REVERSE MENTORING PROGRAMS
While ample data demonstrates the benefits of gender equality in the workplace, many employers struggle with translating good intentions into outcomes. As with most organisational change initiatives, the challenge in creating gender equal organisations is not merely in influencing how people think, but in influencing how people feel.
Based on research demonstrating the critical role of senior male leaders in advancing the cause of gender equality, Reverse Mentoring aims to help men understand - and feel - the need for cultural and systemic change to advance gender equality. Senior male leaders (mentees) are paired with female colleagues in a series of facilitated conversations aimed at personalising how gender can impact career progression and workplace experience. The results are profound; at the completion of a recent program, 100% of the mentees agreed that as a result of participation, they would be a stronger advocate for gender equality, and that they would recommend the Program to other men. Further, 80% of the mentees were able to identify specific actions that they had taken in relation to gender equality.