Valued at Work - Lauren Neal - REVIEW

Valued at Work by author Lauren Neal is a deep-dive into sexism in the workplace, particularly for Women in STEM – typically a male-dominated industry.

It’s a difficult thing, to discuss the complexities of every area of diversity in one short book. There’s so much to say about each sub-section, – such as racism, sexism, ableism, and more – with each needing their own nuances take. And there are so many ways to approach the topic – statistically? anecdotally? – that, again, it’s impossible to touch upon it all in one book.

Neal poses the topic as a fictitious conversation between two men who meet at an awards ceremony for Women in STEM. Many of the points are situations raised in the book are based upon people’s real life experiences, but have been adapted to not correspond with any specific individuals. Aware that she could not address all the aspects of inequality in a meaningful and in-depth way in the book, Neal chooses to focus on sexism, whilst sometimes bringing in other elements that go alongside it.

The book opens with a foreword by Neal’s mother, Seeta Neal, which provides a depth of meaning, background, and personality when approaching a topic such as this. To see a personal take on where the writing is coming from and the life experiences that may have led to the facts and opinions formed brings the book to another level. For Neal to have picked the woman who raised her to introduce the piece was an outstanding choice.

The two fictitious men that this conversation takes place between, Steve and Markus, both want to improve gender equity in the workplace, but have different understandings about the topic and how to go about it. Whilst Markus is actively talking to women in his workplace, conducting research, and coming up with action plans to reach gender equity, Steve is resuming his normal way of working, and has less genuine motives and is only looking for temporary fixes to tick boxes.

In there first conversation, Steve has the right idea – but he’s also naïve and lacking in personal understanding. He knows that ‘Leaders set the tone’ but doesn’t get how women can have anything to complain about if the men in the company aren’t complaining, too. Steve only thinks the important thing is the statistics being equal, that equal numbers means equality in the workplace. As Steve has been told that he needs a more diverse workplace for a more innovative business and thus higher profits, he at this point only seems to think that means diversity in numbers. Essentially, Steve is the epitome of: if the white man at the top wants diversity, then surely that means they’ll achieve diversity. However, other than meeting with Markus, he doesn’t put any effort in. He even says, ‘it looks like another box to tick’.

I was initially curious about Neal’s choice to hold this conversation between two men rather than two women, but it quickly began to make sense. Just as women are frequently ignored in the workplace, so are we about the topic of sexism. Steve’s initial response to the matters were: well, why didn’t they speak up? perhaps my company is just better than Markus’. This is despite his statistics proving him wrong. It took Markus listening to women and explaining it to Steve for Steve to understand. Maybe presenting this as a conversation between two men makes it more palatable. Maybe it’s a comment on how we need men to care, listen, and act for changes to be made.

In fact, it’s smart of Neal to frame the narrative this way. Steve respects the lessons being made to him – from Markus, it doesn’t feel as if he is personally being “attacked”. Likewise, a man reading this may feel more comfortable and willing to listen to having his prejudices explained to him by a man who is closer to understanding the issue.

This is a book I implore all workplace leaders to read. Acknowledge your unconscious bias and be active in improving your workplace for the betterment of your business and your team. An informative yet easy read, it will be beneficial to you!

 You can purchase Valued at Work by Lauren Neal here.