Initiative Feature: Women of Havas
Boosting the careers and experiences of our women in Canada
Founded by Havas CX Canada and Havas Media Canada in December 2020, Women of Havas aims to build an internal women’s group to acknowledge gender barriers, propel awareness, improve working environments and boost female employee success. Hannah Tough shares her experience and passion for the resource group, and why we need these kinds of human connections for a productive workplace.
I joined Havas CX Canada as Internal Communications, PR and Marketing Lead in February 2021, fresh off maternity leave with my second child. I was terrified of entering the workforce after being away for a year. How was I going to catch up on all the latest technology, culture, and marketing trends? Would my colleagues hold it against me that I am still breastfeeding my son? How can I be accepted?
To my surprise, on my first day of work I learned about Women of Havas. At my first virtual meet up with the other women, I felt immediately at ease. I found my tribe of mothers, of young female leaders and those with many years of wisdom and titles all sharing with honesty in their voices. Never had I witnessed all levels of employees, let alone the women, practicing thought-exchange, educating one another, and supporting everyone in their own unique ways. What a relief! I knew I wanted to be involved with Women of Havas and immersed myself as much as possible in the culture of Havas to learn how to make a positive impact and meaningful difference to my new community, extending beyond traditional boundaries.
Women of Havas goals:
- Create a local network that connects the diverse and cross-disciplinary women of Havas.
- Empower each other through multi-faceted initiatives and events.
- Generate a safe place to speak openly and be our authentic selves with no fear or judgement.
Getting to Know our Amazing Women
In August 2021 for Women’s Equality Day, Women of Havas initiated an interview series with women from across our Villages in Havas North America. I was able to interview amazing women leaders from Havas Chicago, Boston, Atlanta, New York, and Toronto. Again, I experienced authentic conversations, stories of overcoming adversity, and implementing inclusive and diverse working methods into everyday strategy. In conjunction with Havas All In, Women of Havas was able to produce three video interviews asking important questions and sharing life-changing answers. We turned Women’s Equality Day into a movement that carries on through our work, our relationship, and our voices every day.
The series is titled ‘Messages to My Younger Self’ and answers three questions:
- If you could give your younger self one piece of career advice, what would it be? Watch the video answers here.
- How do you navigate the traditional male dominated advertising industry? Watch the video answers here.
- What is the biggest challenge you have overcome in your career and how do you persevere? Watch the video answers here.
“We turned Women’s Equality Day into a movement that carries on through our work, our relationship, and our voices every day.”
I was blown away by the answers I received from these women. Everyone comes from unique life experiences and brings different perspectives to the workplace. This is what makes working at Havas so special — we are all encouraged to bring our differences of opinion, working styles, life views and creativity to the workplace. This making our work meaningful and relatable. The working environment the women who work at Havas have and are continuing to foster is one of inclusivity, diversity, open-mindedness, and love. In a world where I feel pressured to have all the answers, I learned that it is okay to ask for help and be vulnerable with my co-workers. We are all human.
I also learned that through Women of Havas we aim to meet and deliver on our DE&I initiatives in a purposeful way. I had developed the judgement that DE&I was a trending term, but doubtful of how companies provided actionable results for their employees. To become a leader of Women of Havas and develop our dedication to a diverse workforce fulfills my work experience and personal identity. I have seen more innovation, better employee performance, and increased work satisfaction. Engagement at our virtual events over the past year have skyrocketed from a small group of 8 women. We have been able to hire outside speakers, support local female run businesses and partner with women from Havas villages around the world, like Women UP Boston.
Some upcoming events for Women of Havas in Toronto include sending 2 amazing women to the Art of Leadership Conference for a day full of female empowerment and business training. We are putting a strong emphasis on healthy and active living for the summer by ordering locally produced snacks and juices for the office, inviting a nutritionist to share knowledge and hosting positive-language only fitness challenges every month. Some of us will also be attending a relaxing water spa for women to reward our bodies for all the work they do. Of course, we will continue to hold our monthly Women of Havas virtual drop in conversations to create a safe space for discussion, empathy, emotions and more.
“We all need human connection especially if we want to create a productive workplace.”
Women supporting women has changed my perception of the world. I am not in competition with anyone, but rather choose to see where I can be helpful to others and express my own needs in a safe and respectful manner. Without a doubt, there are many benefits to having Employee Resource Groups in the workplace. We all need human connection especially if we want to create a productive workplace. Feeling welcomed, heard and supported can have a positive ripple effect throughout the company.
