Christine Parker: and specifically what that means is, I had the skills to do this thing not just generally i'm effective.
Christine Parker: resilience and engagement.
Christine Parker: And occurred to me that this could be extrapolated to any organization workplace or customer base, because in the UK students our customers now have universities.
Christine Parker: And these factors can each be actively managed and supported.
Christine Parker: And if we ask ourselves how am I optimizing each of these I kind of came up with some answers on the next side possible answers and.
Christine Parker: yeah so sense of.
Christine Parker: Belonging will obviously include.
Christine Parker: And how, how do you how do you create an inclusive.
Christine Parker: Environment well one thing one a way to begin to do that is to consider the individuals other belongings.
Christine Parker: The gay community, the.
Christine Parker: ethnic community that all the identity as a sports person or an artist they've got that everyone will come in with their other communities and the more that workplace can look like it's.
Christine Parker: Allowing that and supporting that and even celebrating it then people will feel a sense of belonging.
Christine Parker: A sense of purposes is probably.
Christine Parker: Something you're more familiar with, and in the sense of we we know as employers to value reward and recognize people.
Christine Parker: Self efficacy.
Christine Parker: I think it will obviously the right training, but there's also a lot about both the employee and the employer taking responsibility for.
Christine Parker: Making sure the right person is doing the right thing in the organization don't put somebody who's really good at this in two tasks which they're not very good at i'm going to talk about that a bit more later.
Christine Parker: resilience.
Christine Parker: To support resilience, you need to allow risk taking and.
Christine Parker: and recovery.
Christine Parker: Engagement well that's I feel i'm talking to launch another and talk too much about engagement, but basically it's about matching the individuals micro motivations.
Christine Parker: In assigned tasks, which is very similar to within the sense of self efficacy, so you need to I guess develop a range of strategies and ask for help from those with expertise and those with lived experience of hidden disabilities and there's also the.
Christine Parker: The the scope to align with other support organizations.
Christine Parker: Could I have the next live.
Christine Parker: event.
Christine Parker: And okay neuro diversity, so I was just going to mention this, some people don't like the term where it comes from.
Christine Parker: It were referred to as a range of differences in individual brain function and behavioral traits it was.
Christine Parker: It was first used by Judy Center who has autism and.
Christine Parker: She wanted people to focus on brain differences, rather than deficits and she saw her autism as a normal variation of the brain it the term often includes people who are depending on who is using it, people who don't have a documented diagnosis.
Christine Parker: But some people, as I say, want to keep the idea of disability, where there is a brain.
Christine Parker: variation and differences, because we haven't yet souls and workplaces haven't yet made appropriate adjustments and they're still at a disadvantage so just watch on to my next slide if that's okay event.
Christine Parker: that's just.
I Lopez: Saying hold on just a moment there's a lag.
Christine Parker: Okay i'm.
Christine Parker: back so that was just.
Christine Parker: me I can go.
Christine Parker: We can go on to the next slide that was just referring to the fact that your diversity first meant those four types of.
Christine Parker: Conditions so.
Christine Parker: This just about the end of my part of the presentation, but I just wanted to draw attention to.
Christine Parker: What the history that people with diagnoses come to workplace work.
Christine Parker: For example, this research that i've.
Christine Parker: started at the beginning, where someone is estimated that children with ADHD receive a full 20,000 more negative messages by the age of 10 then children without ADHD this is.
Christine Parker: An astounding statistic, but it will give you some idea of what people are coming into the work is worth.
Christine Parker: it's a bit like we're we're much more familiar now with the micro aggressions faced by.
Christine Parker: Many of our communities.
Christine Parker: So.
Christine Parker: treat everyone in your.
Christine Parker: workplace with respect and kindness because.
Christine Parker: You may not know what they've already been through to get there.
Christine Parker: And it was the in the same research identified that people with ADHD often have higher levels of spontaneity.
Christine Parker: Courage and empathy and they can hyper focus on certain tasks and those with autism pay attention to complex details have good memories and show certain speciality skills.
Christine Parker: And that point i'm pretty sure i'm able to pass over to amanda even maybe one or two more slides, but I would like to pop past Monday at this point and you'll see see why that was the reason.
Christine Parker: You ready mandy.
Mandy Aulak: I am.
Mandy Aulak: Thank you christy.
Mandy Aulak: All I just want to say good afternoon everyone and i'm absolutely delighted to be here today to talk to you about.
Mandy Aulak: An issue that's very close to my heart, both professionally and personally and that's disability in the workplace, now I will.
Mandy Aulak: Just let everyone know I don't use the term neuro diverse I use the term disability and that's probably to do with my background, as a lawyer, because that's the language of the statute so.
Mandy Aulak: Not all neuro diverse conditions were necessarily take the definition of disability, because it depends, how it manifests in that individual.
Mandy Aulak: So just before I sort of launched in i'm just going to give you a little bit of an overview of just what to expect in the next 1015 minutes from me and you may have heard me mentioned at the start, but i'm going to break this out into.
Mandy Aulak: So just first of all i'm just going to just give you a little bit of background about about me and what I do, and I am a lawyer, but don't worry i'm not going to give you a law lecture.
Mandy Aulak: that's not the purpose of this, but I will talk a little bit about the legal framework.
Mandy Aulak: And some of the themes that I have seen in in the workplace and I then want to, because I think the best way of illustrating these things is by case studies.
Mandy Aulak: Because that really brings to life, the law and its application, so I want to.
Mandy Aulak: Do a case study but i'm going to do it in in two parts, so i'm going to first of all, do my first part and then hand over to Gavin and then i'll come back and finish with what I hope will be a nice little surprise for you.
Mandy Aulak: Okay, so so to begin with, so who am I, so, as you all know, i'm a lawyer, but please don't hold that against me.
Mandy Aulak: I have been a practicing lawyer in the UK for about 20 years now, and during that time I had practice exclusively in employment law so i've seen a lot of changes in attitudes of employers trends and themes and that's what I want to focus in on a bit in relation to disability.
Mandy Aulak: I should also add that in the last five to six years I have added another practice area to my to my specialism and that's special education needs and disability within schools.
Mandy Aulak: So I now look at education, but a very specific part of it through to the workplace, and I think they're actually neatly connected, because all of us who are parents, we want our children to do well in education, so that they can go on and be independent and thrive in the workplace.
Mandy Aulak: Sometimes life throws a curveball.
Mandy Aulak: And that's where disability coming, and I will talk about that in relation to the case study later so that's just a little bit about me, so I have this set been practicing for 20 years.
Mandy Aulak: and during that time i've seen quite a lot of changes in in the workplace, now as some Christine mentioned in the UK.
Mandy Aulak: We have the Equality Act, which is a consolidating piece of legislation, so it looks at lots of different protected characteristics and not just disability, but things like sex, race, religion and soul.
Mandy Aulak: Now disability and disability discrimination as a concept has been around with us in the UK for over a quarter of a century in fact it's getting closer to 30 years, and yet it is still one of the areas where, as a lawyer, I see the most disputes the most litigation.
Mandy Aulak: And I want to touch upon why think that might be, but first of all, just a little outline so as Christine said, there is a specific legal definition of disability in the workplace.
Mandy Aulak: And that is a person is disabled if they have a physical or mental impairment, which has an adverse.
Mandy Aulak: and substantial, which means more than trivial long term and long term here means 12 months or more.
Mandy Aulak: adverse effects on a person's ability to carry out day to day activities which day to day activities means normal everyday things like concentrating reading a book.
Mandy Aulak: going for a walk interacting with people and so on, so it's a very specific definition and if a person can take all those elements of that definition, they will then be protected under the Equality Act.
Mandy Aulak: Now I referred to mental impairment so.
Mandy Aulak: Somebody with, for example, autism or somebody with an ADHD diagnosis may well be covered under that definition, but it's not automatic they still have to demonstrate all those elements.
Mandy Aulak: There are certain conditions which are automatically covered that you're deemed disabled and they are things like HIV and cancer.
Mandy Aulak: So that's the that's the definition, so if you are able as an individual to show that you meet that criteria.
Mandy Aulak: You then have the right not to be discriminated against in the workplace, and that means not to be directly discriminated against because of your disability or indirectly through the application of a policy.
Mandy Aulak: or something arising out of your disability you've got the right not to be victimized or harassed and all those concepts employees generally understand, but what makes disability unique and i'm sure that For those of you in other jurisdictions you'll you'll also recognize this is the.
Mandy Aulak: obligation on an employer to make reasonable adjustments which you might know as accommodations now my view of this is that the reason why this.
Mandy Aulak: Is is is a is maybe a bit more problematic for some employees is because it requires you to do something, whereas not to.
Mandy Aulak: discriminate directly or indirectly requires you to refrain from doing something and that's easy, we can all do that, but when we have to do something that requires more effort, and there are lots of factors in play here.
Mandy Aulak: Now, as I said, reasonable adjustments is the area where i'm particularly interested in because that's where I see most of the dispute.
Mandy Aulak: And sometimes I think we get distracted by other things that inform our thinking, and I think we need to strip it back down to basics, because the point of reasonable adjustments or accommodations.
Mandy Aulak: is to level the playing field, people who have a disability are disadvantaged, so the idea of reasonable adjustments is to avoid that disadvantage.
Mandy Aulak: But and therefore level the playing field it's not about showing favoritism and, believe it or not, after 20 years I still see that coming up from an employer who might be a bit reticent about making those adjustments.
Mandy Aulak: And some of those adjustments can really be very simple things.
Mandy Aulak: i'm quite an active user on linkedin anyone that follows me and I did a post a couple of weeks ago just randomly picking out 40 reasonable adjustments.
Mandy Aulak: And that was just 40 of the top of my head, but there is no limit to the amount of reasonable adjustments that that can be done, and they can make such a difference to.
Mandy Aulak: An employee and employer and they can transform that person's experience in the workplace, now I do get a lot of people who have.
Mandy Aulak: It conditions such as ADHD or have another mental health condition.
Mandy Aulak: Who would tick the box or disability and, very often, we will sit there and go through what sort of reasonable adjustments, they can ask for, but they can be simple things such as.
Mandy Aulak: Maybe having a mentor in the workplace or a buddy to shadow if there's a business development opportunity and somebody has difficulty in a social context, it could be rearranging duties, so there is no end to the types of reasonable adjustments that can be made.
Mandy Aulak: Now I think what what I would say is that, in the 20 years i've been practicing I have got reason to be optimistic about disability and the discussions that are happening in the workplace.
Mandy Aulak: And I would certainly say 10 years ago, we did not have the discussions in the workplace, that we have now about mental health conditions there was still very much a stigma around that and I am now seeing things changing we still got a lot of work to do, but the fact that people are.
Mandy Aulak: Talking about it now that there are mental health first aid is.
Mandy Aulak: I think is a good thing, so I think that's reason to be optimistic.
