Breaking Taboos About Workplace Inequalities

New York: American Television News speaks with Narjis Hilale, author of Women’s Essentials Box, a slim volume of tips and advice on how to survive in the corporate world. The daughter of a diplomat, Hilale has lived most of her life in Geneva and has spent 15 years working for a number of multinational corporations including Vivendi, Singtel, P&G and Shell among others.

She says the book draws upon her own experiences working in the corporate world but that it also reflects on the experiences of her female friends and colleagues. The main takeaway for Hilale is that even in the 21st Century gender equality persists in the work place and, worse still, many women don’t even dare to talk about it.

According to Hilale, the book is mainly for women but she believes men could also benefit from reading to better understand the blunt realities facing woman in today’s work place and maybe help change things. She says the book aims to break taboos by speaking openly about her experiences and providing advice on to succeed against the odds. The book also looks to an increasingly automated future where women’s “soft skills” may become more important than those that have traditionally played to men’s strengths.

More information can be found on her website, which also serves as a platform for sharing the stories of the real women behind the book and welcomes other women to share their stories too.