Michelle King is the former Director of Inclusion at Netflix and a leading global expert in gender equality and organisational culture. King is the Founder and Managing Director of Equality Forward, an organisation that provides companies with inclusion coaching, to foster equality in their workplace. She is the author of “The Fix: Overcome the Invisible Barriers that are Holding Women Back at Work”.
Over the last 2 decades, Michelle King has researched and analysed how equality works in the workplace. In this exclusive interview, she unpacks how to combat these issues, noting that “we cannot tackle inequality if marginalised groups are having to solve inequality that they never created” and the importance of holding leaders accountable for the cultures they create.
As Senior Advisor to the UN Foundation’s Girl Up campaign, she plays an important role in encouraging people to understand that when faced with discrimination at work, one needs to recognise they are not the problem, it’s the environment in which they find themselves, so “don’t internalise the inequality”.
Her extensive research has shown that women are socialised to make themselves believe they are less than in the workplace and that in “the first three years of working life, their confidence and ability to advance to senior leadership positions drops by more than 60%”.
King discusses why it is essential for companies to prioritise diversity and inclusion, as these corporations will not survive in the future world of work without doing so. This being said, it is also important for these companies to not just possess the knowledge of inclusion, but to truly understand and value it. Her next book focuses on this future world of work and the skills needed to thrive in it.
Video Timeline
- 00:16 – Who are you and what do you do?
- 00:58 – Your bestselling book, “The Fix”, empowers women in the workplace. What should women do to combat barriers they may face?
- 02:04 – You are the Senior Advisor to the UN Foundation’s Girl Up campaign. What would you say to your younger self, at the beginning of your career?
- 03:20 – Why is it so important for corporations to heavily prioritise diversity and inclusion?
- 04:55 – Which companies are pioneering in their approach to inclusion and diversity?
- 07:10 – Your upcoming book explores the future of work, and the skills employees need. What are the most prominent one’s in your opinion?
- 08:54 – What do you think organisations will focus on for the upcoming IWD (International Women’s Day)?
- 10:16 – What is next for you?
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