LaFawn Bailey, Global Head of Culture & Inclusion, PayPal
Gender equality is not just a women’s issue. It will take all of us to create an inclusive workplace environment where involvement, respect, collaboration and connections are cultivated. We believe that when you have inclusion in your workforce, diversity will come. And that taking a different approach to this issue, will get us different results.
Founded in 2007, Unity is one of our employee-led communities whose mission is to help women thrive at PayPal, provide them with growth opportunities and help the next generation explore the world of technology. We want to take that to the next level and not only engage men, but to build a critical mass of commitment by inspiring action and sharing stories of the opportunities.
The conversation is simple. How can we—men and women—educate ourselves on the value of diversity to create a more inclusive workplace? How can we amplify our culture, so that working families are more supported? And, how do we work together so that all of us can have equal opportunities to advance?
Some members of the PayPal online community raised important questions about an upcoming event in our Unity Speaker Series. The event is called Gender Equality and Inclusion in the Workplace: A Conversation with Our Male Allies, and is part of a series on promoting gender equality in the workplace. Since we recognize that this is not just a women’s issue, we invited a group of male executives at PayPal to participate in the conversation and to share their perspective on the role men play in achieving equality.
Since this is an all-male panel sharing their experiences and support, some people saw and questioned the wisdom behind the line-up on women’s equality. This is understandable on face value. We should have emphasized that the women in our community will also be full participants in the discussion. In light of the feedback we’ve received, we have also asked the President of our women’s Unity group and the event host, Nolwenn Godard, to moderate the panel discussion.
As a leader in culture and inclusion, I recognize that for men to be catalyst for change, we have to create an environment for honest dialog to occur. Our hope is that this event, which is open to all PayPal employees, will provide a different perspective and spur advocacy around gender balance. We are committed to advancing, cultivating and preserving a culture of inclusion and diversity because it makes us a stronger, more successful company, and because it is the right thing to do. The collective sum of the individual differences, life experiences, knowledge, inventiveness, innovation, self-expression, unique capabilities and talent that our employees invest in their work represents a significant part of our culture and our values. This event is an example of us putting our values into action and I am proud of the steps we’re taking to engage both women and men in the conversation.