WHAT WILL THE AUDIENCE LEARN?
Our audience will learn why applying DEI and strategic initiatives can benefit both the female workforce and the companies who employ them!
EPISODE SUMMARY:
Too many smart, talented women who left the workforce to raise children are unable to find jobs that match their credentials and lifestyle commitments when they try to return. Not enough is being done to retain, retrain or re-engage this fundamental talent pool. Companies that once hired and trained these incredible women now suffer from an intense loss of headcount and huge drain of hiring and training resources, too.
On Tuesday, November 29, join me and my guest, Rita Kakati-Shah, CEO / Founder of Uma, to discuss how we can challenge the status quo, break with the mold, and work with like-minded employers to create opportunities that match the credentials and lifestyle goals of these powerful women. Learn why applying DEI and strategic initiatives can benefit both the female workforce and the companies who employ them!
Rita’s Profile: linkedin.com/in/rita-kakati
Twitter: @BeBoldBeUma
Website: https://beboldbeuma.com/
Tune in for this informative conversation at TalkRadio.nyc
By Segment
SEGMENT 1
0:42 – 13:12 – Eric welcomes his guest, Rita Kakati-Shah. He introduces the topic for today’s episode, empowering women in the workforce. Rita is the CEO / Founder of Uma, an international platform empowering confidence, success, and resilience in women and minorities. Most recently, she was an honoree of the president’s Lifetime Achievement Award from U.S president Joe Biden. Rita says that she was in finance for 10 years doing sales trading. She was one of the very few women in her team and in the field at the time. She fell into DEI (diversity equity inclusion) by being who she was. Rita says that she has always been a very social person and wants to learn and help people as well as bringing people together. She mentions DEI meaning to make people feel like they belong. She talks about loving to travel, which brought her to New York, where she settled down, got married and had children. When talking to her boss at the time, she was discussing with them on what to do in terms of maternity leave which was challenging for her. For 3 or 4 years, she decided to focus on raising her children, something that she says taught her things like communication and negotiation which isn’t taught in the paid salary workforce. This led her to create Uma. Her goal was to understand how she can bring women and minorities together to be recognized.
SEGMENT 2
15:25 – 29:11 – Rita talks about the impact of challenges such as women leaving the workforce to raise children and how they are impacted when reentering the workforce. She says that one of the challenges faced is confidence because they would’ve been away from their job for a long time. She also mentions the bond built between a parent and child which leads to the other challenge; the balance between a full time job and still being a parent. Rita also mentions the challenge that comes for employers when they don’t accommodate the needs of these women and even men who are parents. They lose a lot of the talent pool during these times of leave but also after if they do not adapt. Rita talks about gender equality because everyone needs to work together to find this balance as the challenges faced are something that everyone goes through, especially when the workplace nowadays can be hybrid. Eric says that DEI is actually about everyone benefitting. The employer benefits from the employee’s morale and being able to work with full capacity and the employee benefits from having their work-life balance.
SEGMENT 3
31:11 – 45:10 – Eric asks Rita about what companies she sees that have stepped up their hiring and training initiatives towards hiring working mothers or those reentering the workforce. She says that it depends on the area of the workforce such as academia, finance, etc. she also says that the level of flexibility is also important. The post pandemic workforce is something that also has an impact on hiring as Rita mentions how employees are pushing back on going to work in person sometimes as working from home or having a hybrid schedule is more beneficial. But there are many companies who also see the benefit and are flexible with this. Rita also mentions that when looking at which company to work for, you should also look at how their environment is like and how this relates to your lifestyle. Another thing Rita says that companies and leaders should be doing more is exercising their “Decency Quotient.” It’s the genuine desire to do right by others. She talks about a real life example of an employer accommodating with a mother who tries to balance work and have time to pick up their kids from school. In this example, she says that the employer still sees people leaving their job and questions it. So the point Rita makes is that you want to think about the whole team and try to accommodate everyone’s needs with their time and lifestyle. Eric and Rita encourage employers and business owners to think about what they can do for their employees to have a better work-life balance.
SEGMENT 4
47:15 – 57:21 – Rita talks more about her company, Uma. She says that it’s an international platform and their headquarters is in New York. It’s a strategic platform that works across different industries. She says that in her work, she talks with companies about DEI issues and other kinds of issues. But she says that most of the time the root causes of them are something different, which is where their training comes into play to bring people together and make sure voices are being heard and that the environment is the kind where people feel a sense of belonging while being themselves. Their training is brought out based on the issue and what’s needed to be worked on. Rita also shares about her book, The Goddess of Go-Getting. She says that it’s almost like an extension of Uma and what they do and preach. Rita also shares that the name Uma came from the Hindu goddess, Uma. She depicts the many roles that we all have in our lives. You can find more about Rita Kakati-Shah at ritakakatisha.com, beboldbeuma.com. Rita is also on Instagram, Twitter, and Linkedin. You can find Uma on social media by searching for “be bold be uma”.
About Employment Law Today
Helping Business With Employment Law Issues.
For many business owners, it can be overwhelming to keep up and comply with the federal and state labor and employment laws that govern how they run their business. With the COVID-19 pandemic, there are new laws and regulations regarding hiring, firing, and workplace practices and protocols — all of which can increase business owners’ anxieties about regaining traction or thriving again. On my weekly show, we will be discussing the most common employment law related questions and challenges that business owners have been facing in these uncertain times.
The show will have three main goals: (1) to inform businesses about employment law updates, (2) to inspire businesses by giving them the tools to move forward, and (3) to demonstrate how some business owners have overcome their employment law problems, walked through the challenges imposed by this pandemic, and have taken steps to regain traction during the reopening phases of this pandemic.
Our guests will include professionals who advise businesses from an H.R., legal, and financial perspective, along with thriving business owners who will share their experiences and insights into running a successful company while complying with labor and employment law mandates during COVID-19.