Mandy Aulak: And I think there was also a growing recognition that you know, there are 1 billion people around the world that live with some form of disability that's 15% of the global.
Mandy Aulak: Population so, whether we like it or not, what every single one of us is going to be impacted by disability at some point in our lives.
Mandy Aulak: And that's where I want to bring in the first case study.
Mandy Aulak: And the case study is actually myself, so you may not be aware just looking at me, but I have a disability and I had my first brush with disability, when I was 29.
Mandy Aulak: So prior to that I had gone through my schooling gone to an elite university got a job in a high flying law firm which is currently actually where i'm sitting right now they've allowed me to use their offices, but good wi fi.
Mandy Aulak: And, and I am you know, the world was my oyster and I had ambitions, I was going to be make a partner of the big law firm and and that's where I was going, but when I was 29.
Mandy Aulak: I developed a visual impairment and that halted me in my tracks and you would think as an employment lawyer, that I would have no problems asking my employer to make reasonable justice me.
Mandy Aulak: I didn't have a problem, asking for it, but I suddenly realized how difficult it is to have that conversation and how vulnerable, I felt even though I knew.
Mandy Aulak: The legal framework, my employer new new the legal framework i'm biased people on it having that conversation myself was was was quite difficult.
Mandy Aulak: But I did raise it, but I remember going through a period of anger, you know why me why is this happened to me, what is this going to be mean to me, so I was fearful.
Mandy Aulak: Of scared I was worried what it would mean not only for my career, but my my personal life, how would I cope, I was worried, would I lose my site all these things.
Mandy Aulak: That when you're newly diagnosed with a condition can can feel quite frightening so I was lucky that I worked in a firm.
Mandy Aulak: That allowed me that space so sometimes it's not always about following the law it's about having empathy in the workplace as well and that's something that i'm.
Mandy Aulak: hearing a lot which i'm really encouraged to hear but back in 2006 when I was diagnosed.
Mandy Aulak: These are things that were not being talked about, but I was very fortunate that I had an employer.
Mandy Aulak: That just gave me that space to to process to get my head around it and actually to discuss with me what I need it and things that I needed some of them were really very simple things like.
Mandy Aulak: A humidifier to help me because I have to wear special lenses to help me, be able to manage the day a bigger screen.
Mandy Aulak: lighting to be adjusted so all those sorts of things or helps to.
Mandy Aulak: make my life easier and because they leveled the playing field for me.
Mandy Aulak: I was able to successfully continue with my career for another five years at that firm, I chose to leave for the separate reasons, nothing related to my my disability, but where I wanted to go with my career.
Mandy Aulak: And I got a promotion in that time I trained trainees, I had a very I had a fulfilling career as any other of my colleagues, without a disability.
Mandy Aulak: So the point I want to make is actually if my employer hadn't done that they would have lost an employee that they invested a lot of time and effort in.
Mandy Aulak: And so there are lots of course not just the costs of disputes and management time and not getting it right, but disengagement of employees, when you don't show empathy don't adhere to the legal framework.
Mandy Aulak: and reputation Lee as well, as I said, you know, there is any one of us can be touched with disability, we have an aging population.
Mandy Aulak: And we are going to see more and more disability in the workplace and so having that understanding being able to raise those things and being confident is to have those discussions about disability can transform experience for people.
Mandy Aulak: Now.
Christine Parker: The your your.
Christine Parker: imaging sound is just wavering a bit.
Christine Parker: Okay Thank you so much for sharing that and it probably good the right time to forget to move together and and.
Mandy Aulak: Just it was just what i'm about to do, Christine so.
Mandy Aulak: On that note, I will continue, part two, after gabbing.
Gavin Cooper: Okay, thank you, thank you mandy yeah a little bit about me i'm an author script writer and use my writing to raise awareness of mental health and and also director of mental health charity adoption mind.
Gavin Cooper: Animal background and lecturing and marketing as well, but what I want to really talk about, and now I went too long with it, and is it builds a little bit on what the great discussion they had in the film industry and disabilities section.
Gavin Cooper: And with Rainer amanda Lewis and Maria, which is about celebrating people with mental health conditions in the workplace, so i'll just share with you a little piece of written called anything to declare so people sometimes ask me do I declare my mental health condition at job and.
Gavin Cooper: And and and i've got a lot of lift experience i've struggled with mental health problems for most of my adult life.
Gavin Cooper: And with a diagnosis of complex post traumatic stress disorder emotional instability disorder and mixed personality disorder.
Gavin Cooper: symptoms of which will include mood swings impulsivity self destructive behavior self harm dissociation which is feeling everything's not real and problems with drugs, alcohol and gambling so probably not the ideal response to tell us a bit about yourself, Mr Cooper.
Gavin Cooper: And however.
Gavin Cooper: The intensity and irrationality that comes from the symptom is equally matched by creativity resilience and empathy for other.
Gavin Cooper: People with personality disorders can possess and what we call an overactive limbic system, which is the emotional Center of the brain, and so this can actually make life, sometimes feel like being stuck on a roller coaster with no break.
Gavin Cooper: And and, of course, this can be unpleasant.
Gavin Cooper: But it's this hypersensitivity to us surrounding that gives us the ability to find interesting perspectives and an enhanced imaginative capacity that can be released into our creative endeavors.
Gavin Cooper: So living through trauma battling addiction and experiencing intense internal and external turmoil.
Gavin Cooper: enables us to have essentially a greater insight for others in similar situations.
Gavin Cooper: And so what i'm saying really is our creative abilities are not, in spite of our mental health.
Gavin Cooper: conditions they are because of them.
Gavin Cooper: So when I was recently interviewed for a script writing Commission on the upcoming film on the borderline.
Gavin Cooper: which aims.
Gavin Cooper: To show the realities of living with borderline personality disorder.
Gavin Cooper: I didn't just declare my mental health.
Gavin Cooper: I emphasized, it is it quickly meme and the qualities that have made me the ideal candidate for the job.
Gavin Cooper: And so.
Gavin Cooper: We need to move beyond include.
Gavin Cooper: To celebrating people with mental health conditions.
Gavin Cooper: in the workplace and, yes, we are different but it's these differences, they give us the lived experience and creative skillset that cannot be learned in any classroom.
Gavin Cooper: And just build on that for some.
Gavin Cooper: I did, I was calling that you may have what I was calling hidden assets within your organization's and but it quite like the script writer and me quite like the invisible superpowers, that the film industry group is just saying.
Gavin Cooper: Give me some examples.
Gavin Cooper: There are hidden quality skills and talents that can make these people valuable assets to your organization so.
Gavin Cooper: People with OCD, for example, are often very attentive and have a great attention to detail.
Gavin Cooper: This level of perfectionism makes them effective, for example, brainstorming ideas meeting deadlines and completing tasks with their best work so.
Gavin Cooper: That is an anxiety disorder obsessive compulsive disorder can be very effective at those things, I think, Christine mentioned ADHD and they can often possess exceptionally.
Gavin Cooper: Creative and versatile personalities.
Gavin Cooper: And their hyperactive minds are almost always busy discovering amazing and exciting ideas and this gives them within a business, the ability to think outside the box astounding problem solving skills and endless amounts of energy and one more on ppd which is really my specialist area.
Gavin Cooper: and studies have shown that silly them by Cambridge University showed it with bb D or borderline personality disorder of an inch increase sensory capacity.
Gavin Cooper: And an enhanced ability to read facial expressions and interpret mental states.
Gavin Cooper: So I would have thought that would be a particularly useful asset to have in your business negotiations.
Gavin Cooper: and sales teams.
Gavin Cooper: And, just to be on the autism before I pass back to.
Gavin Cooper: To Monday, and so I think Christine mentioned, they can protest distinctive thought processes and imaginations and are able to find innovative solutions to problems.
Gavin Cooper: excellent analytical and observational skills and ability to main focus and concentrate free from distractions as mentioned earlier in the previous session, they often don't judge another natural empathy and they often develop it and get numeric expertise.
Gavin Cooper: and have an extraordinary ability to absorb and retain facts all useful to businesses, our thoughts so just to illustrate this just to finish off just pass back to Monday for case study bought to.
Mandy Aulak: Thank you Gavin and so just to the last few minutes um I want to touch on case study number number two or part two, to my earlier one, so I talked about my own visual impairment and That was my first brush with disability.
Mandy Aulak: But back in 2016 I had my second brush with disability and that concerned, my son.
Mandy Aulak: He was two years old, and he stopped talking and that was the signs to me that he may have an autism spectrum condition.
Mandy Aulak: was subsequently diagnosed and when he started school, he was nonverbal he was still in that piece, he was had no attention, and I was really concerned about how he was going to be educated in school and that's what led me into my second practice area.
Mandy Aulak: Now I did try and fight for the right intervention, the right support the right provision for my son is what i'd like to share with you now is a video of my son, who is age nine now now i'm hoping, this will work, so please bear with me for technical.
Mandy Aulak: Issues.
I Lopez: Due to look like just to take over.
Mandy Aulak: might be good idea.
Christine Parker: I think we have it too soon.
I Lopez: Can you able to see.
I Lopez: play the sound no.
Mandy Aulak: No it's not showing.
Christine Parker: It sounds.
I Lopez: Okay.
I Lopez: let's try one other way.
I Lopez: Give me a second.
Christine Parker: Just while that's happening.
Christine Parker: i'll just say we probably not gonna have time for questions, but if someone's burning.
Christine Parker: they're just not.
Right, can you tell me what was the fifth of November 1981 day what was the eighth of April 1975 oh us eighth of April 1974 was a killer day.
Fourth, of March and 1981.
Fourth, of March 1981.
was a Wednesday and all right and sixth of March 1951.
Okay September 1946 was fifth of Sep tember 1946.
It was well so.
Mandy Aulak: Thank you for that.
Mandy Aulak: So, as I mentioned that was my son that was taken a couple of weeks ago, is now nine.
Mandy Aulak: And he we discovered him as a calendar savant now a lot of people do ask me, you know what's your son's specially skill and I said Well he hasn't got one you know.
Mandy Aulak: He is he's autistic not every autistic person has this skill, but we discovered he he actually does have this special skill.
Mandy Aulak: And you know when you think that, three years ago, this child was nonverbal so just shows you that, with the right support.
Mandy Aulak: People can flourish you've got disabilities and the same applies to the workforce give people the tools to be able to show what they're made up.
Mandy Aulak: and the results will be amazing and my son is amazing me, and this is just scratching the surface he's nine years old now when he's an adult who knows what he can do he's obviously got an interest in numbers and patterns.
Mandy Aulak: And, and you know i'm not that i'm targeting for a job now for him, but you know he.
Mandy Aulak: Already Monday.
Mandy Aulak: You can email.
Christine Parker: The one just messaged I want to have mandy.
Christine Parker: mandy and I, on the screen, because we are actually virtually out of time.
