How to Push for Policy Changes at Your Company | Women at Work | Podcast

When you have an idea for a change that would make your workplace better for women, where do you begin? How can you push for a childcare stipend, a company-wide pay audit, a more comprehensive health care plan, or an ombuds office? If you instigate the change, do you have to be the face of it? What are the other roles you can play?Two experts in systemic, organizational change explain the behind-the-scenes strategizing, relationship building, and risk management that should happen before approaching the people in charge, who will then need to support, fund, and build out the proposal. And because sustaining a grassroots initiative requires motivating a bunch of volunteers, they also share tried-and-true ways to keep everyone invested in the cause, aligned, and on track.Guests: Lily Zheng is a diversity, equity, and inclusion strategist and executive coach. Their latest book is DEI Deconstructed: Your No-Nonsense Guide to Doing the Work and Doing It Right: https://www.amazon.com/DEI-Deconstructed-No-Nonsense-Guide-Doing/dp/1523002778 Ashley Lewis is the assistant director of the UAW’s women’s department and a national vice president for the Coalition of Labor Union Women.Resources:• “To Avoid DEI Backlash, Focus on Changing Systems — Not People,” by Lily Zheng: https://hbr.org/2022/09/to-avoid-dei-backlash-focus-on-changing-systems-not-people • “Dig, Bridge, Collectively Act,” by Tina Opie and Beth A. Livingston: https://hbr.org/2022/09/dig-bridge-collectively-act • “How Leaders Get in the Way of Organizational Change,” by Ron Carucci: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzAU8TPKsJuaAB5es_0HRC15kMDrjDEhV • “Cultivating Everyday Courage,” by James R. Detert: https://hbr.org/2018/11/cultivating-everyday-courage • “How to Figure Out How Much Influence You Have at Work,” by Maxim Sytch: https://hbr.org/2019/02/how-to-figure-out-how-much-influence-you-have-at-work Sign up for the Women at Work newsletter: https://hbr.org/email-newsletters?movetile=womenatwork Email us: womenatwork@hbr.orgListen to all Women at Work episodes here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzAU8TPKsJuaAB5es_0HRC15kMDrjDEhV You can also listen to this episode on HBR.org, and wherever you listen to podcasts: - HBR.org (transcript available here): https://hbr.org/podcast/2022/11/how-to-push-for-policy-changes-at-your-company - Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-to-push-for-policy-changes-at-your-company/id1336174427?i=1000587009767 - Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6RJw1Dr7a6ruoEXJ8zTlXa?si=3b9cb914537942df - Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/women-at-work/episode/how-to-push-for-policy-changes-at-your-company-208792308 - Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL2ZlZWRzLmhhcnZhcmRidXNpbmVzcy5vcmcvaGFydmFyZGJ1c2luZXNzL3dvbWVuLWF0LXdvcms/episode/dGFnOmF1ZGlvLmhici5vcmcsMjAxOC0wMS0xNzp3b21lbi1hdC13b3JrLnM4LjAwMDA2?sa=X&ved=0CAgQuIEEahcKEwiYnf7Ej8L7AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQLA Series Description: Women face gender discrimination throughout our careers. It doesn't have to derail our ambitions — but how do we prepare to deal with it? There's no workplace orientation session about narrowing the wage gap, standing up to interrupting male colleagues, or taking on many other issues we encounter at work. So HBR staffers Amy Bernstein, Amy Gallo, and Emily Caulfield are untangling some of the knottiest problems. They interview experts on gender, tell stories about their own experiences, and give lots of practical advice to help you succeed in spite of the obstacles.About Harvard Business Review: Harvard Business Review is the leading destination for smart management thinking. Through its flagship magazine, books, and digital content and tools published on HBR.org, Harvard Business Review aims to provide professionals around the world with rigorous insights and best practices to help Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices