In this episode of the Inclusive Career Conversations podcast, host Zoe Haydn Jones speaks with gender equity advocate Jeremy Stockdale about his journey to becoming a passionate ally. They discuss the importance of active listening, unconscious biases, and taking a holistic long-term approach to creating truly inclusive workplaces.

Jeremy shares how education and using privilege to amplify underrepresented voices can help drive positive change. The conversation provides actionable insights for individuals and organizations looking to advance gender equality.

Here are five key learnings

1. The importance of active listening and creating space for diverse perspectives, especially from women.

2. How to be a better ally through education, curiosity, and using privilege to amplify underrepresented voices.

3. Common unconscious biases like interrupting women in conversations and how to develop self-awareness.

4. The value of taking a long-term, holistic approach to creating inclusive workplaces through commitment, strategic initiatives and connecting to organizational purpose/values.

5. Personal stories of allies like Jeremy Stockdale that show the positive impact of open-mindedness, reflection and ongoing learning when it comes to gender equity.

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In this episode, we sit down with Ben de Pfeiffer-Key an inclusion strategist and coach, to discuss his journey and insights on redefining the approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the fashion and retail industry. Key Takeaways:

• Ben shares his personal experiences navigating both welcoming and exclusive cultures within the fashion industry, which inspired his passion for creating more inclusive workplaces.
• He emphasizes the importance of aligning a brand's external messaging with its internal reality, ensuring that the employee experience matches the inclusive image the company projects.
• Ben highlights the need for brands to deeply understand their customer base and ensure their workforce reflects the diversity of their target audience, fostering a truly inclusive environment.
• He advocates for the power of listening to employee feedback, especially from marginalised groups, to identify areas for improvement and drive sustainable, long-term change.
• Ben encourages a curious and collaborative mindset, learning from other industries and embracing reverse mentorship to adapt to the evolving needs of younger generations.
• Throughout the conversation, Ben shares practical tips and real-world examples of how organizations can redefine their approach to DEI, moving beyond quick fixes and towards meaningful, impactful progress.

If you're a DEI professional, HR leader, or anyone interested in creating more inclusive workplaces, this episode is a must-listen. Tune in to hear Ben's insights and be inspired to take action in your own organization.

Download the Free Guide we have created based on this interview

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Transforming Workplaces for Neurodiverse Individuals Panelists:

• Cheryl Thompson - Leadership Coach
• Oliver McNevin - Founder, New Divergent
• Andrew Ward - Cybersecurity Professional

Moderator:

• Zoe Haydn Jones - Director and Founder, Jobs for Women and Jobs for Neurodiverse

Topics covered

Understanding Individuals Through Questions and Caring

• Cheryl shares her background in management and focus on understanding individuals
• Panelists discuss the importance of asking questions respectfully to gain understanding

Experiences in Cybersecurity and Learning Differences

• Andrew shares his experience working in cybersecurity and being diagnosed with dyslexia
• Panel discusses challenges with masking and self-discovery

Masking and Fitting In at Work

• Oliver discusses his diagnosis and experiences with the education system
• Importance of feeling authentic and reducing fear of judgment in the workplace

Creating Safe and Inclusive Work Environments

• Top-down leadership is key to implementing meaningful change
• Societal attitudes must shift to prioritize individuality and acceptance

Accommodations and Adjustments

• Panel provides examples of accommodations like communication preferences
• Employers should understand each employee's unique needs

Breaking Barriers in Recruitment

• Interview processes should focus on skills rather than extraneous criteria
• Candidates should feel empowered to showcase their strengths authentically

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Partner with Jobs for Women and Diverse Talent Jobs to reach a wider, more inclusive audience. From tailored job ads designed to engage diverse candidates to employer branding opportunities, including podcast sponsorship, we offer solutions that help you create a workplace where everyone can thrive. Whether you're looking to strengthen your team or build a more inclusive brand, we’ve got something for everyone

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Today we're diving into an important yet often overlooked topic - menstrual cycle awareness in the workplace. My guest is Lizzy Kurtzer, a menstrual cycle coach who works with businesses to create more inclusive policies and cultures around menstruation.

We discuss the importance of education for all genders, appointing menstrual champions, and ensuring period product access. Lizzy also provides tips for managers looking to start the conversation and suggestions for supportive policies beyond just menstrual leave. Whether you menstruate or not, this interview offers actionable insights for cultivating a period-positive environment where all employees can thrive.

Key takeaways

• Providing ongoing education and training for all employees about menstrual cycles to increase understanding and reduce stigma
• Appointing a "menstrual cycle champion" that staff can confidentially approach for support or guidance
• Ensuring access to period products in bathrooms to give people dignity and accessibility
• Exploring flexible working policies and well-being days that could complement a potential menstrual leave policy
• The importance of menstrual cycle awareness - knowing where you are in your cycle and what your needs may be to better support yourself and understand fluctuations

Connect with Lizz Kurtzer

Connect with Lizzy via LinkedIn

Lizzy works with organisations to educate about the menstrual cycle, how to support employees in the workplace, how to be inclusive when talking about periods, and create period and menstrual policies that support all people who bleed. Lizzie am passionate about menstrual cycle awareness in the workplace and support organisations to create period-positive cultures, where individuals are empowered to trust themselves and lead in their own, unique and authentic way.

