D
Catalyst | Diversity
What is WERKIN?
WERKIN creates a sense of belonging at workplaces
around the world by re-envisioning mentorship
as a career-development tool that is inclusive,
accessible and integrated into our workdays.
Modern mentorship is open to all, not only those
with connections.
WERKIN boosts the visibility of under-represented
talent. When we feel visible and supported, we
feel a sense of belonging. I see the path to true and
sustainable diversity and inclusion (D&I) as being
through a commitment to a sense of belonging for
your employees. That’s why I started the company.
What was your vision for
the organisation?
I started my career in finance. Although I learned
a lot, gained a lot of great experience and felt
challenged, as a gay woman, I did not see people like
me leading these organisations. I had some great
mentors, but it struck me that not everyone has
access to mentorship within a larger organisation.
WERKIN uses technology to democratise
mentorship, opening up professional human
connections to everyone, not just the usual suspects.
“I started my career in finance. As a gay
woman, I did not see women like me
leading these organisations”
connections and exposes leaders to more diverse
employees. When you diversify your network
and connections, you’re going to challenge your
own biases. That’s how technology can change
behaviour at scale.
Do you think the dial is moving
on representation of ‘minority’
groups in business?
In many ways, I think we are very much still in
the first phase of companies paying attention
because they recognise that they at least need
to look like they care. But I think we are still
struggling to see meaningful change, industry
leaders taking measurable actions to create more
inclusive company cultures, which then lead to a
greater sense of belonging for diverse groups of
people. We will see evidence of this commitment
to action when we see more diversity at the
top of organisations.
What does inclusive leadership
mean to you?
Inclusive leadership recognises that not everyone
has the same lived experience, and through that
awareness, managing with empathy for those
differences. Inclusive leadership means being
conscious of how what you say and do makes your
employees feel. The sign of inclusive leadership
is a workplace where everyone feels visible and
understood such that they can be themselves,
and that ‘everyone’ is made of up of a diverse
group of people.
What is your message to leaders
on inclusion and what would you
like to see in the future?
How can technology help change
the profile of under-represented
groups in business?
Technology can be a positive tool for change only
when it reflects the communities it serves. As diverse
as the world is, we each have our own challenges
that technology can help in different ways. With
WERKIN, technology raises the visibility of under-
represented groups, changing who we see and the
teams we build.
Technology is the catalyst for these human
connections that can then be taken beyond the
screen. By opening up access to mentorship and
career development to more people, this builds new
Your PR should be more than PR. Your numbers
on representation, from gender to sexuality to
ethnic minorities to ability, should reflect your
public commitments to D&I. That means that
your D&I budgets should be more about career
development, creating opportunities for everyone,
than dedicated to PR.
Take a hard look at your company and ask the
tough questions. Who is represented there? How
does your company culture affect who is attracted to
work there, who gets hired and who gets promoted?
Put the work in to create career-development
programmes that create a sense of belonging that
will attract, support and retain the top talent,
which, more likely than not, will be a diverse
set of people.
Issue 4 - 2020
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