Christine Parker: Oh.
Christine Parker: Thank you so much, they may need to hi mandy, how do we get in touch mandy if you'd like to share your contacts.
Mandy Aulak: yeah I am.
Mandy Aulak: i'm happy to do so i'm not sure the best way of doing that is probably needed that guidance on that.
Christine Parker: you're.
I Lopez: Somewhere yeah I was gonna say we can drop it into the.
Mandy Aulak: chat Thank you.
Christine Parker: Yes, and as as mandy said she is in a she's on linkedin and very active on there, so you should be able to find.
Christine Parker: So mandy, thank you for sharing your wonderful stories also Gavin and we hope we really don't have time for questions now, we have one minute left, so I hope that what we've discussed is useful to you, and that has you had some different insights into thinking about this, but.
Christine Parker: i'm sure we've we've really enjoyed meeting each other, and thank you again for bringing us.
Christine Parker: And all the best for the rest of the conference.
Gavin Cooper: yeah Thank you very much for the opportunity.
Gavin Cooper: To speak.
Gavin Cooper: The rest of the day goes well.
Nadine Vogel: I just want to go ahead mandy.
Mandy Aulak: I just like to echo the same and say thank you very much, I could have spoken all day about this topic.
Mandy Aulak: about some of the things that I would like to say about reasonable adjustments, but if you would like to have a chat and I know that might my contact details i'm happy to have a chat about this.
Nadine Vogel: yeah you guys were amazing I you know it, it, we need more people to elevate the conversation about mental health.
Nadine Vogel: And and and normalizing it mainstreaming it whatever we you know, whatever we want to call it, but to get rid of the stigma.
Nadine Vogel: And to understand it like you know mandy for your son, I mean that that's a superpower, I think, someone said they wanted to hire him I suspect they'll have job offers like immediately i'm.
Nadine Vogel: Never too young right.
Mandy Aulak: never see.
Nadine Vogel: The family income have to thank you all again very, very much and that I think i'm turning back over to you.
I Lopez: Thanks so much thank you, Christine can thank you mandy and thank you Gavin and a huge Thank you to sworn.
Which is nice.
I Lopez: So that is his name if you want to hire him.
I Lopez: Thank you again, so we are going to move into our next panel.
I Lopez: Let me just get a second, so I can do my thing.
I Lopez: And this is actually the resources for the Christine mandy and Gavin panel, in case you just like to take some notes i'll leave that here for a second as I start to introduce the workplace panel so to the stage, once again, I see her face chief dni officer for birla group totally.
I Lopez: Wrong Hello.
Talita Erickson (she/her): Hello again.
I Lopez: coming up with her is Vice President, international area management at being why melon phil Canale.
I Lopez: And joining them as regional head transaction banking for Europe and America at standard chartered bank Karen Florence back and also joining them is diversity officer and people care for Finn domestic Banca see Mona people join us thank you.
I Lopez: All right.
Everyone.
I Lopez: Yes.
I Lopez: All right.
yours.
Talita Erickson (she/her): Thank you hi Karen see Mona and phil.
Talita Erickson (she/her): joining me today so as evangelists mentioning until later Ramos erickson and i'm global chief data officer for buddy law.
Talita Erickson (she/her): And i'm very proud to be here today, very honored, not just because but Isla is the host of this of this conference, together with springboard.
Talita Erickson (she/her): but also because i'm here, sharing the stage with three wonderful panelists.
Talita Erickson (she/her): Those organizations are being rewarded for the work that they do in the space of disabilities inclusion so thanks to you for being here and, thanks to your organization's for caring.
Talita Erickson (she/her): In doing the the hard work to to include everyone so before we get started, I know that already mentioned your names and titles and the organization's you're working for.
Talita Erickson (she/her): But I wanted to take two three minutes from each of you elect to speak a little bit about yourselves and, in particular, if you if you have any reason to be.
Talita Erickson (she/her): particularly interested or passionate about disabilities inclusion anything that you can share here with with the audience would be great so i'm going to start with phil.
Phil Canale: hi Good afternoon, thank you and it's absolute honor and a pleasure to be here this afternoon, representing being my mother as.
Phil Canale: As always, introduced phil konami I work in international area management, I am also the global co chair for being my madness disability and diverse abilities network which is called heart.
Phil Canale: My specific preference for supporting heart goes back, I mean all my life my mother was disabled.
Phil Canale: And she recently passed away, but she spent the vast majority of our life battling rheumatoid arthritis and, more recently, heart disease and on a personal level, I have you know dealt with and addressed.
Phil Canale: You know my own mental health challenges which gave me a really helpful and empathetic insight into how difficult.
Phil Canale: Mental health can be in the stigma attached and obviously I was listening to the previous conversation and.
Phil Canale: And a lot of the work that we're doing around it's about removing that stigma around mental health but around disabilities both visible and invisible so that's a little bit about me.
Talita Erickson (she/her): Thank you fail, let me go to Karen.
Karin Flinspach: hi good afternoon or good morning depending where you are and.
Karin Flinspach: My name is Karen and I worked for some chartered bank I represent, representing here on the chartered as the co Chair of the diversity and inclusion Council in Europe and.
Karin Flinspach: I leave all my business function on the side because it's here just about diversity inclusion particular disability and it's under charted.
Karin Flinspach: You know the diversity inclusion Council that sponsored by the CEO on a global level, and we have different colors diversity.
Karin Flinspach: Diversity inclusion disability is one important one and in Europe, in particular, this has been really.
Karin Flinspach: This has been driven by passion bow and he is for the support of the diversity Council under business managers.
Karin Flinspach: And I think this is something we will talk about today as think this is not just the pod for HR or employees, this is really something that managers.
Karin Flinspach: management should get involved in and i'm really proud to say that we do, and that you know, we want to raise awareness, but we're also doing a hell of a lot to make the life for any disability, a little bit more comfortable and inclusive I hope so we'll talk about that.
Talita Erickson (she/her): Thank you Karen semana.
Simona Piva: My name is Simone akiva I work in domestic domestic ease counselor bank or credit company on that BNP paribas I working Flores but I even below and yeah in HR department that anywhere, I am a diversity and inclusion and people care officer since 2018 that I am a part.
Simona Piva: of diversity inclusion for a tally of an international community, led by Paris, which is to share experiences best practice difficulties project that it is a very important time to deal with a colleague so leaving social, cultural contest a different form for mine.
Simona Piva: provide the summary to value I E mini.
Simona Piva: defend this topics on diversity inclusion agenda Defense is a sexual activity Asian a in general on linkedin integration that disability and inclusive language, and I am very happy to share with us today.
Simona Piva: My experience.
Talita Erickson (she/her): Thank you, thank you Simone I think so to all three of you for your willingness to to share your stories and the stories of your organizations here on this panel.
Talita Erickson (she/her): I am very passionate about the topic of disabilities as well, one because, as a as chief dni officer for for an organization like buddy.
Talita Erickson (she/her): I get to spend a lot of time with our employees our managers or leaders working not only to figure out how to.
Talita Erickson (she/her): How to include everybody, including people with disabilities but also like I get to spend a lot of time with our employees from our employee resource group disability.
Talita Erickson (she/her): And just listening to their stories and the challenges and the fear of the in the specially the cultural context and in which you're having these conversations so i'm from Brazil, I lived in the US for a while and now i'm in Italy and each place has a different way of.
Talita Erickson (she/her): Thinking about things or framing things speaking about things related to disability and on a personal level, you know both my parents.
Talita Erickson (she/her): had my dad passed away, but he had a pretty severe disability and physical disability and i've had multiple family members who have invisible disabilities.
Talita Erickson (she/her): And so it's a very personal topic to me to just to see how you know how things play out in their minds of why they don't want to share with people why they don't want to be upfront about it.
Talita Erickson (she/her): So it's something that i'm always thinking about all the wonderful things they can do, and that they shouldn't be afraid or scared to share who they are, but they are, and so to me as a making your workplace.
Talita Erickson (she/her): in any way a place where people can be open about themselves is something that i'm extremely passionate about from a business and from a personal point of view.
Talita Erickson (she/her): So let's talk about you know workplace, so this morning I moderated a panel, it was about workforce, which is a lot about the numbers kpis.
Talita Erickson (she/her): recruiting, how do we keep track of things when it comes to disabilities and this afternoon, we talked about the, the other side of it, which is workplace, which is all about culture.
Talita Erickson (she/her): So how do we create the type of environment where people feel included when they feel that they belong, or they feel they don't have anything to hide and.
Talita Erickson (she/her): Where they asked for help and support when they need it, so this is the the topic of this panel and i'm going to start by asking a very important question because.
Talita Erickson (she/her): Culture is very much shaped by leadership there's a lot of things that you can grassroots.
Talita Erickson (she/her): You can have grassroots movements in in organizations, but culture really needs leadership, commitment to to take place to thrive.
Talita Erickson (she/her): So my question for all the panelists will be how do you get your leaders in your organization to show that they are committed to disabilities inclusion diversity and inclusion in general and disabilities inclusion so i'm going to start with phil on this one.
Phil Canale: Thank you so um I think there are two aspects to this an external commitment to disability inclusion and an internal commitment to disability inclusion.
Phil Canale: And and speaking on behalf of being my melon we've signed up to that the two external commitments to disability inclusion.
Phil Canale: Which put us out on that as as visible but internally employees care they care about what their leaders say but, more importantly, they care about what their leaders do and and it's about the actions that that model, the words.
Phil Canale: So.
Phil Canale: Externally, were signed up for the valuable 500 into the we're structured such that, from the CEO down.
Phil Canale: disability and and in its many guises visible invisible whether it's mental health neuro diversity Chronicle health physical disability.
Phil Canale: Are all and caring for others are all parts of the conversation we have an executive sponsor.
Phil Canale: Who is on the BMI melon Executive Board and and he represents how diversity and inclusion interests as an event an employee and business resource group.
Phil Canale: But it's not just about having him as a sponsor it's about engaging him, including him helping him to understand what we need from him and then getting him to take action to amplify the work that we do.
Phil Canale: Simply having a figurehead, because they're a senior person won't work and it's about engaging that person directly working with them, sometimes educating them.
Phil Canale: Sometimes not and and and really helping them to understand what is your strategy, and how can they contribute to it and support you and amplify the message you're trying to generate.
Phil Canale: So I go right back to my first statement it's about sort of walking the talk rather than talking the talk.
Phil Canale: And I appreciate that it's not always an easy job job so it has to start from within the organization, culturally and i'm fortunate that BMI melon that we have within our.
Phil Canale: Values strengthen diversity as one of our core values and so it's at the core of what we're about.
Phil Canale: And we're passionate about diversity equity and inclusion as i'm sure my fellow panelists are you know, welcome to hear from them as well, in terms of their experience of leadership bye.
