A CEO can not understand why women complain about glass ceilings. He thinks they are great features, add to the appeal of the environment and knows they add value. He feels that women should be more grateful that they have been provided.
Sir Harry Balzac is CEO of the Balzac Shaffing Group. In an interview by Business Quarterly for a special to celebrate International Women’s Day he was asked about what his organisation has done for women.
He mentioned that, “We’ve put a lot of effort and investment into providing glass ceilings for women. We hope they appreciate what has been done “. When asked what had triggered this he said, “Several years ago we had a consultant give a presentation on why we struggled to retain women and he mentioned glass ceilings a lot. Do you know what? I took a look round our buildings and he was absolutely right. So many areas were dingy and depressing. No wonder women had left “. Explaining how they tackled the problem, “We got some chaps in and explained our glass ceilings problem and they got it right away”.
Now at the end of the programme of installing glass ceilings wherever possible, he commented on the success of the scheme, “To be honest I am very disappointed at the response. If anything our retention of women is worse than it has ever been. None of them seem to appreciate the effort of putting in all the glass ceilings.” When asked what feedback he had received he said, “They just seem to get agitated and grind their teeth. Some have said that I really don’t get it. I find that hard to believe. I’m a captain of business. I get everything “.