​IWD: #BreakTheBias with Viktorija Bozko, #IamRemarkable facilitator

This International Women's Day, I interviewed Viktorija Bozko, #IamRemarkable facilitator and she shared her thoughts on how we can #BreakTheBias.

We can all choose to challenge and call out gender bias and inequality. We can all choose to seek out and celebrate women's achievements. Collectively, we can all help create an inclusive world. 

1. Which bias would you like to break about women at work in 2022?
Women are most likely to take maternity leave. It takes two to create a family, and hence the parental leave can be shared by two people. However, in the current world, it is still expected that women would take maternity leave. If we are speaking about equality, there must be equality in all aspects of life, including parental leave.

2. What is one action companies can take to further balance their talent attraction strategies?
Look at the hiring process, it all starts with hiring. If you have a neutral job description, you are more likely to attract diverse talent. Additionally, if you have diversity across your whole hiring process such as diverse interviewers, candidates from diverse backgrounds will see the potential to fit in, throughout the process.

3. What is your top advice for making job descriptions more inclusive?  
Number one advice for making job descriptions more inclusive is to consider the wording used for these advertisements. Many job descriptions have subtle cues which are typically associated with male/female stereotypes. For example, words like ‘competitive’ or ‘leader’ are associated with male stereotypes, and studies show that therefore females are less likely to consider applying. The language used really matters when trying to attract a diverse pool of applicants, and hence using more neutral words in job descriptions will help you to attract such a pool of applicants.

4. What do you think is the most significant barrier to female leadership?
Representation. You cannot become something that you cannot dream, and it's difficult to dream of something you can only rarely see.

5. Are there any companies you admire for the ways in which they celebrate women's achievements?
#IamRemarkable is a Google initiative empowering women and other underrepresented groups to celebrate their achievements in the workplace and beyond. Google has a specific workshop anyone can sign up, as well as, they train people outside the company to facilitate these workshops in their own companies. I believe that is one of the most remarkable ways to celebrate, share and go beyond to honour the achievements of women and underrepresented groups.