Talita Erickson (she/her): Thank you, thank you phil and before we go to the other panelists you know you mentioned the the internal support, and the fact that you have.
Talita Erickson (she/her): lots of people internally, who are helping you and I do have queued up a video to that you shared with me that that has a few of your employees talking about their experiences can you see my screen.
Okay.
Talita Erickson (she/her): Okay, let me know if you can.
Talita Erickson (she/her): Second, is buffering.
Talita Erickson (she/her): Could you hear it phil.
No.
Talita Erickson (she/her): i'm sorry you don't hear it.
Phil Canale: No, no.
Talita Erickson (she/her): No, is that it needs some help.
I Lopez: Okay.
I Lopez: i'm good it's gonna be a little difficult I do, I have this file I don't think I have this file.
Talita Erickson (she/her): I just don't yeah I just don't understand why you wouldn't have the the sound.
I Lopez: No, no worries just send me the link send me the link and i'll pick it up on the sun.
Talita Erickson (she/her): Okay.
Talita Erickson (she/her): And then we'll show it.
Talita Erickson (she/her): We can come back now we'll show it yeah no it's Okay, but it will come back at the event already has the link and I will come back at the end Karen.
Talita Erickson (she/her): How you.
Talita Erickson (she/her): get your leaders to show commitment.
Karin Flinspach: I don't want to repeat a lot of a pillar is that because it's not all that much different it's under charging, but I think you know that the senior sponsorship is important, but then.
Karin Flinspach: It is really on all the business leader and an entire management to to sponsor the efforts of each of the diversity pillars of one of which disability is one and having that sponsorship within the business.
Karin Flinspach: And not just sponsorship, but being participating in in the activities and you know we have a lot of events that have a lot of storytelling you were just about to show video we have.
Karin Flinspach: made a video recently as well, it opens the mind and the understanding and breaks the stigma around disability and I think the more people manager senior management is involved, the more.
Karin Flinspach: Understanding is translating to the organization and, on top of that.
Karin Flinspach: You know our employees resource group around disability is super passionate so they come up with events they come up with.
Karin Flinspach: ideas, and I have to say that you know I will talk a little bit later, a little bit of extra examples, but just the fact that.
Karin Flinspach: You know, we we have so much commitment across the Bank, you know, for example, last year we ran the experiment in France, where a number of people signed up to.
Karin Flinspach: Do an experiment, and that means they they they committed to go to work in the sense of a physically disabled person and checking what obstacles they would actually find.
Karin Flinspach: Across the way and discussing this and just this I open within people who have to deal with this everyday things like that will just share, you know experiences will bring.
Karin Flinspach: A common understanding empathy and also a mindset that that says, you know we can do this together, we can make our life to get a better and break the bias, or the stigma off of disability be physical or any other invisible disability.
Talita Erickson (she/her): Thank you, thank you Karen similar.
Talita Erickson (she/her): How do you get your leaders to show commitment.
Simona Piva: Okay, is it is not cheese.
Simona Piva: Which direct involvement events and meetings in more.
Simona Piva: meetings you board committee a ranking, for example, we have to assess companies, the best practice, we need to work harder to change the character and.
Simona Piva: Consider disability as a bad, not as an upstate color we work a lot on stereotypes and prejudices and we create depth.
Simona Piva: At the beginning of last year, a path for managers dedicated to disability, with the three main topics.
Simona Piva: Why companies safe to deal with disability stereotypes and prejudices about disability, how to recognize them to face them and the other account they're visible in the invisible disabilities, so why do invisible disability secrete more mistress.
Talita Erickson (she/her): yeah that I think you know, we had these conversations early in the in our diversity and inclusion journey but Isla.
Talita Erickson (she/her): We have some some very remarkable external advisors and we asked them, you know about how do we get people to show commitment, because we have a dni survey.
Talita Erickson (she/her): And we asked our employees if they feel that our leadership is committed, and we keep track of that.
Talita Erickson (she/her): And one of the things that they told us to do was to make sure that we create lots of opportunities for leaders to talk about it and to be visible talking about it.
Talita Erickson (she/her): And then the other thing they said is that leaders will be good at the the the leading things they're good at.
Talita Erickson (she/her): So you need to get them good at talking about his abilities and, sometimes, making them, you know, a pub putting them on the spotlight.
Talita Erickson (she/her): It requires them to do their homework to learn about it to get comfortable making mistakes, not knowing what to say and and all that helps we know what the Community and peace because employees need to see leaders talking about it.
Talita Erickson (she/her): Sometimes the schools and there's their personal situations and talking role modeling that the the type of disclosure that they they want their employees to do.
Talita Erickson (she/her): So there's a lot and and i'm, and that is a good segue to to the next comment question.
Talita Erickson (she/her): Which is what kinds of trainings event, what do you do in terms of you know, the visuals in your facilities, what does your organization do to promote a culture of inclusion and a few of you already talked about storytelling So if you have any any specific.
Talita Erickson (she/her): topic around storytelling and how to build the storytelling to in those events trainings and visuals to make sure that you're promoting this type of a culture of inclusion and for this one, we are going to start with, who did a half years so.
Simona Piva: We can start with the movie do.
Talita Erickson (she/her): You have any and with your video I have it here and your video is not a link, so I will try to play it, but if it doesn't work i'll pause it because I don't know why the previous one, it wasn't showing the.
I Lopez: leader, you should be a second tab and at the bottom of the tab there should be a share computer audio little it's a little check off.
Talita Erickson (she/her): Okay we'll try it.
Talita Erickson (she/her): Okay.
And I can tell me a story.
Talita Erickson (she/her): So Monica can you hear it.
I Lopez: Yes, yes.
Talita Erickson (she/her): Perfect okay yeah Thank you there we go continue our story.
says no time to maintain a difficult candice okay CB.
CB known as.
Talita Erickson (she/her): yo yo yo can you.
Please.
Mina.
Mina felicia.
equity research.
design.
Can.
Be.
domination.
Solomon DVD re enter the visa the Christopher so.
we'd have a.
great job.
of our business.
You ever been.
To keep.
In.
mind this.
stuff rather.
sense.
throw a cool.
moment.
weather.
Today we're talking about.
The joy.
The money.
Talita Erickson (she/her): Thank you so much for sharing this beautiful beautiful initiative.
Simona Piva: And masha Allah.
Simona Piva: He started the fear you know small theater in Florence, a.
Simona Piva: Competitive retail capacity of people with.
Simona Piva: psychology psychology disabilities.
Simona Piva: Down syndrome a or what Sir, and this magical place as a become our our place where we celebrate our diversity inclusion, now we can and all the main important.
Simona Piva: set in our first week of diversity, inclusion in 2017 we have.
Simona Piva: As our special guests guessing one authority and then Sir writer painter born without House a single now telling us.
Simona Piva: or a story and left us and import from the lesson so often I I again due to choice or cry because I born unless Sir or a user to use a my.
Simona Piva: My my my legs and my in my head and with the.
Simona Piva: Help of my parents fantastic your parents I realized that the old mine.
Simona Piva: And then I can say that I am at the persona what also me is to meet the perplexity the gaze of people who do not understand the why I am always smiling get what does.
Simona Piva: The little girl, and why you should smiling, as she tours fasting the video we just saw and hours longer than I realized that that together with colleagues from a friend fails to Spain to Romania and the Czech Republic is no need for what I can do not what I can do.
Simona Piva: It is a very, very strong message for us so.
Talita Erickson (she/her): it's beautiful and then the video, you can see that he used this not just as a let's say a show it's something that is integrated with your with your teams with your people.
Talita Erickson (she/her): With the learning and development opportunity, not just an event, where you go and you say Okay, you know, and then you leave right.
Talita Erickson (she/her): beautiful, then let me go to to Karen so tell me a little bit about what kinds of events trainees, what do you do in your facilities to to promote this type of culture.
Karin Flinspach: Sure we're under unfortunately a conscious so so such a beautiful video but we're doing a lot of different things right, so, for example, we launched.
Karin Flinspach: A E learning for all employees, and this is 85,000 in the bank and which is called been be all included, and it does promote diversity, inclusion and shows people how they can learn strategies to my in my minimize bias.
Karin Flinspach: Create inclusive behaviors and environment and to practice techniques that challenges bias assumptions and stereotypes and there's lots of role plays in there as well.
Karin Flinspach: And how we can make a difference and I think it's very important because D and I, and this includes again disability it's it's it's both.
Karin Flinspach: You know, a culture that we want to live, but it also attracts talent and you know a lot of our talent when they hear about our efforts.
Karin Flinspach: You know, they want to come and work with us and you know this is also true for disability and we have now, you know, for example, engaged with an agency.
Karin Flinspach: Recruitment agency or to come and well then, between a it consultancy recruitment agency for us and did that promote exclusively autistic adults as it consultants and.
Karin Flinspach: And this opens again and just to give one example, and an ally for diversity in a different way to to to to open the talent pool and be more inclusive, we have also worked for example with.
Karin Flinspach: purple and the CEO of purple Mike Adams and we mark consistently, the International Day of disabled persons and in the last year, we did, for example, on the day and night up.
Karin Flinspach: With all the different branches and offices, on the day in the color purple and that clear generated a curiosity a discussion point again between employees, but also.
Karin Flinspach: You know generally staff managers and things like that can you know can improve make people more inclusive can people make raise awareness and promote.
Karin Flinspach: disability and has a discussion around disabilities and stereotypes and I hope you know that these three examples just give you a little bit of an insight what we do on a continuous basis to raise the awareness and promote it.
Talita Erickson (she/her): love it Thank you so much for sharing till.
Phil Canale: I see, I mean rocky all of the above and that's very similar to what what we're doing what I would say is it's not just about what you're doing it's about why you're doing it.
Phil Canale: We know that the vast majority of disabilities are invisible and and you don't see it and, and for that people get judged.
Phil Canale: And that's a very challenging thing and also people struggle, because they're retaining and containing a secret that I don't feel comfortable disclosing.
Phil Canale: Whether that's a physical disability, whether that's mental health, whether that is caring for somebody outside of work, you know when.
Phil Canale: An employee leaves work at four o'clock everybody looks at their watch and goes for where are they going.
Phil Canale: They don't know that that person is addressing and dealing with perhaps caring for you know, an infirm elderly parent or you know, a child who requires constant care.
Phil Canale: So so it's, why are we doing it and how do we encourage our employees to walk through the front door of our organizations and not carry that baggage secretly.
Phil Canale: to feel comfortable to disclose how they feel or a disability, that they are carrying or caring for and and all of these examples are great examples of how you create that culture of openness in an organization, but.
Phil Canale: We keep repeating it storytelling is at the heart of this if you hear Somebody tell that story it's that me to moment okay and we've had the me to movement, and it was one person, and this was in a different environment, obviously, but.
Phil Canale: With one person speaking up and then somebody else want me to, and then another person might me too.
