JOIN US for Coffee and Confidence 2017

As part of the Vermont Tech Jam, Change The Story VT is hosting a special (free) event for women and nonbinary individuals of all ages on Friday, October 20, 2017 from 10-11:30am at Champlain Valley Expo. Participants will get tools and takeaways to help them pursue the tech field, interview …

2017 Status Report: Vermont Women and Leadership

    This is the fourth in a series of reports published by Change The Story on topics related to women’s economic status. There are a number of important connections between women’s leadership in political, civic and professional spheres and women’s economic security. Perhaps most obvious is the fact that leadership …

Breaking Down Gender Bias: A Toolkit for Construction Business Owners

By: Helm Construction Solutions (buildhelm.com) This toolkit was developed by Kate Stephenson and Mel Baiser of HELM Construction Solutions with help and feedback from many of our colleagues in the building trades and social justice movements. It includes topics like: Defining the Challenge Changing Company Culture Hiring and Retaining a Diverse …

2016 Status Report: Women’s Business Ownership and the Vermont Economy

This is the third in a series of briefs published by Change The Story on topics related to women’s economic status. This report focuses specifically on business ownership by women and its potential to bolster and invigorate Vermont’s economy. Like the majority of national and regional reports on businesses, this …

Diverse Teams Feel Less Comfortable — and That’s Why They Perform Better

Source: Harvard Business Review Authors: David Rock, Heidi Grant Halvorson, Jacqui Grey   “In numerous studies, diversity — both inherent (e.g., race, gender) and acquired (experience, cultural background) — is associated with business success. For example, a 2009 analysis of 506 companies found that firms with more racial or gender diversity had more sales revenue, …

Economic Policy Institute: “Women’s work” and the gender pay gap

Source: Economic Policy Institute How discrimination, societal norms, and other forces affect women’s occupational choices—and their pay Summary What this report finds: Women are paid 79 cents for every dollar paid to men—despite the fact that over the last several decades millions more women have joined the workforce and made …

HBR: Designing a Bias-Free Organization

Source: Harvard Business Review: July/August 2016 “Iris Bohnet thinks firms are wasting their money on diversity training. The problem is, most programs just don’t work. Rather than run more workshops or try to eradicate the biases that cause discrimination, she says, companies need to redesign their processes to prevent biased …

HBR: We Just Can’t Handle Diversity

Source: Harvard Business Review: July/August 2016 “It’s hard to argue with the benefits of diversity, given the decades’ worth of studies showing that a diverse workforce measurably improves decision making, problem solving, creativity, innovation, and flexibility.Most of us also believe that hiring, development, and compensation decisions should come down to …

HBR: Why Diversity Programs Fail

Source: Harvard Business Review: July/August 2016 “It shouldn’t be surprising that most diversity programs aren’t increasing diversity. Despite a few new bells and whistles, courtesy of big data, companies are basically doubling down on the same approaches they’ve used since the 1960s—which often make things worse, not better. Firms have …