Minding the Wage Gap

For companies with a worldwide workforce, creating a successful diversity and inclusion strategy means identifying and addressing unconscious bias, male-dominated cultural mindsets and situations where women may self-exclude from possible promotions. One woman who is pushing for progress in this realm is Hingham resident Eileen Martin.

In January, Martin became the Global Director of Inclusion for EMD Serono, based in Rockland--the healthcare arm of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. She previously led an action team aimed at analyzing the company’s leadership succession plan. After organizing the data according to gender, she saw an opportunity for improvement.

One of the vice presidents Martin worked with, however, helped her to see that the “glass ceiling” was not impenetrable. He was German, and very much the prototypical leader of a multinational corporation—stern and implacable. Yet all around him—untypically—were women in positions of authority and management leading his successful division with equanimity and decisiveness. One day, Martin asked him about the dichotomy.

“He told me a surprising story,” says Martin. “His father died when he was young and his mother, who was a very smart woman, had to take jobs that were beneath her to support the family. In the German culture, she was known as a ‘Raven Mother’ – a woman who leaves the nest to work.” As a result, he was raised to view women as equals in the workplace and he was consciously aware of the importance of hiring capable leaders based on merit, not gender. It was an eye-opening moment for Martin. She realized that gender equality in the upper echelon of management was indeed achievable.

Martin now reports to the office of Belén Garijo, the female CEO of the global healthcare business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany - a science and technology company that employs 55,000 people worldwide. In her role, Martin supports initiatives that increase diversity within the workplace and facilitate access and inclusion for all employees. She is the co-founder of EMD Serono’s Women in Leadership, leading an initiative that aims to implement policies and strategies to hire, retain, support and promote women in the workforce.

Senior managers across the globe have received training on unconscious bias and female workers have been given career coaching and sponsorships. After just six months on the job, they’re already seeing promising results, with increasing numbers of women getting promoted to leadership positions. “Having better representation of women isn’t just about making things fair,” says Martin, “it is about making sound business decisions.”

Martin’s work is focused on all aspects of diversity, promoting a culture where everyone feels valued. “I love what I’m doing,” she said. “EMD Serono and the global Healthcare organization have been so supportive in moving forward with initiatives that recognize the abilities of all people. They’ve allowed me to step up and represent groups that have been underrepresented in management positions in the workforce in the past. By pulling together, we can share our collective voices and help our company grow and prosper.”

Martin’s genuine sincerity and intelligent arguments help others understand how past practices need to change in order to achieve better business outcomes. “Women’s economic empowerment is essential to gender equality,” she says. “Research tells us that if women participated in paid work at the same level as men, the annual global GDP would increase by $28 trillion US by 2025.”

Believing that a rising tide lifts all boats, Martin makes sure her voice is heard–effectively and forcefully. “I have my mom to thank for that,” she says. “She taught me it was important to speak up.”