Phil Canale: And and that's how you generate that snowball effect when people feel comfortable that one person takes that first person.
Phil Canale: steps up speaks up then everybody else goes okay it's a safe environment, I can I can do this, and for us, one of our me to moments was actually creating the film I don't forget to get a chance to see it or not, but if not, then we can share.
Talita Erickson (she/her): It now.
Phil Canale: Okay well look.
Phil Canale: i'd love to go to the film because that was us sharing with our global but you know our employees, these are the different things that your colleagues are dealing with and you're not the only ones so maybe we can move on the show.
Talita Erickson (she/her): Now so i'll share it now, and I am I would also add, you know when I think about some of the work that we we we try to do it, but really.
Talita Erickson (she/her): I think the having employees how comfortable feeling safe, as you said, to share their stories that is extremely powerful because it's.
Talita Erickson (she/her): it's it's signaling that the environment is is safe and the more people do that, and the more you can see people who are doing that be successful in the organization, the more people get comfortable that there is not going to be.
Talita Erickson (she/her): let's say a penalty in terms of career, or what what the the company or your organization things somebody can do, based on the disclosure, so I think that is you know, having employees who are willing to share is a is you're very lucky to have them.
Talita Erickson (she/her): And it's a it's it's remarkable that they have the courage and to just speak about some of these very sensitive topics so openly so with that i'm going to move to to the video phil, would you please let me know if you can hear it now my resume mala mala here yeah perfect okay yeah.
i'm stuck Coleman my name is Robin tamba.
hobbies are really spooky spotter really do love football, I really enjoy photography.
outside of work, I enjoy playing tennis and spending more time with my 13 year old son, we have a very large family I five sons and with that goes a number of grandchildren mixture of travel fashion people portrait photography family plays a really big part in our launch.
22 years ago my son who's now full he was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia I started suffering with depression, anxiety, probably as a teenager.
I years ago I was diagnosed with a condition called soldering go my idea i've had 10 operations, since then, the last one was in May 2014 which unfortunately was the straw that broke the camel's back and I ended up in the wheelchair.
At my worst point I felt like I couldn't function at all I didn't understand why I was alive I didn't.
understand the point of me of my existence and.
If I wasn't had maybe it would have been easier.
My wife myself and we've been married 45 years or actually he's curious be more supportive me in I think the best way allowing me to talk about it, like, I am now.
Then more media managers were fantastic they were kind of baked we got everything that we needed law if I needed to work was given laptops.
By our world I helped me arrange obviously traveling in and out of work.
Anything that I basically needed to carry on my job by worth 100% behind me.
and very supportive and they kind of said how courageous, it is for me to come out and talk about it, there is a listening and not show time because you have to show them your store from the outside, is a good thing, because it's.
A good way to get the audit the message out, but what you see is not necessarily what you get from people there might be people out there that.
You look at as being there's no problem with them, but you never know what's going on behind closed doors turns people on staff members not not to.
go into their Shell, because by doing that you're actually creating the stigma needs to be open, need to be honest and.
You need to speak to people, I think the campaign's fundamental for people to understand what other people are going through, to help people who are struggling in silence, give them the confidence to speak up.
To ask for help before it gets really, really bad.
i'm really excited to be having my first baby meet you in a few months.
nervous as well, and I think has as any parent would be, I just wanted to teach my child.
Everything to look after themselves and to maintain being healthy mentally and physically.
Talita Erickson (she/her): This is wonderful fail.
Phil Canale: yeah it was it was um it was I mean we've done six and six films in total three of them on the website.
Phil Canale: And what it fact what we found is that people are happy to disclose when they see the film and they'll come forward and then you posted on the internal social media and then all the comments flow underneath and people say oh.
Phil Canale: I didn't know and suddenly you're connecting people are connected to people today, both of them one of his sister has a particular condition and a colleague who has the same conditions that you don't know each other, but you need to talk it's brilliant you know.
Talita Erickson (she/her): Absolutely, and we actually had a question on on chat asking how did your company started this initiative and if it took a lot of convincing to let people put employees on the spotlight like this.
Phil Canale: So, interestingly, when we spoke about this last week two liter my my advice on this would be to seek forgiveness don't ask permission be brave go for it.
Phil Canale: When you provide a very, very compelling product like that it's very hard to say no, the only people that are like to say no, probably the lawyers.
Phil Canale: Rather, ironically, because there are in certain jurisdictions laws around self disclosure the you need to be very careful of and i'm thinking in us in particular.
Phil Canale: But um go for it be brave step board and go for it started that storytelling and you don't need to jump in with films, the disclosure can be something like a blog post or a two way conversation of panel discussion a fireside chat anything like that that's what I would suggest.
Talita Erickson (she/her): Thank you, and again, congratulations on having pretty amazing and brave employees who are willing to to lead the way, so other people feel safe and feel comfortable sharing as well.
Talita Erickson (she/her): With that i'm going to go to another question which is, if you have any advice lessons learns.
Talita Erickson (she/her): From from successes or mistakes any resources, anything that you can share with the audience again around building inclusive workplaces building a culture where people feel that is safe, that is okay to be different when it's okay to.
Talita Erickson (she/her): To need what Dean, and I were talking earlier today meeting productivity tools or reasonable accommodation or job AIDS, however, you want to call it, making people feel that that is OK now so with that one i'm going to start with Karen.
Karin Flinspach: yeah I think you know we talked about what you have them already, but I think again with the storytelling opening up and sharing stories and not just about yourself, and we have run a similar video which I didn't bring and i'm reading it now, but.
Karin Flinspach: This is me right and it's about five colleagues who have disclose their stories around mental health in particular and.
Karin Flinspach: You know, again it's not just about sharing the stories, but these five colleagues also one hour do the right thing award which is handed out by Chairman which promoted again the same throughout the company and and not.
Karin Flinspach: received a lot of applause and and so on, so I think you know, having that incentive system as well they'll just to do to.
Karin Flinspach: Do to share the story and be brave, but also being recognized that is really breaking your buyers and helping other people is wonderful, I think.
Karin Flinspach: I think changing slightly to topic, you know another thing we did, and I think it's important we completed, for example, a disability confident assessment.
Karin Flinspach: And you know, this is really going through from a property configuration perspective, and we were supported by our property colleague, what we can do to change things to to cater for.
Karin Flinspach: Employees with different disabilities right and this this some some some really hard.
Karin Flinspach: Adjustments right like workplace like desk cage and door.
Karin Flinspach: You know system that we have in the company, but also.
Karin Flinspach: softer adjustments right around more flexibility, which we have introduced now you know in all shapes or forms, you know to to to to help it medical appointments or with with.
Karin Flinspach: responsibilities that are more the softer side, but I think the the message that comes across all of that and.
Karin Flinspach: You know, and also by I mentioned the recruitment agencies is that you know we here and we can make it happen, and I think.
Karin Flinspach: This is, this is really important, and you know, everybody is important so it's it's great and, lastly, I think what big companies also can do, like us, and you know both.
Karin Flinspach: In our melon certainly the same is, we can bring this out, also to our suppliers right and two other.
Karin Flinspach: partners that we work with and connect with clients investors suppliers and we have done, also a supplier assessment and we try to promote.
Karin Flinspach: With our supplier, the same inclusiveness and diversity that we hold our standard time and hope that again by bringing demand by letting participate.
Karin Flinspach: Similar to clients and some of the events we do that we keep promoting this output right, and I think that's important but, again, a stop here lots of examples to share but.
Karin Flinspach: Thank you can never get.
Talita Erickson (she/her): There talking about Unilever has this model for change, making.
Talita Erickson (she/her): They they talk about there's three spheres of influence, so they talked about every time they embark on a on a new topic that they want to conquer you know change.
Talita Erickson (she/her): They do the their internal work, so the putting your house in order, which is the first circle.
Talita Erickson (she/her): Then they go to the their suppliers and their customers so that's the next is sphere of influence and then, and only then, then engage in let's say in a broader society so like NGOs or.
Talita Erickson (she/her): partnerships is universal anything that is about changing outside or advertising anything but they talk a lot about.
Talita Erickson (she/her): Every company can do the work internally and get at a minimum try to engage suppliers and customers, and that is a great model for you know doing what you can and and be meaning making meaningful change so that is a wonderful example.
Karin Flinspach: And it's just.
Any.
Talita Erickson (she/her): The three circles.
Talita Erickson (she/her): Resources lessons learned any mistakes or successes that you can share.
Simona Piva: We organize it, the less Sera.
Simona Piva: For the devious and we talk about the.
Simona Piva: The problems of the county pass and a many, many collaborators participated, to the worst shop, but it and they need.
Simona Piva: to share our experience, our own experience a our a problem, a life is a very, very, very, very, very important counter for our, for it was there a when when when we we yeah we are in these bigger bigger problem at the science of solitude.
Simona Piva: Is is a very, very, very, very good and then we organize also.
Simona Piva: Our team being get a about the visible and the invisible disability and a in 2018 when I was in Paris, I participated through this is a team building and where we should call leap, sir.
Simona Piva: master present that without to cook knowledge order a DVD visible or invisible.
Simona Piva: And a.
Simona Piva: Half later and incontinent the persona and every three minutes I have to leave the room and stay out for free, you know, for all the the team cooking because it is a it was a test of Kenya, where we have.
Simona Piva: Our D um it was difficult, as I lost that to the explanation so big.
Simona Piva: And a part of the side, but in.
Simona Piva: that struck me most is that the the debriefing their colleagues did not understand the depth that I was playing a roll.
Simona Piva: back the the thought that I was not that interested or that I was calling home and I understand that the DC court that a leader and he said leave the people with the invisible disability a, for example, one when the book he told us to capture.
Simona Piva: them you're not we all offer it to.
Simona Piva: The colleague who play the blind, the past, why are we more attentive and ready to understand the.
Simona Piva: Toll so visible disabilities, why does a project dies so three years ago, was in invisible disability and then, when I come back in Italy, I wanted to replicate the more shop and it was not easy, because.
Simona Piva: The console down into our console.
Simona Piva: didn't it didn't know is this is kind of of workshop but back, we we made a decent water shopper and they, it is very, very interesting.
Talita Erickson (she/her): And I think, thank you, you know and we there's a lot of these experiential you know learning opportunities we've done a few of dining in the dark.
Simona Piva: Of course or a food company so.
Talita Erickson (she/her): You so you're eating will be in a dark room or with your blindfolded.
Talita Erickson (she/her): And, and to me is always interesting to, as you said, to to just put yourself in somebody else's position and try to think that not everything is exactly what it is.
Talita Erickson (she/her): The other points you make that I think is very relevant when it comes to not just this ability as inclusion, but I think that diversity equity and inclusion in general.
Talita Erickson (she/her): Which is when we jump when we see a certain behavior and we judge, without even trying to ask the person if there's a reason for that.
