Staff Perspectives

Unique insights from members of the Global Finance team

All aboard with Kat Okuyiga, VIP Manager, IM|Power & Lindsay Baxter, Digital Business Development Director, Fintech, discussing all things travel; including initiatives inside and outside Informa.

Hop on to learn about Kat’s work on improving Informa’s group travel policy and have your tickets ready to hear about Lindsay’s work on the #travelsafely campaign to help London’s women stay safe at night.

Find out more about the #travelsafe campaign and add your voice for change

When Flexible working works

Sarah Armstrong, Brand Strategy Director, IM|Power

All too often, there is the perception that if a colleague takes advantage of the flexible working arrangements on offer, their priority is weighted towards the personal and not the professional.

I have been the beneficiary of flexible working during my career at Informa. Very early on, the business set a clear precedent that it was open to accommodating the challenges of family life and work commitments. This contributed in no small way to my own sense of feeling very settled, long before the need for flexibility became a reality for me. Informa felt like a business that would support me as my personal circumstances changed, and this happened on my return from maternity leave after the birth of my first child. I had perhaps always taken for granted that employment issues related to maternity had been confined to the past; the difficulties experienced by my circle of friends quickly made me realise how fortunate I was in having a company like Informa as an employer.

However, flexible working is not a one-size fits all concept. The need for flexibility, the nature of such flexibility and the financial ramifications of flexible working are different for different people and change over time. Whilst on the surface, having the option of flexibility is seen as overwhelmingly positive, it can morph into something a lot more ambiguous, especially when the tricky issue of progression emerges. I have been very fortunate to have progressed whilst working a 4-day week, partly from home. That said, getting to where I am today didn’t always feel achievable, and the level of flexibility I had come to enjoy began to feel more like a gilded cage than a source of professional empowerment.

How many times have I heard younger colleagues say “I need to make it to a managerial position before I have kids”, as if the idea of flexible working and family life is incompatible with progressing in your career? All too often, there is the perception that if a colleague takes advantage of the flexible working arrangements on offer, their priority is weighted towards the personal and not the professional.

In so many ways, this is a perception that needs to change. Haven’t we all learnt during these months of remote working that so many aspects of our roles can be achieved comfortably from home, that with some minor adjustments and a bit of imagination work can fit around family and vice-versa.

And anecdotally, I believe that men with babies and very small children at home have enjoyed being more present over the course of this past year of office closures. Creating an environment where men, as well as women, feel that flexible working, parental leave, compressed work hours and part-time opportunities are equally accessible to them, without any career-related stigma, would be in my opinion such a positive outcome of the pandemic.

Mixed; Any Other... My Story

by Savannah Charles, VIP Manager, SuperReturn

Following on from the brave and touching stories by Taz, Natasha and Sam (if you missed them, do go back and have a read); as ¼ of AllInforma Nations’ founding members; I write nervously to share mine…

Read the full article on Portal here >>

Born and raised in the UK by parents of both Dominican (Commonwealth not Republic) and Indian heritage (who were also both born in the UK); I grew up surrounded by culture, love, family and tradition. On a Sunday my siblings and I would go to church with my dad then to the temple with my mum. We ate fried fish, stewed kidney beans with dumpling, avocado (before it was a Western craze) and plantain with common cutlery and on other days we ate rice, dahl, vegetable subji and chapattis with our right hand. Looking back, growing up was a fusion of cultures, but to us this was normal. Our family showered us with love and shielded us from any problematic views. It's only later when I realised my parents’ union was not always a preferable one to those outside of the relationship.

From a young age my siblings and I were taught to work twice as hard for half as much. To keep out of trouble because as black people we are more often than not seen as the aggressor (not the victim). To present ourselves well and not be too loud – to avoid racial stereotypes and to not stay in the sun too long, so as not to get “too dark”.

Due to my skin tone, the world views me as ‘black’ rather than my mixed (any other) ethnicity - which I tick on the race part of the form (because they never have my mix). Although the black community would consider my hair "good hair" (due to my Indian DNA), I still grew up struggling with my identity and wanting thin straight hair like my Caucasian classmates. As a darker mixed woman, people often question my Indian half and comment on my skin colour, the fact I do not have typical Indian features and ask whether I meant Caribbean- Indian and not South Asian-Indian.

