Podcast on Spotify
Show Notes
Samantha Webster is of Scottish descent. She spent 15 years as a high school teacher in Liverpool, UK, before immigrating to Sydney in 1999. She is now based in Perth.
Sam moved into the world of HR services via IT recruitment and then various national roles as a client relationship manager. The graduation journey and career roles all have a common theme of being a catalyst or change agent. Here business is Catalyst Consulting.
She has always stood up for the underdog and fought against inequality, so moving into the focus area of Diversity Equity and Inclusion was a logical step. This passion has always driven the type of work or transformational work she has taken on.
Sam is passionate about addressing inequality in our community
She is an advocate for the work of intersectionality of privilege or discrimination—the difference between equality and equity, acknowledging difference rather than erasing difference. Intersectionality frames the discussion around what circumstances were you born into and what circumstances were bestowed upon you.
Once these dynamics are understood, a greater empathy can be built, particularly the invisibility of many of the invisible components of intersectionality.
The pandemic has heightened where the burden of care exists in our community.
Narcissism has increased because of the zoom effect. There have been spikes in mental health associated problems in the workplace.
The future of work is about finding and onboarding great people. If the resources are difficult to onboard, then the stress levels for the current staff increase.
The only thing that can be controlled in an organisation is the culture – how you treat people in the community. The better the culture is, the easier it is to attract talent.
Focus on the micro-culture. The main reasons people leave a role is leadership issues and the lack of development opportunities.
For graduates: clarify your values, the type of work your like and the team environment you enjoy. Align with organisations making a difference in the world, and walking the talk. The more you know yourself, the more you can pivot quickly.