6 powerful strategies to transform gender equality in your workplace
Gender inequality is a real problem – not just in our community, but in our workplaces. This is reflected in the 14% national pay gap between men and women, the fact that women retire on less than half the super of their male counterparts, and that the women over the age of 55 are the fastest growing cohort with regards to homelessness.
So how can we change the story? How can women be viewed differently in our society, and how can we ensure that all employees, including women, are given a fair go?
These 6 top tips are designed to transform your workplace gender equality, as well as drive a more inclusive corporate culture.
Strategy 1: Include gender diversity in your business priorities
For gender equality to be taken seriously in your business it needs to be supported by senior management and be given priority as a business imperative. This means ensuring a raft of gender equality strategies, programs and actions are implemented to ensure the remuneration, development of internal talent, work conditions (including flexible work), and career opportunities are equal for all employees, regardless of their gender.
The business case for gender equality and developing a corporate culture that values fairness, diversity and equality stacks up.
Research tells us that a diverse and inclusive workforce has positive impacts on company performance including increased productivity, efficiency and employee engagement. Therefore, it is in your organisations best interest to focus on organisational diversity and inclusion as a key business strategy. Including it on the agenda of your next Executive Team meeting is a good step in the right direction.
Strategy 2: Conduct a remuneration audit
Most organisations believe they pay their men and women fairly and equally. However, the statistics tell us that in reality this is not the case. When organisations undertake a formal remuneration audit, they are often shocked by the results. Undertaking this process and having a better understanding of any unconscious gender bias in this area can not only be eye-opening, but transformative for organisations and their people.
Strategy 3: Apply a gender lens to your operations and identify unconscious bias tendencies
The decisions that we make are often driven by unconscious bias. It’s often not our fault, it’s just the way that we have been conditioned. Understanding any bias that you (and your colleagues) have is critical to ensuring your operations are conducted equitably.
Some quick and easy ways that you can start this process are as follows:
Take the Harvard Unconscious Bias survey and pass this onto your colleagues, especially those in decision-making roles
Conduct a gender audit in your organisation by following the instructions in this online tool
Read the Applying a Gender Lens in the Workplace fact sheet to help you effectively review your organisation’s systems, processes and procedures.
Strategy 4: Conduct training to prevent harassment and bullying
To create a psychologically safe workplace that’s free from harassment and bullying, internal training is vital.
According to the Equal Opportunity Commission SA, 34% of all complaints accepted in 2018-19 were fundamentally underpinned by gender inequality in our society. Complaints spanned sexual harassment or discrimination on the ground of sex, pregnancy, marital status, caring responsibilities, and association with a child. This is evidence that discrimination is rife in our workplaces.
Employee bullying, harassment and unconscious bias training can be an effective way to set behavioural expectations, especially with regards to what will and will not be tolerated in your workplace.
Furthermore, this type of training can give employees the confidence and skills to ‘call out’ any negative behaviours that they see happening to others, transforming internal cultures.
Strategy 5: Consider your workplace’s response to domestic and family violence
With 1 in 4 Australian women having experienced physical or sexual violence by a current former partner, and with one Australian woman murdered a week by her current or former partner on average, there is no doubt that domestic violence is rampant in our society.
If you thought that domestic violence doesn’t affect your workforce, then think again. Organisations, both big and small, are implementing a raft of measures to support employees affected by domestic and family violence, and we encourage you to do the same. Here are some ideas to consider:
Communicating domestic and family violence as a workplace issue, and that your organisation is here to support staff, and manage any disclosures
Training select staff to be ‘first responders’ in cases of domestic and family violence disclosure. Providers of domestic violence training include the Women’s and Children’s Health Network and Working Women’s Centre SA. This Practice Guidance: Responding to Disclosures document is also a great resource
Providing additional paid leave to employees experiencing violence
Providing financial support in extreme cases.
Strategy 6: Ensure robust talent management, recruitment, promotion and succession planning
Work closely with your HR team to ensure there are talent management pathways for your female employees and that your recruitment process is unbiased towards males. Ideas that you may wish to consider include the following:
Paying superannuation on paid parental leave (both the company and government payments). This doesn’t cost the organisation much money, but can have a significant impact on a women’s final retirement balance
Normalising flexible work in your workplace.
Interested in improving your workplace gender equality? Let’s chat