Talita Erickson (she/her): And I say this because it happens.
Talita Erickson (she/her): From something as a small, less somebody late for a meeting, and it will assume they're being you know you judge and say you're being disrespectful and it could be just a cultural thing that is not a big deal in that culture.
Talita Erickson (she/her): All the way to what you're describing which is somebody may may be, you know behaving in a certain way.
Talita Erickson (she/her): And you don't know so you just assume in judge, I had somebody who worked for me.
Talita Erickson (she/her): Who was on the on the spectrum and I had people mentioning to me about how this this person would not make eye contact or not laugh at people's jokes and they thought that he was a social.
Talita Erickson (she/her): So, again I think it's important to kind of you know, stop it, you can observe the behavior try to understand the behavior but the judging, as you said, when people just start assuming that it did something selfish or wrong that is definitely a challenge in da kill.
Talita Erickson (she/her): Last but not least, things that you, you can share in terms of successes lessons learned from successes or mistakes or resources to share with the team.
Phil Canale: So I mean the audience i'm not sure big big companies, small companies i'm gonna probably say be creative you don't need big budgets and you don't need.
Phil Canale: In my case of 50,000 person bank behind you to make a difference, look for the resources, the route that are out there and partner with others, so.
Phil Canale: we're not we're no we're here talking about disability today but we're not defined just by disability so think about how disability intersections with gender how intersections with culture.
Phil Canale: ethnicity.
Phil Canale: And you know examples are you know we've got breast cancer awareness month in October and UK in the US okay so so can we do something that partners, without women's network if that's what we have in the organization.
Phil Canale: And and really gain some leverage, because the disability network I don't know about other organizations, but it's the lesser because we're dealing with so much invisible and also we've got the biggest agenda you know, by and large.
Phil Canale: ethnicities ring fenced gender is ring fence sexual orientation is ring fenced Have you ever picked up a medical dictionary this like this.
Phil Canale: And so, its massive massive and and we can't deal with everything, so we need to look up what are the, what are the things that have the biggest and highest impact.
Phil Canale: On our employees and how we helping can have the biggest and highest impact back so be creative.
Phil Canale: Look, for free resources they are out there and and a good and current and topical example, based on what Karen just said is Karen I actually sit on the this is me steering group.
Phil Canale: So Karen mentioned her film, this is me from the heart is this is me.
Phil Canale: 2.0 we took the this is me concept, and then we included conversations around all forms of disability and caring, but the idea came from me sitting on the this is me steering group, which is all about talking about mental health.
Phil Canale: But that's really kind of your own your own teammates to have a public film i've employees talking about their experience start small you know blogs and and conversations internally within groups open transparency, think about.
Phil Canale: training people up to be mental health first aid is then make them visible.
Phil Canale: So we all wear green lanyards the train mental health first aid is now our organization will have Green and White flags on our on our monitors with visible people we are.
Phil Canale: visible side of the organization that says we care and so to look for free resources there are lots of charities out there mind for mental health.
Phil Canale: The Lord mass appeal, this is me has a heart, which is full of fantastic information.
Phil Canale: And then it crashes got fantastic information or non folks when UK charities, but I am absolutely certain that in each of our locations, we can find plenty of free resources so be creative.
Phil Canale: And, and the final thing I will say is have fun, sometimes we deal with very difficult very challenging sometimes harrowing and an upsetting subjects and and that's fine.
Phil Canale: But sometimes we can smile and have fun and I would absolutely advocate for that, because that's how we will build and grow on networks and draw people in there'll be inquisitive wines people enjoying themselves I want a part of that so Those are some of the tips, I give.
Talita Erickson (she/her): love it Thank you and one of the tip that I would give, which is something that I think we talked in the in the prep call.
Talita Erickson (she/her): Is that a lot of times you know culture is is defined by by leadership by the efforts and the commitment from from from the overall organization.
Talita Erickson (she/her): And, and I think I mentioned to you that we had an advisor on our dni board.
Talita Erickson (she/her): Who was told me that the you know the, the most important decisions on organization makes is about who's getting promoted and who's leaving the company.
Talita Erickson (she/her): And, and I think, in the end if you're seeing leaders managers who are doing an outstanding job.
Talita Erickson (she/her): With inclusion, then they need to be rewarded, and when they rewarded, you need to say they're rewarded in part because of the work they're doing India, India and I.
Talita Erickson (she/her): And the people who show appalling behaviors should be you know.
Talita Erickson (she/her): managed out of the organization either they change or you change them and, and I think this is really important, because I think if you're trying to build cultures, all these.
Talita Erickson (she/her): Is the aggregation of all these little things that are happening in organization that set up how the how the workplace, the unspoken rules of the workplace.
Talita Erickson (she/her): And is really, really, really important that that leaders pay attention to to the kinds of people that they are showcasing spotlighting because, as we said storytelling people share those stories, then they can be positive or or not so that would be my my two cents on on the topic.
Talita Erickson (she/her): I think we were kind of running out of time.
Talita Erickson (she/her): But I wanted to make sure that I that I think all of you again for your transparency for your candor for being willing to be here and talk a little bit about what you about to personally, but also about your organizations.
Talita Erickson (she/her): In congratulations again again it's a it's remarkable that you have all these organizations here who in some ways, may may be competitors in the in real life.
Talita Erickson (she/her): But there was no competition when it comes to diversity equity and inclusion.
Talita Erickson (she/her): we're all trying to go in the same direction and it's wonderful to see people just all of us trying to do the best to make our workplaces better, so thank you, congratulations on your award and I will hand it over to effect.
Talita Erickson (she/her): yeah.
Nadine Vogel: Thanks everyone to leave this is needy and I just I do just want to make a common, first of all thank you all, thank you all very much you know.
Nadine Vogel: Until either was facilitating a session this morning, and we were talking about workforce about hiring people with disabilities.
Nadine Vogel: But what you're talking about today is so important because, if we hire folks but the organizational culture you're not really ready.
Nadine Vogel: to employ these folks it's useless right because you're not going to retain them it's not going to work and then people gonna say see we told you this wouldn't work.
Nadine Vogel: So thank you all so much, and I have to give a special shout out to to lita because she's like you know the facilitator rockstar like this second session and she's amazing so I just want to you know a little shout out there.
Nadine Vogel: Thank you, everybody and i'll turn it back to Yvette.
I Lopez: selena and thank you for doing two sessions.
I Lopez: Thank you selina Thank you phil Thank you Karen Thank you so much for sharing all the great initiatives you.
I Lopez: are working on and now we're going to move into.
I Lopez: Our next session and that section that session that session is called creating menopause inclusive workplaces.
I Lopez: And to the stage we are going to bring dinah Tobias director and founder of blooming menopause many women fill the feel that way.
I Lopez: Diana, please come to the stage.
I Lopez: hey Dan I see you I just need to unmute.
I Lopez: There you go I can hear the sound okay so it's all yours.
Dinah Tobias: Okay, great.
Dinah Tobias: Thank you Gary Thank you and yeah sorry I don't have the the red background didn't quite work on my on my machine and thank you very much for inviting me along to.
Dinah Tobias: This event and it's great to see all the diversity of topics being being discussed yeah my name is Diana Tobias and I set up blooming menopause partly because.
Dinah Tobias: menopause is is not really talked about in workplaces and partly because, in my own journey towards metaphors I discovered I knew nothing about menopause other than potentially some hot flushes.
Dinah Tobias: might happen and periods might stop and so it's a really important topic that needs to be talked about in the workplace, however i'd like to start by saying that men applause is not a disability and you may be thinking well why am I here well.
Dinah Tobias: Nadine asked me to come along because menopause is something that does impact, a lot of people in a number of different ways, so, as I said, menopause it's not an illness it's not a disease and it's not a disability, it is a natural for most people and natural stage and phase of life.
Dinah Tobias: It impacts people who menstruate who are born with a womb, and so that could be a women usually women and also people who are non binary and also trans men.
Dinah Tobias: And that's really important that we think about metaphors and as an inclusive.
Dinah Tobias: topic, but also an inclusive area that we need to discuss, but also to remember that everybody is impacted by menopause because everybody i'm sure all of you know somebody who is going through menopause.
Dinah Tobias: And so it has a ripple effect in terms of its impact now today i'm going to yes talk about disability, but I want to look at three things first of all, what menopause actually is.
Dinah Tobias: Why as workplaces it's something that people need to be thinking about now and also addressing why some people would would think that it is a disability.
Dinah Tobias: And law actually there is there is an angle and i'll come on to that where where it is deemed it can be deemed to be a disability, but not actually manifests itself, and then the third thing to look at, excuse me.
Dinah Tobias: The third thing to look at is is some thinking about what workplaces can be doing to be more menopause inclusive, excuse me this always happens.
Dinah Tobias: To use wanted to grab a drink.
Dinah Tobias: So, think about the inclusive workplace and the culture shift we've just been hearing about culture, the culture shift that needs to take place in the workplace for menopause to be.
Dinah Tobias: fully understood and for those going through menopause to feel that they are engaged I would love you to put questions into.
Dinah Tobias: The Q amp a and happy to answer any of those towards the end so first of all I don't know if we now have the facility for you to type in the.
Dinah Tobias: chat and what you think what you think of when you think of men reports so is that possible for people to type in chat, what do you think of when I use the word monopoles when you hear the word monopoles what comes up.
Dinah Tobias: can't see any think.
I Lopez: There should be able to chat.
Dinah Tobias: I can only see.
Dinah Tobias: Try can't see anything that says everyone, so I can't see any senior deacon his put hot flashes.
Nadine Vogel: So Dana this is needing um i'm getting it throughout the day, people are sending things to me to my chat so i'm just reiterating what i'm getting from people.
I Lopez: Are some pop them just to let you know.
Dinah Tobias: Okay yeah I just seen yeah anxiety sleepless irritated hot flashes anything else.
Dinah Tobias: I can't see there's nothing else coming up alright well, let me share my screen and i'll take you through a little bit about what metaphors is all about them.
Dinah Tobias: alright.
Dinah Tobias: So what is what is menopause well.
Dinah Tobias: A lot of people think well it's it's been hot flashes like I did and hot flashes come along and periods start to change.
Dinah Tobias: and hormones start to change, and it is all of those things but technically menopause is the cessation of Paris it's when periods completely stop.
Dinah Tobias: But this.
Dinah Tobias: period of time, where we use the word menopause in a sort of wider sense to cover a wider period of time from what we know is Perry manner pores which is around the time manner pours.
Dinah Tobias: Through to post manacles because nobody gets a telegram from the Queen here in the UK saying hey you're going into metaphors.
Dinah Tobias: So basically it's a whole period of time, and that can last anything from.
Dinah Tobias: A few years to 15 years and that's in terms of symptoms so around the time of perimenopause there's a lot of hormone change going on, mainly East region, which is the.
