IMAGINE a gender-equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination. A world that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated. Together we can forge women’s equality. Collectively we can all #BreakTheBias.
SunBiz speaks to women corporate leaders in conjunction with International Women’s Day tomorrow on how to #BreakTheBias.
RAJA TEH MAIMUNAH – AmBank Group wholesale banking managing director
How do you manage and minimise bias, stereotypes, and discrimination in the workplace?
I tell my team this all the time that no one person is more important than the next in the whole chain. Sometimes people might think people in the field get paid better or are appreciated more than those guys in the boiler room.
I remind people all the time that this is how I break up my team, we have the hunters, the gatherers, the cook, and the quality control team. Essentially, in my business, I have frontliners, operations, compliance, and risks. Everybody must appreciate the importance of everyone’s role. The guy who goes hunting, whatever she or he brings back needs to be cooked. Before cooking, someone needs to clean and prepare the ingredients for the cook and the people who serve the food to the client.
It is not a cliche that you are as strong as your weakest link. It is the key thing about running an organisation. Therefore, everybody must know that everybody’s job is important to respect one another. There will be mutual commitment, accountability, and responsibility.
Let’s say if the person who prepares the ingredients does not clean it thoroughly. When people eat the cooked food they get sick. People will not visit your shop anymore and you get poor reviews.
I do not have a favourite at any point of the chain, everyone is important to me.
I encourage people to understand their strengths. Some people are better at doing compliance work, some people are better at hunting. So it is not stereotyping in a negative sense, it is embracing our strength. If you ask me to run an operation, I am not quite sure. I am good at sales.
Discrimination is not just gender discrimination, it can be, for instance, the boy’s club and graduates of a particular school are favoured. It all boils down to the fact that we are family and again it is not a cliche It is not like, I come to work and go home to my family. This is your work family. My analogy is we eat from the same rice pot, the same periuk nasi. At the end of the day, we all eat from the same periuk. Your rice and my rice is the same. This is something I always remind my team of. There is no such thing as the boss eating that pot of rice so the clerk will not eat the same pot of rice.
When we pay salary every month, isn’t it from the same pot? If you can think of it that way and understand the analogy and embrace the idiom periuk nasi Asian use.
How to build a diverse workplace that forges inclusive work cultures and values differences?
You have to consciously ensure that your diversity stands for many things. The buzzwords now are “diversity” and “inclusion”. Diversity and inclusivity go hand in hand. Many workplaces are focusing on gender diversity. I am happy that we have in AmBank more than 50% women in the workforce and more than 30% women in the c-suite.
We also look at different things such as places people come from, educational backgrounds, people with special needs, and others. With diversity, you will learn empathy and you learn from a different world from the one that you were raised in.
Inclusive means you believe that we all do our role to contribute to the same pot of rice. That is where the inclusiveness comes in.
The value is you must allow people to bring different things to the table, that is how you value differences. If you want everybody just to listen to you as a leader then you must as well automate everything or do not have any formal engagement. If you hire people as a family of different colours, cultures, and educational backgrounds, then you want to hear what they bring to the table. I am talking about truly listening. Truly listening is not just when it comes to work ideas, I also want to listen to their family backgrounds, their dreams. It is enriching to see different people who do different things to achieve a single goal. It is about promoting individualism while ensuring teamwork. Camaraderie is everything.
What is your advice to people who want to venture into the banking field?
Every industry has its challenges. Banking also has its challenges. It is known as a boy’s club. In Malaysia, we are far more fortunate as culturally we don’t have that kind of hurdles.
We have had two female governors in the central bank. We have had a woman securities chairman. We have had several female CEOs in the banking industry. The banking industry in Malaysia is far more welcoming than some in other markets.
With that, my one piece of advice to women is that do not look at a glass ceiling that does not exist. If you keep believing there is a glass ceiling it will be self-fulfilling. You will believe that some things are impeding you because your journey within the banking industry or any other business in that regard will be one with many potholes and hurdles.
