"While the past two years have seen us adopt the language of ‘bringing your whole self to work’, in some parts of the industry this simply equates to sacrificing your ‘whole life’ at the altar of work. When you layer in the thousand tiny paper cuts of everyday sexism and the widening gender pay gap in the media industry, it is easy to see why a creative crisis of confidence is afoot."

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"Almost a decade has passed since I had to navigate my own aches. The sweaty-palmed rush to get to the nursery on time, pumping in a toilet cubicle, monstrous levels of sleep deprivation. All the while upholding the illusion that my life and my ambitions had not expanded beyond recognition. Today as an industry we talk a good game on ‘bringing your whole self to work’. Yet at some companies, the uncomfortable truth remains for mothers that only applies if you leave your heart at the door."

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"The media industry has a unique opportunity not just to call time on the motherhood penalty but tell the truth about the many friction points of this once-in-a-generation opportunity to reshape the workplace for the better. In the process, showing the 55% of women who feel that parental leave negatively impacted their career, that not only do we have their back, we are on the front foot of building a workplace in which they can finally reach their full potential."

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“I had to leave another job I love because I didn’t feel safe.”

These are the words of a bold, brilliant woman in our industry who has taken the agonising decision to leave a job she loves. A job that was making her ill.

Overwhelmed, overworked and undermined. Consumed not just with the desire to excel at her job, but to challenge the status quo of her workplace, she felt she had no choice but to leave. The financial risk of taking a leap of faith into the unknown became a safer path than being crushed by the weight of expectation and exhaustion.

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In our workplaces we have normalised crisis culture, where any given request is urgent. It’s time to rewrite the rules and recognise that always being busy is rarely the path to effective, happy careers.

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"For women in leadership, the uncomfortable truth is that not only does the industry still treat women as if they have an expiration date, but they also face ageism at every age. For the media industry, this failure to take women seriously cannot only be seen within the steady exodus of female talent, but within its output. Mainstream media brands continue to attack and diminish women for simply daring to exist in their own bodies."

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"Promoting heavily-branded one-size fits all approaches to the future of work simply does not cut it. Serious leaders wouldn’t point to a couple of Cannes Lions and declare their draconian presenteeism to be progressive or successful. Nor would they ignore the fact this rhetoric supports the notion of a two-tier workforce. One in which women will automatically lose out if they aren’t sat in the same chair at the same desk everyday."

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"Advertising icon Cindy Gallop has long argued the power of ‘communication through demonstration.’ A mantra progressive leaders must measure not just their words, but their actions against. If we collectively turn a blind eye we are all complicit in treating the consequences of these policies as if they are unintended. We must not allow the industry to sleepwalk into a return to ‘business as usual’ that will have a devastating impact on diversity in media for decades to come.

Now is the time to wake up."

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"Pressure is a privilege. Yet we have to ensure that pressure is punctured by the moments that matter most. So block your diary and stop blocking your ears to the needs of your team. Without listening we will lose the people we need most to create a more resilient, resourceful and respectful approach to leadership."

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