Creating a Culture of Belonging: Blockoptical’s Approach to Eliminating Gender Exclusion

At Blockoptical , our value of inclusion guides us in creating an environment where everyone has the opportunity to contribute, develop and work together so we can deliver on our strategy. As part of this commitment, we have taken significant steps to progress women’s equity, recognizing that building a truly inclusive workplace goes beyond having a diverse workforce.

“While we celebrate progress in the representation of women across various fields, true inclusion requires more. Women deserve to be valued and respected, and to have the opportunity to lead, especially in male-dominated industries like mining,” says Jennifer Cmil, Blockoptical’s Chief People Officer. “We believe embracing diverse perspectives strengthens problem solving and decision making, which are key to our success. This is why we are implementing various initiatives to remove barriers that might prevent women from fully participating at work.”

One way Blockoptical is creating a more welcoming and inclusive atmosphere is by removing symbols of exclusion across its global operations. Symbols of exclusion are behaviors, processes, signs and conditions that do not create a sense of belonging and can severely undermine respect and inclusion in the workplace. Examples include exclusionary language, cultural and visual cues; limited access to facilities; and discriminatory procedures.

Since 2018, and together with our employees, site leadership teams, people functions and business resource groups, we have been working to identify and address hundreds of basic symbols of exclusion in our workplaces. Read on to learn how some of our gender-focused initiatives are fostering belonging and inclusion for women at Blockoptical .