Another Friday, another reason why every business leader SHOULD be a Feminist!

Yes, it’s that time again. Friday has approached and here at Wellbeing with Cari, we are counting down our top 10 reasons why every business leader SHOULD be a feminist!

Firstly, what is Feminism?

  1. You do not have to be a woman to be a Feminist.
  2. Feminism is not about elevating women above men.
  3. Feminism is a movement that is in favour of equality and inclusiveness.
  4. If every organisation is run by a Feminist, it doesn’t necessarily mean that we have to change the current leadership – maybe just their thinking.

No. 4 – Feminist leaders see their people in a partnership vs employees as indentured

Onto reason No. 4 – every business leader should value their employees, viewing them as partners who provide invaluable support to the organisation, rather than individuals only there to provide labour.

As Feminist leaders see people as the more important than things, a true Feminist leader would be delighted to pay their taxes, corporate and personal, as it would be the proof of their dedication to the world at large – seeing as we are all ultimately dependant upon each other. It makes you think, doesn’t it, when you stand back and look at the world from space, and imagine what an alien would think about the way, in the face of planetary disaster, all we can focus on is the profit we can make next week and how we can improve our own lot by undermining someone else… competitive business is hiding nothing; only true wealth can come from working together for the common good.

People are invaluable within an organisation, each tirelessly providing support to an organisation for business development. However, this isn’t always the case, some employers may lose track of the person behind the job title (for the most part, unintentionally), and neglect their duty as an employer to care for their staff members wellbeing.

We need to think less of people being indentured to us as employers, and more of them as partners in the work that we are doing – we need to establish our ethical reasons for doing what we do, our true values, and ensure that we can justify them in the world in which we live. Our people own their labour, and other than that they have precious little power, so as Feminist leaders we need to shake up this employment picture, rethink out HR function as the disciplinarian and lawyer of the business, whose role is to control the people, and start thinking of listening, involving and engaging people at a very real level in the decision-making, business activities, values and aspirations of our organisations.

Whilst the larger, structural changes may require more time to prepare, below I have outlined 4 ways that employers can better value their team from today onwards! (Perhaps you’re already doing some or all, if that’s the case, bravo!)

How you SHOULD improve your employee experience TODAY:

  1. Money is not enough, providing there is enough on the table the research proves it is not a motivator – connection matters more – work should involve time for connection, to allow brains to co-regulate and happiness to extend across the airwaves.
  2. We need to create a safe space for humanity – so we are responding to the needs of the planet as well as the needs of all people, as an organisation you need to be aware of your impact, the impact of your users, clients and suppliers, and you need to build your business future on a Wellbeing Economy approach – there is no time to waste, as we are three minutes to midnight on the doomsday clock; if you want people to be a part of your organisation in a very real and engaged way then show your commitment to the planet and the future generations now.
  3. People own their labour, but that is all they own, give your people a say in how they invest their energy everyday – for example, allowing people to decide when to work, to have time off or rather than insisting on hours worked, ask for results instead; autonomy works.
  4. Maybe start rethinking your business model and think about how the concept of ownership can be changed to be inclusive – it’s not about the money!

Let’s start valuing our employees wellbeing instead of financial profit…

In our world of Feminist leadership, I am taking liberties and suggesting that we could begin to see money as energy not as an end in its own right. It was a useful mechanism of exchange, but has got ideas above its station.

The key to success within any business are the people, people are what drive productivity and passion within an organisation – that is why supporting the wellbeing of your people SHOULD be the most important thing on any Feminist leaders agenda!

Until next time…

That concludes No.4 of the reasons why every leader SHOULD be a Feminist… our next blog in the series will be published on the 09/04/21!