How to Make Work Fair, the small changes that actually work with Siri Chilazi

Get EVEN Podcast | Siri Chilazi | Co-author of ‘Make Work Fair’

AI is changing work. The decisions organisations make now shape who benefits from that change in the future. Who gets access to new opportunities? Which tasks are automated? How are roles redesigned? What gets measured, rewarded and valued? 

In this episode of the Get EVEN podcast, Ellen Sullivan speaks with the brilliant Siri Chilazi, Senior Researcher at the Women and Public Policy Program at Harvard Kennedy School and co-author of Make Work Fair, about what the evidence and data tells us about creating fairer workplaces through better design. 

Here’s three takeaways that have stayed with us: 

Transition moments are design moments 

AI is changing the way we work. Siri argues that this makes the current moment, this transition moment, especially important because so many workplace decisions are still in flux.  

“Things are not happening by accident right now.” 

The tasks which belong to people vs AI, how jobs are augmented, automated or restructured, what good performance looks like in this new AI era, these are all design choices within the workplace system.  

These design choices can be tested, we can test their impact. Think of it a bit like A/B testing new website or messaging. With these new design choices its important we know who benefits, who is disadvantaged and is the change actually making work better? 

Good intentions lose to badly designed systems 

Leaders say they want fair hiring and promotion, then little changes. Siri's explanation comes from behavioural science: the processes we work within shape our behaviour, and when they pull in a different direction, good intentions lose. "I'm gonna fall down to the level of my system." 

Siri uses hiring as an example. If recruiters and hiring managers are heavily rewarded for time-to-fill, speed becomes the priority, even when the organisation says it wants the best candidate and a broader talent pool. 

A better design might also reward whether the person hired is still there 6, 12 or 18 months later, and whether they are performing well. 

Siri highlights that when intentions and outcomes do not match, look at the process producing the decisions. What is creating the gap? Then change that part of the system. 

Small changes can shift workplace norms 

Not every intervention requires a new initiative. Siri points to research showing that organisational changes are more likely to stick when they slightly modify something people already do.  

One example is the regular one-on-one. In an experiment with Novartis, managers were encouraged to speak less, listen more and give employees greater control of the conversation. Employees reported stronger belonging and psychological safety, and the meetings became more frequent. 

The same principle applies to workplace norms. A man taking his full parental leave, talking openly about it and returning without drama can help make leave feel normal for others. 

If you're a people leader deciding where to spend limited time but looking to make an outsized impact to make work fair, this episode shows the data driven decisions for real results  

Listen to Ellen Sullivan’s conversation with Siri Chilazi on the Get EVEN podcast.