Dinah Tobias: Hormone that regulates that's involved in in reproduction and periods, but also progesterone and testosterone starts to decline, but the eastern is basically going up and down up and down but, like in in.
Dinah Tobias: puberty but backwards.
Dinah Tobias: And that can mean that lots of.
Dinah Tobias: symptoms lots of changes will happen within the body, and this is because estrogen, and this is a really important thing estrogen is not just around the.
Dinah Tobias: to do with the reproductive system, but it actually we have receptors throughout the body, so in the brain all the way through the digestive system, the skin.
Dinah Tobias: And all sorts of you know, the bones to all sorts of different parts of the body.
Dinah Tobias: Have estrogen receptors so when a student is plummeting or fluctuating, then this is why we start to see some of these very different symptoms.
Dinah Tobias: showing up and it's not just about periods changing or or hot flushes i'll come on to the symptoms in a minute.
Dinah Tobias: It can be very confusing time perimenopause because it's kind of unclear as to when it actually starts and some of the symptoms that might happen first not necessarily the symptoms.
Dinah Tobias: That are giveaway symptoms, so it could be things like cognitive issues emotional psychological.
Dinah Tobias: Issues showing up first and so that confusing time then starts, maybe become clearer when somebody is periods and stopping then we, we know that.
Dinah Tobias: that's that's probably the stage when people are moving fully into my report, but we have to count what one full year after the final period.
Dinah Tobias: to know that somebody is definitely menopausal and effectively in post menopause from that time onwards, now that doesn't mean that symptoms suddenly disappear and, by the way, not everybody gets symptoms.
Dinah Tobias: But three out of four people will experience symptoms and so after that period, they may still experience symptoms, for a number of years.
Dinah Tobias: But not tough periods.
Dinah Tobias: So that's what's happening in the body, and this is what it can show up like we've already thought seen in the chat a couple of the symptoms that people associate with menopause hot flushes very much known.
Dinah Tobias: as being one of the key symptoms and three out of four people will experience hot flushes.
Dinah Tobias: And also night sweats which can be feel very different, but basically symptoms are split into three categories we've got physical symptoms and things like the hot flushes things like aches and joint pain headaches and migraines.
Dinah Tobias: heart palpitations fatigue itchy skin and those kinds of things so that sort of strange things that burning tongue and.
Dinah Tobias: And tinnitus or i'm having i'm having i'm having a problem today with the second set of symptoms, which i'll come on to but there's all of these ones which can be you know things like gums.
Dinah Tobias: And teeth problems can start to show up so those are the first types of symptoms, the second type symptoms are the cognitive symptoms and that's what i'm.
Dinah Tobias: struggling with a little bit today, which is which can be quite scary and particularly in a work setting and we talked today about invisible disabilities.
Dinah Tobias: But actually you know menopause in many ways is is invisible because first of all with things like hot flushes people don't necessarily see somebody having hot flashes don't necessarily change color.
Dinah Tobias: don't necessarily sweat I never did any of those things and then with the cognitive symptoms things like forgetfulness loss of words literally word loss.
Dinah Tobias: Lack of concentration and what we basically call brain fog and that can be very embarrassing for people very distressing for people and it impacts The ability for suit to work but also.
Dinah Tobias: Again, it can be well, in fact, in some respects that that's more visible, but people don't understand why it's happening, the third set of symptoms are the emotional psychological symptoms and they could be depression low mood.
Dinah Tobias: mood swings cheerfulness.
Dinah Tobias: lack of confidence, lack of sociability and again in the workplace, somebody particularly has a very visible role to play, then when that if those symptoms come along that can be very, very difficult and i'm can impact performance, there is another set of symptoms around.
Dinah Tobias: Your agenda Terry symptoms of things like vaginal.
Dinah Tobias: Changes driving us which can impact.
Dinah Tobias: Sexual.
Dinah Tobias: Sexual ability and pain, but also.
Dinah Tobias: Around the blood of offending of the tissues so because all of that, since this the skin and the tissues, because of the lack of East region are starting to change the elasticity goes so people can struggle with the need to constantly go and.
Dinah Tobias: Go to the bathroom and having your enemy tract infections and again this can be an issue in the workplace and we'll see later on.
Dinah Tobias: How that impacts, but the key thing to remember is that everybody's experience is totally different so one person.
Dinah Tobias: may never have hot flushes but they may have a whole note load of other symptoms and it's very important never to compare that one employee versus another in terms of how they experience metaphors.
Dinah Tobias: There are also some longer term impacts around menopause which I would say, would in some respects lean towards disability so things like an increased.
Dinah Tobias: risk of osteoporosis, one in two people will struggle with one or two women will experience osteoporotic fracture versus one in five men and then there's an increase in things like heart disease type two diabetes and and various other.
Dinah Tobias: Issues that can that can show up so again, very important to think about metaphors as not just as a symptom driven phase of life, but also changes in the long term around some health risks.
Dinah Tobias: Now, I said that menopause is not a disability, but actually some of these symptoms i'm sure if you're looking at me as you're probably thinking.
Dinah Tobias: Well, if I had several of those which is the case for many, many women will will experience, several of these symptoms probably around 70% will have several symptoms, if you have all of those over a longer period than they could be deemed to be a disability.
Dinah Tobias: So let's just look at some key facts menopause generally natural menopause is between the ages of 45 and 55 and the average age in the UK is 50 ones that would be for the sensation of periods, but there's a whole group of people it's not just a mid middle life.
Dinah Tobias: Experience It can also be experienced under the age of 45 and actually under the age of 14 we've got one in 100 you will experience what's known as a premature menopause.
Dinah Tobias: And, and then there are another group of people who will experience some what sudden manner pores and those are people who have a medical.
Dinah Tobias: or orange juice multiples so that could be a total hysterectomy or an oophorectomy where the ovaries are taken out and they'll be plunged into menopause and then those symptoms will show up potentially.
Dinah Tobias: Very important that they get support, but it can be bewildering way more bewildering and confusing time people who are going into a natural multiples and also those people who, some people who are having.
Dinah Tobias: who have, for example, cancer.
Dinah Tobias: treatments so, for example, friend of mine is literally is on hormone replacement therapy and.
Dinah Tobias: she's just been diagnosed with breast cancer so she had a whole load of medical symptoms before she took hormone replacement.
Dinah Tobias: And she's now having to come off that treatment because she's about to start chemotherapy and so she's going to have that challenge as well and chemotherapy and all the cancer treatments, but also.
Dinah Tobias: She can already within days feel her symptoms coming back and she's still trying to work and there are 34 recognized symptoms but really.
Dinah Tobias: Some of the medical specialties say it could be 50 or more, there are so many strange weird and wonderful symptoms that come in Horn to those going through metaphors.
Dinah Tobias: As I said, everybody's experience is different and 75% will have symptoms and a quarter to 45% will have severe symptoms, so this is when we really start to think about it as a disability, because some of those people can't even get out of bed.
Dinah Tobias: And so, why do we need to be caring about medicals now well there's an increasing number of people in the workplace, who are.
Dinah Tobias: going through menopause and around the world we've got 657 million women between the ages of 45 and 59 who are going through menopause 47% of them are in the workplace and in Europe that's that's a higher number in terms of.
Dinah Tobias: Those who are working much, much higher as more like 70% so we really need to be addressing this as people are working longer they need to work longer, or they want to work longer.
Dinah Tobias: So we can't ignore manacles.
Dinah Tobias: Until now, of course, you know everybody's had their heads in the sand, certainly in the UK, now the to boo is breaking but i'd be interested to know in other countries, whether that to do has started breaking down.
Dinah Tobias: we're in the UK i've had many celebrities talking about it it's being discussed in Parliament there's a task force.
Dinah Tobias: So there is a lot to changing it's covered in the media now all the time, but if I turn the clock back a year, nobody was really talking about this now workflow closers are calling me.
Dinah Tobias: All the time and asking me to come and talk to their colleagues and talk to them so leadership level, we have people talking about leadership earlier talk at leadership level about what's the impact on what can we do and what does manafort look like what does support look like.
Dinah Tobias: From a business perspective, there is very much a business case for supporting people going through menopause and partly through because of absence.
Dinah Tobias: That often people are offered for off work for very suddenly often not necessarily and it could be sporadic as well with lots of different types of symptoms presenting.
Dinah Tobias: but also because of retention it costs a lot of money to replace experienced staff, I do quite a lot of work with universities and a significant number of.
Dinah Tobias: Their colleagues their employees are in that plus 45 age range and you know, taking taking university with academic staff.
Dinah Tobias: You can't just replace those people overnight so again, very much in their interest to support those going through menopause.
Dinah Tobias: And from a diversity and inclusion point of view, I think you know all of you here today will.
Dinah Tobias: will agree that you know there's a lot of talk about inclusion, but we really need do need to make sure that women are represented i'm going to say women, but also people who are non binary and trans men, as I said.
Dinah Tobias: are very much included at senior management levels in all sorts of different settings in professions and workplaces that are traditionally.
Dinah Tobias: Female dominated so we want to think, from an age point of view and agenda point of view that we can keep people in the workplace, regardless of going through this natural phase of life.
Dinah Tobias: And then there's the legal and reputational case for talking about metaphors before I get on to that, let me give you a few statistics.
Dinah Tobias: About 59% there's lots and lots of surveys done in the UK around medical and metaphors in the workplace, because it is very much a hot topic excuse the pun 59% said that medical symptoms have impacted them.
Dinah Tobias: negatively in the workplace, many of those people also find that they can't talk to their.
Dinah Tobias: Line managers and that's again, partly because line managers haven't got an understanding of what manner pauses or how the workplace can support so we'll come on to how to change things.
Dinah Tobias: And one in four actually consider leaving the workplace one in 10 actually do and that's in the UK so again, that that retention and losing experienced staff is is some is very, very real.
Dinah Tobias: And 50% of taking time off work but half don't tell their employer, the real reason and some of the taking significant amount of time off.
Dinah Tobias: Because they are not finding the workplace conducive for them to.
Dinah Tobias: perform their roles, but also because often they're not getting the support outside of the workplace in a medical setting or in a work setting and home setting.
Dinah Tobias: So we need to think about those kinds of things now from a legal perspective in the UK we've seen since 2018 we've seen at least a quadruped length of tribunals where menopause has been worked out employment champions when menopause has been cited as the reason.
Dinah Tobias: For that tribunal could be unfair dismissal or it could be.
Dinah Tobias: Because people feel they're being discriminated against or harassed now in the UK and i'm sure in the countries or countries that you are representing today.
Dinah Tobias: In the UK we have the Equality Act, and that does support people going through manacles but not specifically it's not prescribed so menopause in the UK is not a.
Dinah Tobias: Protected characteristic.