It is not only women who encounter this difficulty, so do men. If you are venturing into the banking industry with an open mind, first and foremost, you must have tenacity, you must be tenacious as you imagine yourself in an ultramarathon. You must have endurance, the banking industry is very wide as there are many disciplines within banking.
When you enter a particular discipline, it may not be the discipline that you end up doing for 25 years. You will have many opportunities to do different things which are very interesting which is why I am still here. There has never been a dull moment.
Second, you also have to be courageous because there are things you never learnrd in school. There are many things you have to pick up along the way. Also, you have to be courageous to try different things that will give you flavours of different things within the industry.
Lastly, you have to be curious; the industry is evolving at breakneck speed. It is constantly being disrupted by non-banks. Our industry is the most disrupted, there are fintech and e-wallet and non-banking people playing within the financial industry space. If you are not courageous enough to see what is going around you then this may not be the industry for you. It is not the kind of industry that will not change or freeze in time for 20 years. If you want to be successful in this industry, you must learn how to disrupt yourself before other people disrupt you.
NIZWANI SHAHAR – chief executive Ogilvy Malaysia
How do you manage and minimise bias, stereotypes, and discrimination in the workplace?
With great effort and strive! One of the challenges is to shift mindset around the subject matter. Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) is neither a trend nor is it is a corporate social responsibility effort – it is a way to do business. It is so important for everyone across all levels to understand this and have that mindset in the workplace. It is the difference to push every individual to make a concerted effort to be more mindful and accepting of our differences.
How to build a diverse workplace that forges inclusive work cultures and values differences?
We can have grand ambitions to be diverse but if there are no policies hardcoded, it will remain an intention. Inclusivity is in the margins and the structures. I am proud to be a part of a network like Ogilvy that has identified DEI as a key pillar for business. We have systems in place in terms of recruitment, interviews, career trajectory and safe spaces to allow for a diverse background of talent to thrive.
Training and more mentoring sessions around unconscious biases are crucial to help everyone – not eliminate, but be aware of their biases which can affect the workplace environment.
A famous quote from David Ogilvy is to always hire bigger and better than ourselves so that we can be a company of giants.
What is your advice to people who want to venture into the communications field?
Know that what we do is neither just a job nor a career. We have a responsibility to shape perception, culture and behaviour. Anyone in marketing, creativity and communications has the power to influence.
So be open to learning and contributing but more importantly, be as excited in the potential to shape the conversation and mindset of consumers, communities and businesses.
YENA SONG – Coway Malaysia digital marketing manager
How do you manage and minimise bias, stereotypes, and discrimination in the workplace?
First of all, I would like to say, I am honoured to be with a company which puts its people first. Coway Malaysia provides a conducive environment for its employees by offering a variety of training modules and cross-departmental interaction opportunities, encouraging employees from different backgrounds and cultures to unite. This creates an avenue for employees to learn from one another – from formal work training to healthy leisure activities.
Coway Malaysia has a large and growing number of female employees in various departments and positions, from business planning and operations to marketing.
As the first foreign female manager in Coway Malaysia, there have been certain encounters where a particular role or task is not usually female-led. However, I have been allowed to break that stigma and rise to the occasion when the situation calls for it.
We believe in a fair and safe workplace which does not tolerate discrimination of any form including workplace harassment, be it physical or verbal. This is thanks to the company’s strict policies against this, with stern action that will be taken against those found guilty.
I think that it is important for all employees to be treated equally, regardless of gender or race, and there should be a platform where employees can speak up about such instances. Hence, it has been my agenda to eradicate unfair treatment, by voicing out if any unwanted situations occur. I listen to employees with an open heart and mind, which reduces any form of judgment. I then provide my neutral thoughts and feedback on the matter, which may give the individual a new perspective, who may have jumped to a conclusion too soon with a biased mind, without realising it.
Employees should be made aware of this – stereotyping, discrimination, harassment and biases – so that they will know how to recognise such behaviours in the workplace and speak up if they are victims, or stop it.
How to build a diverse workplace that forges inclusive work cultures and values differences?
