Emmalotte Smit, auteur op Esther Mollema

Giving compliments: a small act with a big impact!

This is the second column in the #InclusieDoen series. We want to move away from merely talking about inclusion in organizations and instead focus on practical actions. Today’s column explores how giving compliments more often can help you, others, and your team! Interested in doing more #InclusieDoen? We’re here to help. Over the coming weeks, we’ll actively support you in developing more inclusive habits. With short videos and reminders via WhatsApp, you’ll receive tips and guidance. And during this initial phase, it’s completely free! You can find all columns here.

This week, I received a very kind and detailed email following a training session with a new client. The client specifically pointed out what they appreciated about the workshop from the day before. Honestly, I already knew the training had gone exceptionally well, but I was still surprised at how happy the email made me. Of course, I know from research that giving compliments works, but experiencing it firsthand remains something special.

Compliments aren’t just friendly words; they truly have an impact. Did you know that in organizations where employees and managers value one another, people are 35% more energized to achieve results? Moreover, employees in such environments are 15 times more likely to become high performers.

Neuroscientific research even shows that compliments are processed in the brain in the same way as financial rewards. They activate the reward system, evoke positive emotions, boost self-confidence, and foster stronger connections between people.

Yet many people feel insecure about giving compliments. They worry about whether they’re expressing them correctly. Research also shows they often underestimate how much a compliment will positively affect the recipient.

The key to giving a good compliment is sincerity and warmth. Choose something specific, no matter how small, that you genuinely appreciate. Don’t overthink it, as the moment to truly make someone feel good can pass quickly.

Make the compliment as personal as possible (“Your creativity makes this presentation truly unique” instead of “Good presentation”). Support your words with non-verbal cues like a smile and eye contact. Also, try to learn how the recipient prefers to receive compliments. Some appreciate public recognition, while others prefer compliments in private.

Just like nourishment, people have a constant need to feel seen and appreciated. Train yourself to give compliments more frequently and make it a habit.

Want to practice this? Join our 30 Seconds to Inclusivity Program. Find more information here.

#Compliments #WorkplaceJoy #InclusiveLeadership #TinyHabits #OrganizationalCulture #Impact

Sources:

“A Simple Compliment Can Make a Big Difference,” Erica Boothby, Xuan Zhao, and Vanessa Bohns, HBR, 2021
Gartner 2023 Building an Organization of Great Managers Survey

When women are in majority, men still lead.

by Emmalotte Smit

It seems so logical that when many female talents are employed within an organization, more women will naturally move up to top positions. But is that really the case? We conducted research to find out.

Image by HBR/ EschCollection/Getty Images

Our initial exploration led us to a publication from Harvard Business Review (HBR) in April 2024. It reported that in the non-profit sector in the United States, where the majority of employees are women, female representation at the top is often lacking. The publication also revealed that the higher the revenue, the more often men are in charge. We were curious to see how this plays out in the Netherlands, so we conducted research on fifty ANBIs (Public Benefit Organizations) with the highest revenue within the non-profit sector, specifically in education and healthcare. These are sectors in our country where it has been proven that more women work than men.

And to go straight to the conclusions: we see the same pattern in the Netherlands. Despite the fact that the majority of employees in these sectors at all levels are women, the percentage of women in the leadership of these organizations is also lower in the Netherlands. As in the American HBR study, we observed a decline in the percentage of women in the upper layers of the organization. We also found that in the Netherlands, the choice for the highest leadership position is less often made in favor of female talent as the organization grows larger and generates more revenue.

You could say that although more women than men work in these organizations and they are eligible for leadership roles, they are more often stuck below the top. This phenomenon is also known as the Glass Escalator Effect: men seem to stand on a symbolic escalator to the top, while that escalator is missing for women, hindering their career progression. As a result, men have easier access to top positions, even when they work in industries where they are underrepresented. Why is this the case?

The HBR study suggests that this symbolic escalator for men is due to unconscious biases: the unconscious belief that men are better leaders and the assumption that as an organization grows larger, men are best suited to manage it. The association of male traits with leadership qualities remains strong (albeit unconsciously), and we see this reflected in the results of our mindbug tests in the Netherlands. These tests show that 81% of participants (n=19,004, both men and women) have an unconscious preference for a man as a leader, even though 96% of them indicated beforehand that they do not make distinctions in gender for leadership positions. Additionally, men who take on traditionally female roles (such as becoming a nurse) are often excessively praised for doing so. Click here for more details.

The Glass Escalator Effect in the Netherlands: Our Research

Our research within the same sectors in the Netherlands confirmed the American results, as shown in the figures below. First, we see that the overrepresentation of women in these sectors is not reflected in the boards of these organizations: the percentage of women in the top remains below or around 50%. We also observe that the percentage of women in leadership positions within the sector decreases as revenue increases. This is evident in the comparison between the top 10 organizations with the highest revenue and the ten organizations with the lowest revenue.

