Canadian HR Reporter

His deep dive into the company's candidate selection, performance management, succession planning, pay equity and diversity revealed Grand Canyon-sized gaps in D&I. What's more, there was no through line to other business areas, including the big engines – sales, marketing and operations. Halter says Coca-Cola was not alone in their shortcomings, particularly when it comes to advancing women. "Most organizations have a series of unrelated programs and processes to advance women, but there are very few companies that approach it like a business imperative," he said. According to a 2013 study by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, at the current pace of change, women won't achieve full economic and political equality in Canada for 228 years. A CNNMoney analysis reveals that only 14 per cent of the top leadership positions at S&P 500 companies are held by women. The Canadian Board Diversity Council reports that between 2001 and 2013, gender diversity in corporate boards increased only 4.7 per cent. At that rate, they predict women won't achieve gender parity on corporate boards until the year 2083. All this, even though 85 per cent of companies agree that a diverse and inclusive workforce is crucial to driving innovation, as reported in Forbes' recent Global Diversity and Inclusion study. "Advancing women today is a lot like diet and exercise – everybody knows it's the right thing to do and nobody does it. We have to move from a conceptual head nod to true advocacy and passion," said Halter. "It's not one thing, it's issues that no one wants to address... because they're complex, they're interrelated and most companies have not done the hard work to measure what success looks like and articulate that." And he's done the legwork – to wit, 12 years after the lawsuit, Coca-Cola received the Catalyst Award as a top workplace for women. Are men the new champions for women? It may seem incongruous for a man to be a leader in this cause, but Cathy Gallagher-Louisy, director of knowledge services at the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion (CCDI), says it's critical that men are as engaged as women. "It comes down to… the messenger," she said. "Unfortunately, some men who are resistant to have conversations about D&I will hear the message more effectively from another man." In fact, in their work educating leadership teams, they occasionally send in their male CEO, Michael Bach, to deliver the message. "If a man is talking about women's advancement, the men in the audience are less likely to think he's doing it because he has a personal agenda," said Gallagher-Louisy. When it comes to "making the case" for women, Halter goes straight for the bottom line. In his work with leaders, he points out Catalyst statistics that suggest when you add women on boards of directors, you can expect a 53 per cent greater return on equity, a 42 per cent greater return on sales and a 66 per cent return on investing capital. He explains that companies with more women at the helm can talk to customers better (noting that consumers with purchasing power are women), have better employee engagement, more productive employees and enjoy a better reputation in the marketplace by being recognized as a great place to work. "Any business metric, from revenue to profi t to company engagement, goes up when you have more women in the mix," he said. How can men promote women at work? Have you noticed that women are more likely to be interrupted in a meeting (even by other women) than men? Or that there's an assumption that women will take notes, plan and follow up – even when among peers? Recognizing the subtle barriers is a fi rst step, and taking action follows. "One of the simple things I ask men to do is take a woman coworker to coffee and ask her genuinely about the experience she's having at work," said Halter. "Chances are, she's not going to tell you initially because most women don't want to be the fl ag bearer for 'all things women,' but if you ask two or three times in a genuine manner, you will fi nd root cause issues [of gender inequality] you didn't know about." Gallagher-Louisy says simple actions like speaking up in a meeting when a woman is talked over or interrupted can have huge benefi ts. Also, informal sponsorships, which happen all the time among men, can effect dramatic change over time, she says. "If there's an up-and-coming guy in the organization, a leader may notice and recommend him for an opportunity. Generally, people sponsor people who are like them. But if you create sponsorship programs for the purpose of advancing inclusion in organizations, that's where males can make a huge difference and they can advocate for and sponsor women coming up in the organization, as well," she said. BLIND SPOT Why women aren't advancing in Canada's largest workplaces – and why men need to care By Heather Hudson He calls it his "white male epiphany." In 2000, Jeffery Tobias Halter's employer, Coca-Cola, faced a $200-million discrimination lawsuit. Overnight, he was reassigned from running sales training to pioneering a diversity education program. "What did I do to get this job?" he said. " I'm a straight, white guy and now I'm in charge of diversity and inclusion? I really did not know about white male privilege, but I quickly learned some valuable lessons."

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