Gender equality in the workplace has been shown to be undeniably beneficial for business. When women are recruited or promoted to teams and senior management, there is a boost in productivity, profitability, creativity and innovation, as well as overall improvement in decision making. Here are 5 ways to empower women and continue to close the gender gap in your workplace:
1. It Starts at the Top.
When leaders recognize the business benefits of gender equity, they are more likely to invest time and resources to drive diversity initiatives. Increasingly, women look at how employers embed diversity, equality and inclusion into their organizations. In order to work, these changes to culture and policy have to start at the top. As a business leader, you can help shape fair and transparent hiring, compensation, evaluation, and promotion policies.
2. Keep an Eye on Diversity during Recruitment.
Work toward a diverse and equitable workplace by creating accurate and inclusive job descriptions, sourcing through a gender-diverse candidate pipeline, and ensuring fair interviews are conducted. These measures should be taken at every level of hiring, but most especially for executive positions.
3. Offer Flexible and Supportive Employee Benefits.
One of the largest issues disproportionately impacting women in the workplace is burnout. Companies can reduce stress by offering comprehensive benefits and more opportunities for better work-life balance. Greater acceptance of flexible work arrangements (remote work, hybrid work, flexible scheduling) and improved access to childcare go a long way toward employee satisfaction.
4. Reduce the Gender Wage Gap.
Although the gender pay gap has slowly narrowed, women still earn only 84% of what men do. To establish whether this is an unresolved issue in your workplace, conduct an internal audit of your payroll to work out the unadjusted wage gap (average female salary vs. average male salary) and the adjusted wage gap (which takes into account the different roles within the company). And then establish a framework that ensures individuals are paid based on the jobs they do and the responsibilities they have, regardless of their gender.
5. Challenge (Unconscious) Bias.
From the top down, training is key in addressing the unexamined bias that could be impacting your company’s ability to create an equitable workplace. With a wide range of approaches at our disposal, Innolect consultants tailor training to the needs of your workplace. We aim to help organizations identify policies that hinder equity success as well as guide leaders to facilitate inclusive dialogue with individuals, teams and systems.
We help leaders take steps to create safe spaces where they solicit and listen to employee concerns without defensiveness. As leaders and employees grow in awareness and practice new skills, all are better prepared to act with courage and inclusiveness. They learn how and what to say to address inequality issues and other sensitive topics.
How Can Innolect Help?
Strong voices are needed to ensure and build greater gender equality. Contact us to schedule a training, or for support and additional guidance. We help build the foundation for you to bring you and your team’s best selves to work; we thrive on helping to build high-integrity workplaces. The bottom line? We are committed to helping leaders develop and grow their teams. Learn more about our approaches HERE.
To set up a consultation or training, contact us today. Additionally, our products and assessments help leaders develop the skills and capabilities needed to grow. Read our latest book: Ignite Your Imagination: 21 Ways to Learn.
Contact us to schedule a consultation:
https://innolectinc.com/contact-us/
(803) 396-8500
innolect@innolectinc.com