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Partner with Jobs for Women and Diverse Talent Jobs to reach a wider, more inclusive audience. From tailored job ads designed to engage diverse candidates to employer branding opportunities, including podcast sponsorship, we offer solutions that help you create a workplace where everyone can thrive. Whether you're looking to strengthen your team or build a more inclusive brand, we’ve got something for everyone

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In today’s diverse workforce, it’s essential for companies to recognise and accommodate the unique needs of employees with various learning differences. One such difference is dyscalculia, a learning disorder characterised by difficulty in understanding and using numerical concepts. While dyscalculia is often associated with challenges in academic settings, its impact extends into the professional realm, affecting tasks such as budgeting, scheduling, and data analysis. In this blog, we’ll explore what dyscalculia is, its implications in the workplace, and strategies that companies can implement to support individuals with dyscalculia.

We interviewed Em Ledger, Product Manager at the BBC about her experiences of interviewing, living and working with Dyscalculia and we share her insights in this article to help you become an inclusive employer where you support prospective employees and your current employees.

Here are some top tips for supporting candidates at recruitment stage:

• Ask outright if someone needs additional support by listing potential neurodiverse conditions and adding brackets to explain what each one is. This might encourage someone who isn’t diagnosed to share what they struggle with e.g. if they struggle with numbers but are not aware they have Dyscalculia this opens the dialogue.
• Consider what you write on a job advert – does the job you are recruiting for really require a degree. It’s likely you don’t. Try using terminology such as “we welcome people with these skills”/.
• Let candidates know the process for the interview – prepping and planning helps people with different requirements.
• Give people advance warning – can you provide interview material ahead of time to address key concerns. Do they need to do a task on the spot or can they prep in advance.
• Be really clear and open about the process to set them up for success.

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Partner with Jobs for Women and Diverse Talent Jobs to reach a wider, more inclusive audience. From tailored job ads designed to engage diverse candidates to employer branding opportunities, including podcast sponsorship, we offer solutions that help you create a workplace where everyone can thrive. Whether you're looking to strengthen your team or build a more inclusive brand, we’ve got something for everyone

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Meet Susie Bould, a Marketing Manager in the Film Industry living with an invisible disability.

“It took me so long into being disabled to learn all that information that at the start, I just felt shame. And I just felt like, I didn’t want people to know and I didn’t want people to judge me and I was worried, I wouldn’t get employed, I was scared to mention it in interviews. It felt like this big elephant in the room to me… I think It did destroy my self-esteem. I felt very worthless for a long time.”

This is an eye-opening episode about living with an invisible disability, how to navigate work and what you can do as an employer to welcome disabilities and support your team.

Here's what we discussed.

Embracing Creativity and Overcoming Bias

Susie discussed the challenges she faced in her career, particularly around creativity and bias. She recalled an incident where she was told she wasn’t “creative enough,” a feedback that came unexpectedly after she disclosed her disability. Susie’s response highlights the importance of self-belief and confronting unconscious bias:

“I’m not gonna believe you now… I think the thing about unconscious bias is it’s unconscious. You haven’t acknowledged that and absorbed that yourself.”

The Power of Empathy and Management

As a manager, Susie emphasised the significant influence a leader has on their team’s daily life and overall work experience. She takes this responsibility seriously, aiming to provide opportunities for growth and learning:

“I take that responsibility, really seriously. And I want to find ways to give people opportunities, and see them grow and learn.”

Disability and Workplace Efficiency

Susie also spoke about how her experience as a disabled person has made her more efficient and empathetic in the workplace. She believes that the skills developed through managing her disability are highly transferable to her professional life:

“As a disabled person, It’s built into my DNA now… that’s what we’re all trying to do all the time. How can I drive efficiency in this space?”

The Evolution of Workplace Attitudes

Reflecting on her career journey, Susie noted the positive changes in workplace attitudes towards marginalized communities over the years. She acknowledges the broader social and cultural awareness that has grown, benefiting people who experience different forms of marginalization:

“Bigger movements… have become more socially and culturally aware of marginalized communities over the last 16 years.”

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Partner with Jobs for Women and Diverse Talent Jobs to reach a wider, more inclusive audience. From tailored job ads designed to engage diverse candidates to employer branding opportunities, including podcast sponsorship, we offer solutions that help you create a workplace where everyone can thrive. Whether you're looking to strengthen your team or build a more inclusive brand, we’ve got something for everyone

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We spoke to Leadership Coach Cheryl Thompson about her recent Autism and ADHD diagnosis, how neurodiversity has made her a lot of money and how real workplace inclusion means embracing individuality.

5 things you will learn from this podcast episode:

1. Cheryl Thompson shares her experience of being diagnosed with autism and ADHD later in life, and how understanding her neurodiversity has helped her career in finance and leadership coaching.

2. Effective leadership requires understanding human behavior and prioritising employee well-being over just technical skills. Leaders should care about their team members.

3. Neurodiversity can be viewed as a superpower - traits like curiosity, attention to detail, and systemisation can provide career advantages if supported in the right environment.

4.. Workplace inclusivity involves respecting individual differences, avoiding pressure to conform, and creating psychological safety for neurodiverse employees to be their authentic selves.

WORK WITH JOBS FOR WOMEN AND DIVERSE TALENT JOBS

Looking to attract more women, disabled, and neurodiverse talent to your organisation? STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE PODCAST AND ALL THINGS DEI - JOIN OUR MAILING LIST

Partner with Jobs for Women and Diverse Talent Jobs to reach a wider, more inclusive audience. From tailored job ads designed to engage diverse candidates to employer branding opportunities, including podcast sponsorship, we offer solutions that help you create a workplace where everyone can thrive. Whether you're looking to strengthen your team or build a more inclusive brand, we’ve got something for everyone

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