Does your company really value gender equality?

Diversity in the workplace has been a long-standing issue, but some organisations are making changes for the better, albeit slowly. In Australia, the government has a statutory agency called the Workplace Gender Equality Agency established to improve gender equality in the workplace. The agency released a fact sheet earlier this year containing gender workplace statistics. Data shows that while 47.2% of all employees are women, that same dataset also reports that the gender pay gap still exists, with women getting paid 13.4% less than men based on average weekly earnings.

The agency’s 2019-20 dataset results also show that women hold less than half of management and directorial positions across industries. There are still boards and governing bodies that have no female directors at all.

There’s still a long way to go to rid the workplace of gender biases. If your company sincerely wants to promote gender inclusivity in the workplace, one of the things you as a leader should do is take a step back and see how your company supports women in the workplace.

Number Of Women In The Company

This factor is more notably considered in organisations with a reasonably large workforce, one with hundreds of employees, to get a fair picture of them as a whole. After all, small teams do not necessarily indicate a company’s commitment to diversity. Digging deeper into it is to consider what kind of roles do the women have? For example, if you have a tech company, do the women hold tech-related positions or have administrative or support functions?

Gender Split Of The Leadership Team

Also, consider the gender split of your company’s leadership team or board of directors. Is it mostly comprised of men? Or is it an equal number of both men and women? Does your company give women equal opportunities when it comes to advancing their careers to a leadership position or climbing up the corporate ladder? If not, it’s time to start being more inclusive and giving the women in your workplace the same chances. Diversity in management can say a lot about the company’s current culture.

Instilling A Culture Of Inclusivity

As mentioned above, diversity in the workplace says a lot about the company’s culture. So how does your company establish a culture that advocates for women? This can include flexible working arrangements for mothers returning from maternity leave, mentoring and networking opportunities for women, and career planning that empowers women. On a day-to-day basis, this can also include letting women be heard, intolerance to sexism, treating women equally as professionals and acknowledging their successes.

Commitment To Diversity

Being gender-inclusive requires commitment. Touting your company as being supportive of women would mean nothing if the steps the management takes are merely performative or only following it for show. Efforts like compulsory diversity training for managers are a good step toward relearning biases and making the workplace a better environment for women and everyone. When employees see a conscious effort from the executive team to make the workplace a good atmosphere, it makes them more trustworthy leaders.

Does your company empower women? If it doesn’t then let us help you with your hiring strategy and if it already does then share your stories or views about how your organisation upholds gender diversity by starting a conversation with the best IT recruitment consultants in Melbourne, Canberra, Adelaide and Brisbane by emailing office@redwolfrosch.com.au or calling 1300 544 652.