Support Women’s History Month at Work

March is Women’s History Month; which means it’s time to celebrate the women in your office! As employers are finally starting to adopt more diversity and inclusion programs, it’s important to show your support of workplace equality. Women have come a long way over the last 50 years. It’s hard to believe that women only began to enter professions like medicine, law, dental, and business in the 1970s. Take this time to celebrate women’s accomplishments! Here are 3 ideas to show your support of Women’s History Month at work this year:

Let a woman know she inspires you!

Reach out to a woman you admire or look up to and let them know how inspirational they are and what you’ve learned from them. Positive reinforcement goes a long way in the workplace. This is also a great opportunity to build relationships, network, and learn from a colleague.

Take time to self-reflect.

Take time to reflect on how you may have gender bias, and think about the language that you use in meetings, water cooler talk, and day-to-day conversations. Whether we realize it or not, gender-biased language crops up a lot in the workplace. Think of new phrases and ways of saying things that are more inclusive and foster equality and respect in the workplace.

Give women a platform to speak.

Invite women to speak about their experiences. Many women are often quiet about gender-bias in the workplace because they are afraid to be labeled as a “complainer,” or even blamed for incidents that happened to them.  Give women a safe place to talk about their experiences and share advice. These conversations are important. Unless we bring problems to light, and discuss them openly, negative behaviors will continue. Without awareness, we cannot make progress.