WOMEN’S Month AT ANGLEC EMPOWERING EQUITY HONOUREE
Vanisha Hodge
As the final part of the 2023 Women’s Month the Office of Public Relations at ANGLEC selected a distinguished group of ANGLEC ladies to be featured for their contributions to the company and their unsolicited commitment to supporting equity for women within the workplace and the community.
Vanisha Hodge is a young woman who supports many different functions at ANGLEC as an Administrative Assistant of 4 years. Though fairly new to the company, Vanisha wasted no time making her presence known through her kind gestures and willingness to learn. While she reports to the H.R. department on paper, her eagerness to learn landed her opportunities to work closely with sections such as Finance, Corporate Office and most notable Public Relations where she now spends a great deal of time assisting and being trained on cross-functional organizational skills. In addition to her ambitious traits Vanisha is an avid supporter of youth initiatives and also takes pride in advocating for women issues through her support for external and ANGLEC led initiatives. Her post requires her to be welcoming, considerate, organized, and attentive, all of which she does with grace and enthusiasm.
For these reasons Valda was selected as a 2023 ANGLEC Women’s Month Honouree. So let’s get to know her! In the below interview we learn more about the woman behind the work, her take on equity for women and her view on inspiring the next generation.
Getting to Know Her
Slowly – Meddey
My favourite hobby is Journaling/Planning.
My mother was my role model growing up and to this present day she still is. She’s so confident in who she is and she’s so accepting of who other people are. She’s one of the purest and funniest souls I’ve ever met.
Math is my first decision, but Food and Nutrition is definitely a close second.
Only one for the rest of my life? Wow, okay something definitely filling and balanced while still being tasty. Homemade Beef Lasagna with Veggies. I may even throw in a piece of garlic bread for good measures!
My favourite part would have to be the interaction with various persons and departments. #Networking
The hardest part turns out to also be my favourite part of my job. Working with multiple persons (whether newly introduced or long-standing relationships) can sometimes be a challenge, but that also helps keep it interesting.
Embracing Equity
I think this year’s theme is quite engaging. You would normally hear people speak on equality and everyone being treated the same but not often you would hear people speak on equity. Even when people normally speak on fairness, we’d think about equality over equity but they are both relevant and should be considered to ensure inclusiveness no matter the circumstances.
I believe one of the first steps to creating an equitable work environment for men and women is to identify the differences/biases of both and implement ways to limit the negative effects. Factors such as gender, race and even financial standing/background should be considered.
How are you able to embrace equity at ANGLEC?
At ANGLEC, I am able to embrace equity by supporting my coworkers and by advancing company practice and programs already in place such as:
i) Assisting with the choice of uniforms for the different departments. Everyone’s uniform has the ANGLEC logo and colour palette incorporated but not everyone’s uniform is made out of the same material. This is to ensure equal representation of the company while ensuring an equitable PPE for each staff member based on their individual needs and job requirements.
Inspiring Others to Embrace Equity
I would advise young women to educate themselves about their rights as women and employees at any establishment. If you are uninformed about a situation, you may be easily mislead/mistreated, but if; you are aware and informed, then you are better able to advocate for yourself and for those around you.
You can advocate for an equitable workplace by speaking up if you have witnessed any discrimination or unfair treatment at the job and standing with the person(s) who were treated unequally. Also, if you have educated yourself on equality and equity at the workplace you may extend this knowledge to your management team. This can lead to policies and procedures being implemented and also opens the conversation for all staff to be informed and trained on the matter(s).
Leaders play a major role in embracing and setting the tone for an equitable work environment. If management encourage equality and equity at work, this will build a strong foundation for the business to strive through diversity, inclusiveness and a high staff morale. All of which increases a company’s successful performance. This also ensures that when there is to be upward mobility at a company there would be a high chance that the next wave/generation of staff would receive a fair chance as these have been the principles on which the company operates.