Dinah Tobias: Like pregnancy, for example, but it's just protections that under the quality act in terms of gender discrimination age discrimination and disability discrimination.
Dinah Tobias: So menopause has been used the Equality Act has been used as a basis to bring these tribunals, as has the health and safety at work, work at where employers have a duty of care to provide a safe working environment and do risk assessments for those people in that in there and employee.
Dinah Tobias: So.
Dinah Tobias: As I said, very started this menopause is not a disability, but some of the symptoms could be deemed to be a disability, if they experienced over a long period and that's deemed to be around 12 months onwards and to impact considerably.
Dinah Tobias: An impaired the ability for somebody to do their work or to do day to day duties, even in the home.
Dinah Tobias: So it can be quite hard, I think, for.
Dinah Tobias: For people to.
Dinah Tobias: decide whether it's a disability and and there is talk now about menopause becoming a protective characteristic in the workplace.
Dinah Tobias: and
Dinah Tobias: This is how many apples can feel, these are just some examples, how many apples can feel in the workplace, depending on someone's job will take the first one on the top actually joint pain.
Dinah Tobias: In thumbs and nice if somebody is doing a manual role.
Dinah Tobias: Then, if they if they are not given the support the right support they're going to probably end up leaving and certainly the team dynamics are broken down.
Dinah Tobias: Things like some of these cognitive things like brain fog people making mistakes these, by the way, a lot of these have been you know, taken from examples of tribunals and.
Dinah Tobias: Somebody confidence is shaken and senior management team that have fear of being ridiculed or they are ridiculed because they're forgetting very simple things that they usually do or talk about in their workplace.
Dinah Tobias: People resigning from roles people not taking promotions, because they feel that they can't concentrate because they don't have that confidence because they have hot flushes all of these types of things and we have practical things like.
Dinah Tobias: somebody who has to wear a uniform drenched all day with hot flushes and you know embarrassed or so, because periods of becoming more regular and rather than spaced out because that can happen as well or much, much heavier.
Dinah Tobias: And they don't they're not given the right facilities such as being able to get to to a bathroom quickly, these are all real experiences, many people experience manacles as.
Dinah Tobias: being hit by a a ton of bricks and other people say they don't even recognize themselves if they don't recognize themselves and they feel they've been hit by.
Dinah Tobias: By a big object how have a going to be able to.
Dinah Tobias: function in the workplace, and this is how it can feel like film or in the weeds, but if you don't have a film or always by your side, then it can feel like a very lonely place.
Dinah Tobias: falling off that cliff so as workplaces, what do we need to do well, we need to be thinking about providing that support giving that extra bit of oil that extra pumping up that the right conducive environment as a team, so that those people, those valuable people can stay.
Dinah Tobias: And in terms of best practice, it is about changing that culture, it is about having conversations, it is about making sure that too boo is broken.
Dinah Tobias: Now part of that is down to societal change, but within the workplace, you know somebody was saying earlier about leadership.
Dinah Tobias: Leadership standing up and talking about metaphors either being impacted directly.
Dinah Tobias: Or, for example, i've seen you know Lou to stand up and say my partner's going through this or my colleague direct colleague is going through this and I am there to support or I am as confused.
Dinah Tobias: about what to do so just talking about it in the first place, and taking that to be away it's very important.
Dinah Tobias: One of the most important things to do is to educate and train line managers because line managers need to get this right.
Dinah Tobias: If they want a well performing team, they need to be able to understand what menopause is we don't need to be experts in it, but they need to be able to provide a conducive environment for them right sensitive conversations to be had.
Dinah Tobias: But so to all the other colleagues and again this is something that's going to happen to well over 50% of most.
Dinah Tobias: Organizations not everybody's going to have those symptoms but most will have symptoms so it's important that all colleagues and line managers know how to support.
Dinah Tobias: and raising awareness widely across an organization is very important, I have.
Dinah Tobias: clients who will say we just want to do a webinar that's what we need to do and, by the way, we'll put policy in but there's always going to be people.
Dinah Tobias: who are going to arrive at that stage, when I have multiples there are always going to be new line managers, so it isn't a tick box exercise tick box exercise it should always be a continuous conversation.
Dinah Tobias: And another important bit of best practice is to allow an employer, not all employees, want to.
Dinah Tobias: Talk to their line managers, they don't feel comfortable for a whole number of reasons could be because you have male manager they don't feel comfortable or they have a manager who's a lot younger than them who they think won't understand or they haven't managed it's just not.
Dinah Tobias: Somebody they feel they can trust so having someone else that they can talk to it's very important and that could be another senior manager.
Dinah Tobias: or it could be champions well being champions mental health first aid champions the employee assistance programs, who have counselors on hand assuming that they understand what metaphors is as well again can be very helpful.
Dinah Tobias: And now, this best practice comes from the just instituted people in development and also a CAS.
Dinah Tobias: Who, and some of the unions in the UK and one of the things that they put forward is that it's important to think about managing.
Dinah Tobias: absence and dips and performance very carefully when it comes to men, of course, because as you've already seen menopause can present in so many different ways.
Dinah Tobias: So, having a way of recording that is is is helpful that's not always possible for all organizations, but I always say if you can't have a drop down that says men are pause then at least putting notes in to.
Dinah Tobias: Put that it was related to menopause if somebody has migraines if they have sleepless nights they're having achy joints and that's impacting their performance or.
Dinah Tobias: The reason that they're having to take time off a whole number of different reasons that add up to my nipples.
Dinah Tobias: and important point here, though, is that not people don't necessarily know when they're starting on that menopause journey so in perimenopause that can be a very confusing time and it's important that managers.
Dinah Tobias: Maybe take into consideration that this could be manacles, even if the employee the team Member themselves is not saying it's menopause or onto whether it's men, of course.
Dinah Tobias: And then everybody's rushing in the UK to put in place guidelines and policies around metaphors.
Dinah Tobias: Which is absolutely fabulous but there's no point putting that in place if that's not communicated.
Dinah Tobias: And communicated to everybody, not just the people who sit at desks, but the people that clean the people that come in and do all sorts of other jobs that don't necessarily involve access to a computer.
Dinah Tobias: and, equally, as I said at the beginning that beginning of this slide is training those people to understand what those policies mean in real life in their organizations in their setting and adapting the policies is is helpful to.
Dinah Tobias: So one of the most useful tools in the box and i'm sure you've talked about this today anyway.
Dinah Tobias: When we think about disabilities or people having an impairment that might need to be.
Dinah Tobias: I don't like the word impairment that and why use that sorry i'm somebody who's struggling to do their role because of their.
Dinah Tobias: Sexual situation is putting in place reasonable adjust adjustments and, and these are what in the UK we talk about us as men, of course, friendly adjustments.
Dinah Tobias: And they're all quite easy to do, although you'd be surprised how many organizations don't actually.
Dinah Tobias: put these in place so things like temperature control giving access to air conditioning or fans that kind of thing access to cold water.
Dinah Tobias: Drinking water people getting hot access to toilets and washing facilities, people are having maybe heavy periods are more frequent periods or they're sweating a lot, and they have.
Dinah Tobias: The have an urgency to to to pay again having that access to toilets.
Dinah Tobias: And having the brakes to allow them to have access to to the washrooms very important having spaces to change if they're having hot sweats very helpful.
Dinah Tobias: And then on that course uniforms, need to be breathable and bigger sizes, need to be accessible without somebody getting stigmatize providing quiet spaces, because stress and noise.
Dinah Tobias: are both and the ability to filter noise are are some of the one of the symptoms but also those things can.
Dinah Tobias: impede and kick off other symptoms so trying to reduce stress can be very helpful.
Dinah Tobias: So, having those quiet spaces in time for people to have those mindful moments can really improve them and apples journey and I like very key one which clearly with lots of home working with the pandemic we've seen.
Dinah Tobias: A lot more flexible working and home working, but actually flexible working in menopause is not just about working from home it's about thinking about patterns of working so if somebody's having sleepless nights they may want to have a later start.
Dinah Tobias: or they may need to take a couple of hours in the middle of the day, so thinking about what would work for them, and in fact I always say it's more important to ask the person going through menopause what will work for you, then, to prescribe a whole set of adjustments.
Dinah Tobias: And so, how would you create an inclusive culture, well, it is a bit about having those guidelines in place, creating that framework, getting the buy in at leadership level, creating the awareness.
Dinah Tobias: and putting in place and education program putting in place those adjustments.
Dinah Tobias: and creating a Community so that people feel that they're not alone, so that they have other people in there, that that feel they can also talk about manacles, so this is what it looks like this is the kind of thing that I would help an organization to to do.
Dinah Tobias: And remember that occupational health HR the gap, but also need training around menopause.
Dinah Tobias: And in terms of further help and guidance, I know people from different countries, so I would like to sign post towards the European metaphors and entrepreneur society have resources, the British Medical society has some great resources.
Dinah Tobias: Here in the UK, a cast the Association of whatever know what it sounds for anyway it's the it's the workplace.
Dinah Tobias: Come see now not have brain fog anyway that's what they're supporting organizations to put in place.
Dinah Tobias: Guidelines, but it also helps people who have grievances to get the right support as well unions COPD they all have guidance around metaphors.
Dinah Tobias: And metaphors in the workplace, and also the Faculty of occupational medicine and, if I can help you in any way to put in place and menopause inclusive Program.
Dinah Tobias: I would be very happy to do that too, so I know we're almost out of time and, of course, is a big topic and try to squish it quite hard, and so, if there are any questions, and I can see Nadine you've sent me one from somebody check.
Nadine Vogel: yeah I think you actually answered it it came in before and you answered it already with the workplace So yes, this was this was terrific Diana Thank you so much, a topic that, unfortunately, is not talked about nearly enough, but hopefully this will, this will get us started.
Nadine Vogel: Thank you.
Dinah Tobias: Okay, so there's no other questions.
Nadine Vogel: No, none of us came in okay okay you covered a lot, so that was good.
Nadine Vogel: um well, I just have to say that this day has flown by what an incredible roster that we have had today of speakers.
Nadine Vogel: You know, we I hope you feel as energized as I do that you learned a tremendous amount of information you're inspired all along the way.
Nadine Vogel: And I hope that you know tonight you'll be able to take a little time to think about what you've heard today, perhaps share at the dinner table with family with friends.
Nadine Vogel: begin to think about how you might apply some of this information in your own work, I wish you all a wonderful evening.
Nadine Vogel: And I think we're gonna have some amazing takeaways not just tonight, but then building upon in tomorrow, so I can't wait to have you all back at 9am tomorrow, but that i'm going to turn it over to you to just close this out.
I Lopez: Thanks 19 and thank you to everybody who participated today in day one of the disability matters Europe conference and awards, and just as a reminder tomorrow is our second portion and it will start at 9am cst time that is utc GMT plus two we'll see you then have a wonderful evening.
Nadine Vogel: good night everybody.