Category	General Average % Women	Average % Women in Board of Directors	% Women in Top 10 Organizations by Revenue	% Women in Bottom 10 Organizations by Revenue	Average % Women as Chair of the Board	% Women as Chair in Top 10 Organizations by Revenue	% Women as Chair in Bottom 10 Organizations by Revenue
Higher Education	76.8%*	51.3%	46.6%	55.0%	52.0%	40%	50%
Healthcare Institutions	53.3%**	47.6%	42.5%	48.3%	42.0%	40%	55%

* Reported by 16 out of 25 organizations ** Reported by 9 out of 25 organizations

Lastly, our research shows that the overrepresentation of women in these sectors does not result in a higher number of female chairs of the board of directors. In fact, the likelihood of this decreases as revenue grows. This percentage also remains below or around 50%.

These are striking results given the consistent overrepresentation of women in the non-profit sector [1]. In summary, we conclude that the highest positions, even within ANBI organizations, are disproportionately awarded to men, despite the presence of many female employees and talents in these sectors. The ‘glass escalator’ phenomenon also exists in the Netherlands.

Finally, this: In our research and this article, we focused on the ‘glass escalator’ effect, highlighting the difference in opportunities for men and women in the non-profit sector in the Netherlands. The HBR article also explored this effect in the context of ethnicity. You can find that HBR study and the recommendations they provided here.

[1] Explanation of the general male-female distribution

Although every ANBI organization reports on the composition of its board and chairs in their annual report or on their website, not every organization reports on the general male-female ratio. The organizations that do report on this show a clear picture: the majority of employees are women. To validate these figures, we compared our data with publicly available statistics for the sectors we studied.

A Deep Bow to TU Eindhoven

by Emmalotte Smit

A Deep Bow to TU Eindhoven Professor and Diversity Coordinator Evangelia Demerouti and Former Rector Frank Baaijens

Their Irène Curie Plan, named after Marie Curie’s daughter, put an end to the unequal distribution between men and women among the academic staff at TU Eindhoven.

After many attempts to correct the imbalance, this plan proved effective: as of July 1, 2019, professor positions were exclusively open to women for the first six months. All flexibility was put to an end. Naturally, there was significant resistance. The majority group fiercely opposed the plan. Four months after its implementation, 54 men had filed complaints with the anti-discrimination bureau Radar and the Dutch Human Rights Commission (CVRM).

Image by Lin Woldendorp via the Volkskrant

Although the plan had to be adjusted slightly, it largely proceeded as intended, with excellent results five years later.

Read the article for all the details.

This article was previously published on Esther’s LinkedIn page. Want to follow Esther’s thoughts on current events there? Click here. Esther is a Certified Top Voice on LinkedIn.

Just kidding, it was just a joke?

by Emmalotte Smit

Image: De Gelderlander/ De Luizenmoeder Avrotros

Humor is important and useful, especially in the workplace. It is a universal phenomenon that can encourage, entertain, and connect people. But things can go wrong if not everyone finds a joke funny; if it comes at someone else’s expense, attacks them, or causes harm. This can cause polarization in your company, requiring awareness from both the comedians and the audience.

An apparently innocent, but actually racist or discriminatory joke, can have significant consequences. According to Dutch humor researcher Zijp, people with an “it’s just a joke” mentality often miss something essential: the realization that humor can indeed have an impact. Why?

Often, laughter comes from jokes that test the moral and social boundaries of people, sometimes crossing them. If jokes in your team are on the edge (or even cross it), Zijp identifies two risks: first, the content of the joke can become normalized, and second, the standard for what’s acceptable can shift. This is not conducive to a healthy work environment.

Here’s how it works: regardless of your political beliefs, discriminatory or racist jokes have a normalizing effect on your brain. Just by hearing Theo Maassen make an edgy joke, you might find a similar comment from a colleague less strange. It seems logical, right, since Maassen got a thunderous applause for it? And Johan Derksen remains on television despite the monthly controversies surrounding his remarks, which shifts the standard for what’s acceptable. In your own organization, jokers unconsciously influence what’s considered okay to say. The more authority they have, the more likely we are to accept what they say. And the more laughter they receive, the quicker this new standard becomes part of the corporate culture.

Yes, even those who laugh along have an impact. Many colleagues will laugh at jokes that are near the edge out of discomfort or relief that they are above such comments. But it’s striking that those same colleagues still laugh heartily at racist jokes. Take, for example, Luizenmoeder, a confrontational series that received a lot of praise, in which discriminatory jokes fly at you. If ‘De Klimop’ were a miniature version of your organization, wouldn’t you find it concerning if jokes about a Black father “probably being the cleaner” and his adopted daughter not being able to speak Dutch at four were accepted as harmless comedy?