I would say at Coway Malaysia, we are fortunate to be in a unique working environment. We have about 22,000 professionals and 44 specialised departments, which we work closely with daily. Coway believes in providing equal opportunities for all women and is also striving to empower thousands of Malaysian women to have a professional career and stable income.
For instance, from our Cody (Coway Lady) who are Coway’s specialised servicing team, we hear about their experiences and also the satisfaction as a working mom/woman or simply as a Malaysian working in a multinational company. This platform was created by Coway for women, especially mothers and single mothers, to manage their own time with flexible work hours while earning a comfortable salary and striking a balance between work and family. We emphasise inclusivity as the importance and we accept, embrace and respect everyone for who they are. To build a diverse workplace, I believe that the company has to take the first steps in raising awareness amongst its staff and to initiate an understanding of the various cultures, races, genders and so on.
From my experience as a Korean working in Coway Malaysia, my department consists of people from various races and cultures, and they are all valued and evaluated based on their work ethic and capabilities. Having the chance to obtain constructive feedback of ourselves, leads to a better understanding of how each person works. With a deeper understanding, it allows us to create genuine campaigns, demonstrating how we work together as one.
What is your advice to people who want to venture into the home appliance field?
This is a question I look forward to answering each time! The home appliance field is quite an interesting area to explore, as each home appliance created and produced can be the best life solution for you and your family as well.
Just imagine bringing to the table technology that benefits your home and family’s health in the long run. Whether you are just starting or are a seasoned employee, do not be afraid to share your ideas, be involved and have an open mind with a ready-to-learn mindset.
Coway is a platform filled with opportunities to learn and explore, so it is up to you how much experience you would like to gain from this job. The industry is ever-evolving, so ideas and feedback are always welcome, which will open doors of opportunities to contribute to the industry.
From my first-hand experience, this is the main reason for the growing female workforce in Coway, leading to the company’s expansion efforts. Here at Coway, you are not just joining any home appliance company, but you will be welcomed into a family where you will be part of our Cowayian way of life – one where we believe that teamwork, adaptability and doing our best every day can help mark a greater impact in the community.
NORASFAWILAH ABDULLAH – Ninja Van Malaysia head of recovery
How do you manage and minimise bias, stereotypes, and discrimination in the workplace?
People at the management level must have the awareness to identify and stop biases at the workplace and champion gender equality for all, especially females working in a male-dominated industry. At Ninja Van Malaysia, we minimise bias, stereotypes and discrimination by incorporating diversity, equity and inclusion. We are open to different cultures, education and racial backgrounds.
How to build a diverse workplace that forges inclusive work cultures and values differences?
At Ninja Van Malaysia, we are committed to implementing a gender-inclusive workplace, as well as to closing the gender gap. This includes taking in place the gender-neutral recruitment process to incorporate change and diversity. This is the fourth year I am with Ninja Van, I have seen the team practise an open-door policy where employees are to share our opinions regardless of our designation. This is something I find very empowering, especially as a female manager working in a male-dominated industry. Support, acceptance, and safety for all employees is the company’s culture. Today, more than 15% of our female employees are in management and operation teams.
What is your advice to people who want to venture into the logistics field?
Women who work in logistics tend to feel strong and empowered by their career choice. They thrive on the combination of physical exertion, planning, problem-solving, and adaptability in their roles.
LAU KIAT HOON – executive director R&A Commercial Vehicles Sdn Bhd (A member of Sendok Group)
How do you manage and minimise bias, stereotypes, and discrimination in the workplace?
Fortunately, I did not encounter any discrimination, particularly in the automotive industry, as there were not a lot of females in the automotive industry. At that time when I started out in the industry, I was the only woman doing liaison with the government. To create a fair workplace for Sendok Group employees, we provide equal opportunities at work.
How to build a diverse workplace that forges inclusive work cultures and differences is valued?
Respect the cultures and beliefs of different background employees. At the same time, arranging leaves based on their major celebrations locally such as Lunar New Year, Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Deepavali, Hari Gawai etc. However, the work performance of different employees should not be compromised.
What is your advice to people who want to venture into the automotive field?
Always be passionate about what you do and constantly update your knowledge in the industry.
Source: The Sun Daily
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