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A new survey of over 100 women in leadership roles across Aotearoa New Zealand sheds light on the gender inequities and inequality that remain pervasive in the workplace, impacting women’s career performance and advancement, mental health, wellbeing, and relationships. The survey by leadership development practice, Leadership for Good, highlights the scale of the issue – 61% of respondents say they feel gender equality and equity in the workplace is the same or worse than it was five years ago. When asked if they had experienced any of the following scenarios in the workplace within the past 12 months, survey respondents said they ‘often’ or ‘very often’: faced challenges balancing work and personal life (71%) received unequal pay for equal work (61%) had a lack of mentorship or sponsorship opportunities (54%) encountered gender bias in favour of men in promotion decisions (48%). The challenges don’t end there. Many of the women surveyed continue to experience microaggression – a subtle, and sometimes unintentional, expression of bias or discrimination – which is proven to have a profound impact on individuals. In the last year, the following occurred for respondents ‘often’ or ‘very often’: had something explained to them in a condescending manner (49%) had their ideas claimed, dismissed or ‘elevated’ by a male colleague (42%) were excluded from important meetings or decision-making processes (39%) • experienced jokes or comments that stereotype or belittle women (31%) received unprofessional comments about their appearance, demeanour or emotional state (29%). Dr Sue Watson, Leadership for Good founder and programme director, says that while disappointing, the results reflect what she and her colleagues have been hearing from women in leadership positions across the country.  “We chose to do the survey to benchmark the recurring issues that are still commonplace with the women we work with, who are in […]

11 strategies are highlighted as crucial to reach up to 80% reduction in emissions, with integrated energy management playing a more substantial role than classic retrofits. The World Economic Forum has released a report proposing a $1.8 trillion global market opportunity through the decarbonisation of buildings by 2030. The report identifies 11 strategies to reduce building emissions by 80%, emphasising the crucial role of advanced technologies, including integrated energy management. “It was only a matter of time until we see AI-driven platforms highlighted in the most influential reports. They enable real-time optimization of building energy systems, managing data from thousands of sensors to ensure peak efficiency,” said Donatas Karčiauskas, CEO of Exergio, a leading company in the Baltics that focuses on AI-based building energy performance solutions. “This approach aligns perfectly with the WEF’s strategies, facilitating significant emission reductions and operational improvements.” The report identifies integrated energy management as a critical strategy for achieving a collective 80% reduction in emissions. For the first time, it was placed as more important than insulation or traditional renovations. Owners and investors are now encouraged to invest in digitalisation to capture operational-cost savings, architects and engineers are urged to deploy energy management systems, and utilities and operators are advised to provide technology and services to generate new revenue streams and build synergy with renewable development. “As energy performance platform providers, we know that investing in digitalisation and AI-based solutions is not just about cutting costs anymore; it’s about unlocking new revenue streams and creating long-term value,” Karčiauskas emphasized. “Achieving up to 20% in energy savings is a common practice for us, however, we also see increased user satisfaction in the buildings whose energy performance is controlled using AI solutions.” Alongside integrated energy management, key strategies highlighted in the report include upgrading heating and cooling systems, […]

Entrepreneurship is often viewed as a way of enhancing work-life balance and flexibility, but for many female founders the reality is quite different, according to a study that explores why women leave their businesses and the emotional effects of doing so. Researchers Dr Janine Swail (University of Auckland) and Dr Susan Marlow (University of Nottingham) undertook in-depth interviews with 16 female founders in the UK and discovered that all of the participants left their businesses due to personal reasons rather than financial or performance issues. These reasons were related to gendered caregiving responsibilities for children or elderly parents. Of the study participants, those who had or were planning to have children said this was their main reason for leaving or selling their business. In addition to maternal caring responsibilities being a key driver in many of the women’s decisions to leave or sell their businesses, tensions around household finances were an issue and many of the business owners found themselves dealing with a trade-off between hours invested in the business and those in the household. Faced with such financial implications, the participants highlighted the penalties and issues with using entrepreneurship as a route to flexible working and work-life balance. The study authors say the popular perception of entrepreneurship as providing a pathway for making a decent income while offering greater flexibility and choice regarding how, when, and where to work can be dangerous. Dr Swail says almost all the study participants had strong negative emotions directly after exit including feelings of failure when shutting down or leaving their businesses. “There needs to be a more nuanced view of entrepreneurship and self-employment, and people need to have difficult and realistic conversations in their households about what it takes to set up and run a business, especially when you have, or are […]