My journey at Informa started in 2016. I had a standard 2-stage interview process and was welcomed to (at the time) a multi-cultural team. I got on with my team but could not relate to everyone. I remember vividly on my first day, the only other black girl coming over to check on me at lunch because she understood the challenges of the corporate world and how overwhelming it can be when you do not see people like you or feel the comfort of "fitting in". She knew what it was like to not only be the new girl but the new black girl. Although my team had individuals from Spain, Greece, Finland and China; it was still a visibly white team. When the only other black girl feels the need to personally introduce herself and mention our shared heritage, it’s clear there is not enough diversity in the workplace. This also goes for the silent ‘I see you’ nod that is shared between black colleagues when we notice each other, together with the fact we can often count how many of us there are in an office/floor. Speaking to other new colleagues of non-black backgrounds, they did not share the same anxieties, because the challenges of finding people that look like you in the workplace, is not part of everyone’s lived experience.

Almost 2 years on, I applied for a promotion and was hired by a black manager. This was a first for me and whilst prior to the interview process I had no idea who my manager would be, I have to say it was a welcomed change. Being able to see someone that looked like me in such a senior position, I was not only honoured to be a part of her team but inspired. Prior to my current role, I interviewed for 3 other internal roles within Informa, all of which I was qualified for and received fantastic feedback but was overlooked and the position was given to other non-black colleagues. Whilst I cannot put this down to race, when I look at the teams, I must take a moment to ask myself whether it was just down to character fit or bias. I know that where I am is where I am supposed to be, but getting here also had its obstacles. I had to negotiate a salary that I know for a fact was offered to a colleague who applied for the exact same role in another team. Again, this may not be race related but when certain privileges are handed to some and others must work twice as hard for the same, it would be remiss of me if I didn’t even acknowledge the possibility.

When everything kicked off with the BLM movement and brands were speaking out, and masses of non-black individuals took to the streets to protest with us, it was overwhelming but reassuring. However, when the company you work for and spend most of your time at does not acknowledge the movement much less support it, it raised a lot of questions for me. Informa’s silence on the matter was disappointing but also what lead me to this point; to being connected to the other founding council members and starting All Informa Nations.

We as black and minority colleagues deserve to be heard, represented and supported – that is what this network aims to do as well as sharing more personal stories like this, to humanise the issue.

Work/ life management through time of upheavel

By Karima Haywood, Conference Producer, FundForum

I start to write this in the corner of a dark room, a hostage to my 4-year-old who demands I wait just for 5 minutes until she's asleep. I'll be out of here in 30 minutes I think to myself...

My first week back from my second maternity leave in April 2020 was a slightly different experience. Combined with those first couple of weeks of easing back in, getting back into my Outlook and wondering if my desk drawer managed to navigate itself to the third floor during the latest office move, we were now all WFH. We quickly developed our own little routine; very early starts, very late finishes interspersed with shifts with the sprogs during which we painted rainbows, made gingerbread men, and pretended to be pirates in the paddling pool. Dare I say it was quite fun.

Oh, hold on, here she goes...

B: "Mummy?"

Me: "Yes?"

B: “Who made you?”

Me: “Err”

…she does love a deep and meaningful to avoid sleep.

Six months down the line, it’s December 2020 and lockdown is in full swing again. The novelty has worn off. For everyone. Andrew, the kids, me.

Seeing my own face on back-to-back zoom calls makes me grimace. I see a haggard face from the walking dead (and no, not one of the surprisingly attractive people who are running away from the undead, but the character who is chasing the group of survivors). I wear mottled tops to disguise the stains and hide in the toilet every now and then. I stare out into the garden, whilst wondering if observing nature really does help ease stress.

I’ve tried to talk about the past year in a slightly comical way, but I know it’s been a difficult time for a lot of people and for a lot of different reasons. As others may have found, there have been some amazing highs and plenty of lows over this past year. For me, the past 12 months have been a bit of a blur, but we’ve learned a few things. Ask for help from whoever is willing to give it. I have a brilliant partner in crime, but family helped with childcare and colleagues have been amazingly understanding and supportive. Try not to put yourself down. And actually, staring at nature does seem to work. And wine.

My two little darlings are very sweet. If they remember this strange time at all, I hope that they look back and remember the homemade pirate ship.

Her breathing is heavy. I tiptoe to the door. Sweet freedom here I come!