that? And I can tell you know, it’s not just a matter of having women in the leadership or women in general. It’s about diversity in its broad sense of the word. People from different countries, races, religious beliefs (or no belief at all), and different economic backgrounds. A company that manages the right mix will be in a much better place to succeed. As a candidate I would search not for a company that adds some fluffy numbers into the quotas, but a company that has employees that have the values I’m searching for. It’s the interwebs, we can reach this information nowadays.

I’m happy to be born a lady in this case, how cool is that because I’m in the right place at the right time, changes are I will have more chances to be promoted because someone somewhere needs some numbers?

So what about turning the question into: “why don’t we have more women in our company? what can we do to ensure we keep the women we have and we attract more women?” From the top of my head I can think of a few examples such as increasing the paternity leave (there are a few countries that have started to change their policies and they are seeing the results). Allow agile working and support shorter working weeks. There’s no point in saying you offer part time working if people feel they are not recognized and promoted as such, is there?

So please be less ostrich and start acting if you really want to make a change.

Would like to know your thoughts on quotas or any examples you would like to share.