PepsiCo's CEO, Indra Nooyi, was recently invited to speak at the Women of the World Summit and she used the platform to send out a very important message to working women across the globe. She said that women have to change the whole approach to supporting each other, taking advice from each other, and seeking it out.
Speaking to Anne-Marie Slaughter, president and CEO of the New America Foundation, and Norah O-Donnell, co-host of the show, CBS This Morning, Nooyi spoke on various issues. She was speaking on the various subjects that affect modern women including explored trends, approaches and policies—that can help women pursue their careers while balancing their household responsibilities.
"Let's figure out how we can help each other way more than we are today"
Nooyi, who has on previous occasions mentioned that she spent so much at work that her daughter would often sleep under the desk, was her usually vocal self and put across a very important point.
Here's what she said:
I will give you an example. This is from my own experience at Pepsi. Many times we're in a presentation and the guy is giving a presentation, not going so well, so we call a break. They go to the men's room. 'Hey Bill, that was awful, your presentation. Fix it man. Don't gesture so much'. Little fist bump, they come back and Bill's doing fine.
Woman does a terrible job and you walk into the women's room and you go, 'you know Mary, that was terrible, what were you doing?' 'God she's so bitchy'. No! I'm trying to give you constructive feedback. So what we do is, we assume feedback from women mean something is wrong, if the same feed back came from men, we'd accept it. Or worse still, we don't give the feedback the way we should.
Even though we know they're not doing well because we go, 'good she's struggling, I can take that position'. I think we have to change our whole approach to supporting each other, taking advice from each other, seeking it out. One thing I feel very badly about is all my mentors in my life have been male. But then I sit back and say maybe I came into the work force at a different time. Let's figure out how we can help each other way more than we are today.
Incidentally, during this discussion she also commented the disparity women often face in their workplace.
We have been in this revolution for decades. First it was just getting entry into this boy's club.... We clawed our way into this revolution at workplace, then we needed parity at pay. Not yet there, we are still fighting for that. We have to have equal treatment. We need to be treated as equals. I hate to be called 'honey' and 'sweetie' and 'babe.' That has to change," she says.
"Lean in, pull people up, we've done that too."
Daycare for babies at PepsiCo
It was reported that Nooyi's company was also working towards building daycare centres for sick babies. "I think we ought to lobby Washington like hell," she said on getting a tax break for companies that provide the facility of daycare to their employees.
Read: 7 traits parents of successful kids have
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