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Building Gender-Equitable Workplaces: 8 Key Strategies to Adopt Today!
Building Gender-Equitable Workplaces: 8 Key Strategies to Adopt Today!

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 For centuries, our society and workplaces have been entrenched with gender bias and systemic inequities towards women. Despite progress made, the journey and advancement of women is often hindered by visible and invisible barriers.

From  lack of equal opportunity to the ability to rejoin the workforce after a career gap, pay disparity to leadership opportunities, imposter syndrome to bias and sexual  harassment – women continue to grapple with way too many challenges that lead to demotivation, self doubt, burn-out and increased higher attrition.

To build a gender-equitable workplace, organizations should adopt intentional and holistic strategies that not only lead to business benefits but also build a culture of allyship and empathy.

Here are some key actions organizations can take to lead with an equitable lens in their Gender Inclusion journey –

Representation matters – Affirmative action is a necessary tool for addressing systemic barriers and biases that prevent women from fully participating in the workforce and advancing in their careers. Gender representation matters and an organization-wide gender diversity goal  with a well thought out strategy to communicate,  hire, support, grow and retain women employees is key.  Overall employee engagement and ownership drives success in these initiatives.

Leadership accountability –  Leaders should be held accountable for equitable workplace practices and behaviors. When leaders demonstrate  a commitment to gender equity, they set an example for others across the organization from their executive and functional leaders to team managers. A leader’s performance reviews should include gender equity goals, with established and clear measurable targets that align with the organization’s overall DEI goals.

Address the leaky pipeline of women in the workforce – According to a recent LinkedIn survey 7 in 10 working women quit their jobs due to lack of support, flexibility, work-life balance and discrimination. Career breaks are the top reason why we see a low representation of women in mid and senior levels. It  disrupts their career trajectory and makes it harder to advance and restart.  The impact of career breaks  is particularly pronounced due to the cultural expectations around gender roles and familial responsibilities.

Restarter Programs for Women – is an effective  way to bring back experienced women and increase representation at the mid/senior level. These programs typically include training & internship. It ensures that the skills of the women returnees are up-to-date and improved before they are ready to dive back into their careers. Thoughtworks VAPASI program, Career Reboot program by Accenture and Restart with Infosys are some successful programs in this endeavor.

Build your pipeline of Women Leaders – As per a recent Randstad report, In India 50% of all working women leave the workforce between junior and middle management levels, which has a snowball effect on building the pipeline of potential leaders. It’s a proven fact that an increase of women in leadership roles serves the business better from higher revenue, better employee engagement, and broader positive societal impact as well. Efforts to build a pipeline of women leaders needs to be  intentional, sustained and with an exclusive Leadership Development Program specifically designed for women leaders as the challenges they face differ from those of men. The imposter syndrome, lack of work life balance and career gaps make it all the more difficult for women to rise up the ladder.

Allies and taking men along this journey –  Men as visible and active advocates and sponsors of gender equity, become agents of change. Allyship matters, it helps challenge gender norms at the workplace and beyond.  When men speak out against bias and discrimination, mentor and sponsor women and lead by example they help drive change that has far reaching effects on the workplace and society at large.

Invest in building a Gender Equity Employee Resource Group –  with established goals and objectives. This offers networking, collaboration and development opportunities both formal and informal. It also is a space to validate and get feedback on your gender equity efforts. When backed by an Executive Sponsor it sends a clear message that you care and it matters to the business. In addition an exclusive circle of sisterhood can also help women build confidence and resilience while offering a safe space to connect and build an empowered community. Collective advocacy evokes change. Allies should be part of this ERG, irrespective of gender or sexual orientation.

Review, Rework and Sponsor – Review all your processes, practices and programs from recruitment, performance appraisal and compensation, grade change to leadership development programs. Rework your policies, benefits with a gender neutral lens and offer sponsorship for participation and speaking opportunities in conferences, business events etc. both internal and external.

It’s also important to remember that gender is a spectrum that encompasses a range of gender identities and expressions and it’s not a binary concept. We should also recognize that gender identity and expression can intersect with other aspects of identity, such as sexual orientation, caste, class and disability.

Raising awareness and educating people about the various aspects of gender inequity and unconscious bias is crucial for driving  a culture shift.  By adopting a holistic approach to gender equity, organizations can achieve transformative outcomes that can be a game-changer for their success.

This article was also published in Times of India Readers Blog 

 https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/readersblog/diversitysimplified/building-gender-equitable-workplaces-8-key-strategies-to-adopt-today-52644/

 


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Tina Vinod
Founder and Chief Consultant

Tina Vinod (she/her) is the Founder and Chief Consultant of www.diversitysimplified.com – a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Consultancy with a vision to help workplaces & teams overcome barriers to adopt and operationalize high-impact DEI strategies, practices, programs and solutions. With a successful track record of implementing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion strategies and solutions both globally and in India, Tina is an award-winning DEI expert with more than two decades of experience. She has conceptualized, designed and executed DEI programs that promote inclusive and equitable practices, fostering employee engagement, and driving positive social change with innovative strategies that result in lasting transformation. As a former leader of DEI and Social Impact at Thoughtworks, a renowned global technology consultancy, Tina has led various high impact DEI programs and also demonstrated expertise in Social Impact

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