Ms. Alicia Tung opened the discussion with a review of the current market, where many companies are unable to create a more inclusive and representative working environment, and invited speakers to share their suggestions for starting or implementing related programs for these companies. Speakers also shared both their personal experiences and unique insights in the discussion.

Ms. Chang explained that the data DDI collected in 2018 showed that only 22% of executives in its surveyed companies were women. A major reason for this phenomenon is that there are still stereotypes of gender in the workplace culture of some companies. Therefore, companies need to help female leaders promote their talents and abilities and reduce or even eliminate the phenomenon of making decisions based on gender stereotypes instead of employee abilities.

Ms. Ellen Wu suggested that before implementing any initiatives regarding inclusive workplace culture, we should first ask ourselves “Why are we doing this?” In fact, workplaces should actively promote diversity and inclusion policies that are not only good for women but also good for men. In many cases, people assume that only female employees need to take time off to take care of their families and children. In reality, many male employees also shoulder the same responsibilities and therefore need the support of relevant corporate policies.

Ms. Angela Chen also shared how to promote and create a more gender-inclusive culture. For example, in response to the general phenomenon of more men and fewer women in the information technology industry, SAP cooperates with universities to target women who study software engineering. In addition, SAP is dedicated to helping autism. SAP launched the “Autism from Youth” program, designed simple computer courses, and taught interactively with autistic children. This helps them to make professional progress and also enables SAP employees to feel proud of their contribution.

After hearing the opinions from female leaders, there was also a male speaker, Mr. Gordon Xing, who shared his insights through an online call. He explained “as an organization, we also have a responsibility to promote a culture of gender inclusiveness. Agilent Technologies Global HR has a dedicated team responsible for D&I. The company also has various cultural evaluation programs such as an annual global leadership survey and research program. And also provides training courses for employees on the topic of unconscious bias, which reduces unconscious prejudice caused by gender stereotypes in the workplace.