Before you go on the defensive: I know that Luizenmoeder was created to hold a mirror to us and that the reflection it provides has a purpose. But even if you don’t mean it that way as a joker, you should realize the possible side effects of your frequent jokes at others’ expense. There’s a risk in how people interpret humor. This is called the Archie Bunker Effect, named after a fictional white racist bully in the 1970s TV series “All in the Family.” The creators portrayed Bunker as a caricature, but the show’s success had an unexpected side effect: conservative viewers began to identify with Bunker as their hero, causing this unintended ideology to gain traction.

Perhaps there’s a Theo Maassen, a Juf Ank, or an Archie Bunker at your workplace? Who sometimes makes terrible, cringe-worthy remarks under the guise of a joke, which might lead colleagues to make similar racist or discriminatory comments? If so, understand that this changes the norm.

What can you do about it?

As an organization, you need to take responsibility for defining and maintaining the company’s norms and culture. Involve all employees actively, making DEI an integral part of onboarding and annual training. Consider making inclusion and exclusion training, and the role of humor within them, mandatory for promotions, or linking personal goals to inclusion. This way, the company sends a clear message: jokes and behavior that don’t align with our norms don’t belong here and have consequences.

To effectively address the problem, a daily approach is also required, to which every employee can contribute. Encourage a culture where employees dare to call out discriminatory jokes so they don’t find a foothold. Make it clear that those who laugh along are also partially responsible for the exclusion the joke causes. If you’re not actively working on inclusion, you’re unconsciously working on exclusion. A joke that doesn’t come at someone else’s expense is delightful, especially in the workplace. Make sure humor brings people together instead of dividing them.

One Inclusive Habit A Day…

by Emmalotte Smit

Recently, Emmalotte has immersed herself in the Tiny Habits method by Stanford professor BJ Fogg. Her certification training yielded a key insight: you can integrate inclusive behavior into your routine by developing… habits. And that’s great because building a good team where everyone can thrive and contribute often comes down to how you interact with each other in the small moments.

We are also happy to share five tips with you to work on developing inclusive habits:

#1 Make what you want to change very small.

Often, when we think about wanting to be more inclusive, we see it in ‘all-or-nothing’ terms. Instead, try to find small, meaningful habits that fit you and what you want to achieve, and make sure they fit into your daily routine. For example, resolve to ask for the opinion of a colleague who has said little at the end of each meeting. Or decide that after you have given feedback, you also ask for feedback from your colleague. If you make a habit small and carry it out very consistently, it becomes a fixed part of your daily routine. This can also create motivation to work on even more or other related things. This way, it only takes a little effort and attention each day to build and maintain your good habits.

#2 Discover what motivates you.

Imposing behavior on yourself or others is not effective for achieving sustainable behavioral change. So within the theme of inclusion, explore where your personal focus and interests lie and choose habits that are feasible for you. For example, you might find it too challenging right now to stand up for someone who is regularly interrupted, but you naturally enjoy connecting with your colleagues. Consider starting with a habit that is more in line with what you already do, such as focusing on what you have in common with others during your usual lunch break, instead of highlighting the differences. Such an approach can eventually give you the confidence to take on other challenges.

#3 Not being bound by limiting identities.

People often tell themselves that they are not someone who ‘…’. For example, some do not see themselves as social or view themselves as conflict-averse. This ensures that habits that do not match this self-image, this self-imposed identity, are not fully embraced by the brain. In psychology, we call this cognitive dissonance: you unconsciously want your ideas about yourself to match how you act. Consider the effect it can have if you ignite a new inclusive identity within yourself. If you genuinely believe that you are an ‘engaged colleague’ or an ‘ally’ for minorities, then you will act accordingly. And with your new habits, you cultivate a piece of that new identity.

#4 You change best by feeling good.

Did you know that a habit especially sticks when it makes you feel good? That good feeling ensures that the behavior secures a permanent spot in your brain. Therefore, we encourage you to celebrate your successes, no matter how small. To magnify them. So, make it a habit to acknowledge and celebrate the successful execution of your inclusive habits. This way, with the help of the feeling of success—not to be confused with its size—you can increase your confidence and motivation to continue with your new habits.

#5 Bonus: Take these tips with you when you want to help others.

If you want to inspire colleagues to develop inclusive habits as well, it’s valuable to apply these tips in your approach. Take Tip 2 (Help people to do what motivates them) and Tip 4 (People change best when they feel good) as your basic principles. Encourage colleagues to come up with their own ways to work on inclusion, instead of imposing behavior. And celebrate each other’s successes together. It’s crucial to support each other and to feel good while striving for more inclusion. You can also help colleagues by employing Tip 1 (Make it small) and Tip 3 (Adopt new identities). Explain that by making habits smaller, they are executable every day. You can also contribute to forming inclusive identities with targeted compliments like: ‘It’s great how engaged you are with me!’, ‘You always know so well what’s going on with everyone’ or ‘I admire how you stand up for what is needed’.

We hope these tips will help you turn big plans for inclusion into everyday behavior.