Diversity Q&A: ‘COVID-19 will have a massive impact on work-life balance’
Is the legal profession doing enough to promote D&I?
Over the past few years, there has been important progress in D&I in the legal sector as it is an issue that has been in the spotlight, and is now recognised as key in the development of talent and business success.
Many D&I organisations have testified about the importance of promoting gender equality to easily transition to the inclusion of other groups such as people with disabilities, the LGBT+ community and those from ethnic minority backgrounds.
However, the main ongoing challenge for any organisation is to achieve a truly inclusive culture so diverse people from all backgrounds develop a sense of belonging.
Will the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement accelerate change?
The movement has effectively opened up conversations on previously less visible issues, such as the career barriers stemming from social mobility and ethnicity. It has also generated greater awareness about the importance of expanding diversity strategies to ensure that a culture of D&I truly thrives.
What impact will COVID-19 have on D&I efforts?
The global lockdown has had a devastating impact on the economy and the priority of most companies has shifted from generating more income to remaining in business. Investing in developing D&I strategy has come to a momentary halt.
The article "The Shadow Pandemic: Violence against women during COVID-19", by UN Women, portrays how violence has increased in the wake of the pandemic and the importance of taking action.
The pandemic has highlighted issues relating to traditional gender-based roles in the home, and the distribution of household workloads and childcare.
Undoubtedly, these issues have tested the D&I programmes that law firms developed and we need to make the necessary adjustments to tackle the challenges that our circumstances demand.
However, there are positives too. Due to home working, I believe men have become more aware of the responsibilities women have, and of their multitasking capacities. I think they are stepping in more to help with household responsibilities and homeschooling.
This "imposed" home office has also helped challenge the previously commonly-held view that people need to be physically present in an office to carry out their work. COVID-19 will have a massive impact on the work-life balance of both men and women, as now the corporate world has been forced to grasp the perks and benefits of home working.
In Mexico, the LBGT+ community is also stressing how united it is, as temporary shelters have been created for members of the community rejected by their own families during the lockdown.
What are your hopes for D&I in the future?
It’s important for every organisation to grasp that D&I in the business world is here to stay; that it is a moral and a business imperative. D&I represents the next step not only in the transformation of an organisation’s culture but in the relationship we establish with our stakeholders, eg, clients, suppliers, allied associations, government institutions, universities and the media.
Véronique Durand-Rettally is a counsel and chair of Baker Mckenzie Mexico’s diversity and inclusion committee.
She is working on a mentoring programme for younger generations of attorneys and works pro bono with the disabled community in Mexico.
In this WIPR article, she shared her experiences of D&I in Mexico. She can be contacted at Veronique.Durand-Rettally@bakermckenzie.com
Despite recent efforts to promote gender equality in IP, and more broadly in STEM industries, the number of female inventors named on patent applications lags far behind their male peers.
Emily Collins, vice-president of San Francisco Liaison Office at Kilburn and Strode outlined the challenges for D&I within the patenting landscape in a WIPR Patents Live webinar, The Leaky Pipeline: Gender Inequality in Innovation and IP. To find out more about how to subscribe and to listen to the session, visit here.
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