#EmbraceEquity is the theme for International Women’s Day 2023 on the 8th of March.
“At Sagittarius, we pride ourselves on being cognitively diverse. This diversity means we look at customer challenges from myriad perspectives based on our life experiences. Our unique viewpoints are powered by our differences – our ages, races, beliefs and backgrounds, plus the genders and cultures we identify with. Among the most impactful is what it is to be a woman, both through a life lived and a career path followed.
In our business, we celebrate International Women’s day as a marker in the year to highlight the amazing women in our business that hold pivotal positions at all levels and, of course, do exceptional work all year round. Sagittarius strives to create a truly equal workplace where everyone can thrive and be their best self – to support those around them, fulfil their potential and deliver value and game-changing results for our clients.”
“It’s really important for me that we strive for change and continue to push for equity not only in the workplace but in life too. I have been affected by this in some of my roles during my career, and I don’t want this to be the case for women moving forward. It’s so crucial that we educate people to be inclusive to all people in life. This should be a prerequisite in the workplace. It’s been extremely poignant since I had my daughter; I would love for her to be judged on her skills and ability in life and not her gender. At Sagittarius, the senior leadership team is extremely open-minded and also has a broad spectrum within our thinking. We are really pushing to be better for our employees, and Equity and Diversity as always been top contenders for change and growth. We pride ourselves on having a high ratio of women in executive positions and really push our people to shoot for the top based on their skills and capability only” – Sangeeta Brady, Chief Delivery Officer at Sagittarius.
“To me, equity means supporting individuals based on their actual needs, taking into account any barriers or limitations that are unique to that person. Rather than a generic attempt to provide the same opportunities to everyone, people who need an additional hand up to reach their potential are given tailored support or the barriers that might only impact them be tackled. Sagittarius is the first company I have ever worked at with this amount of diversity in senior leadership across gender, race and neurodiversity. Our mentorship program also connects people across the agency with different disciplines to enrich knowledge and gives us greater opportunities to cross-pollinate expertise and experience. We also have plans to reach out to schools and model what a diverse agency looks like, which I truly hope will help young people see themselves represented, which can open up minds to what might be possible for them in the future.” – Riann Smith, Project Manager at Sagittarius.
“As a society, we should be working towards a workplace in which equality means creating a level playing field for everyone, one that considers our differences and adjusts for them, giving everyone a fair shot at reaching their full potential. At Sagittarius, I have found an environment I can only describe as “open”. Open to listening, open to collaboration, open to change and open to improving on what we are doing. Our job here is to see opportunities before they arise. I am pretty sure that this openness is the magic ingredient that allows us to do just that” – Giorgia Fantini, Marketing Strategist at Sagittarius.
“Equity means fairness and justice, overcoming stigmas and barriers. Sagittarius is driving change by constantly checking in with staff, ensuring we are all happy in our work and personal life. Whilst offering great advice and strategies for dealing with any challenges.” – Ebony Thomas, Business Analyst at Sagittarius
“I try to appreciate that there’s a huge difference between equity and equality, where equity considers the individuals in the situation and their needs. I always remember that classic image analogy where there are three people looking over a fence: a man, a woman and a child. Equality would have them all stood on the floor, looking over the fence, with the man tall enough to see over, the woman just about to see and the child unable to see. Equity makes it so that a small tweak to the environment gives them all an equal view by giving the woman a small step and the child a large step, so they all have the same opportunity to see the same thing. Particularly on International Women’s Day, it’s important that we understand the different circumstances and challenges women can often face in the workplace (despite everyone’s best efforts to drag society past them). When I came to Sagittarius, I was impressed by the inclusivity shown (although it came as no surprise). I think this, coupled with a largely female leadership team, is an excellent testament to the work being done in the agency. Culturally, it is clear there is an understanding of equity, equality, inclusivity and diversity – it’s hard to put into words, but you can just see and feel it in the office and even with remote colleagues.” – James Gray, Head of Experience Marketing at Sagittarius.
“For me, equity is about fairness, treating everyone equally, and creating an environment where everyone can thrive! Sagittarius is driving change by treating working mums like myself as equals. This involves full inclusion, flexibility and no unconscious bias. Personally, this makes me feel supported as a team member and as a mum, which provides a high level of psychological safety” – Abi Walker, Digital Marketing & Content Executive at Sagittarius.
“Equity is such a major topic in the world; sometimes I feel it can be overcomplicated when in fact, it’s quite simple. I believe that if we recognise that we do not all start from the same place and acknowledge that everyone has varying access to resources and privileges, we can define clearer processes to ensure that equity is practised in all areas of the business. As an agency, we are keeping up with the latest trends, applying these to our everyday practices of life, and constantly being reminded that we can make a difference in this overcomplicated and crazy world we live in” – Skyla O’Brien, Talent Acquisition Partner at Sagittarius.
“To me, equity means being treated fairly and as equal individuals. At Sagittarius, we are always looking to improve and grow individuals by bringing out new initiatives and understanding each other’s needs. Examples of this are the Sagi voice survey, the DE&I survey; team builds and business away days” – Siobhain Waters, Executive Assistant to CEO at Sagittarius.
“It both baffles and saddens me that we still even need to HAVE these conversations in 2023. Almost every single one of us these days has access to the entire sphere of human knowledge, sitting right there in their pocket, just a thumb-flick away… and yet we still seem to cling on to these outdated, unnecessary societal stereotypes of gender, race, colour and creed. Every one of us is born with the same potential, but not all of us are born without significant social and economic barriers to overcome. Equity, to me, means destroying those barriers and finding another way. The question should be, how are we CONTINUING to drive change at Sagittarius? Over 50% of our C-Suite are female; we check our bias at the door; formal education isn’t the be-all and end-all for us… if it were, I’d be in trouble. One of the things I love most about this place (and there are many) is that it truly is the most inclusive, supportive and collaborative environment I’ve ever worked in.”- Andy Hutton, Head of Talent and Employee Engagement at Sagittarius.
Do you want to introduce a more equitable workplace culture? By making your workplace equitable and inclusive for everyone, including women, you can create positive and lasting change for your company.
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