Gender equality, inclusion and diversity within the workplace is an ongoing challenge and one that continues to be a growing concern for multiple businesses globally. This has been further highlighted in recent years off the back of the introduction of the legal requirement for all businesses with 250+ employees to publish their gender pay gap data. As a result, it has been widely reported than women are paid 15.4% less than their male counterparts within the UK (The Office for National Statistics ONS 2020). Additionally, women are around 18% less likely to be promoted compared to their male peers (Woman in the Workplace, 2017).
This is even more surprising when considering woman who hold senior management roles. For every 100 men promoted to management positions, only 85 women were promoted. Thus, at the beginning of 2020, women held just 38% of manager-level positions versus 62% of men. (McKinsey & Company, 2020). The right for woman to have equal opportunities within the workplace should not just be seen as a buzzword within organisations. The benefits of such implementation when put into practice should be communicated at all levels.
The ability to strike a work life balance, particularly whilst raising young children can be a difficult one. The Covid-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on mental health and wellbeing. A recent Forbes article published stated that 33% of mothers post pandemic are considering taking a step back in their career or leaving employment altogether due to significant burn out. This is a substantial shift compared to pre-pandemic levels where working mothers have historically shown high levels of ambition in comparison to the female population (Forbes 2021).
At NQual, 64% of our workforce are women with 100% of our Senior Leadership Team being female. We're on a mission to encourage inclusivity across the organisation where women feel valued, appreciated and heard. Together, here are some of the steps we are taking to ensure that we are building a more inclusive working environment for all:
Ensuring gender neutral pronouns in job advertisements, learning materials and learner results documentation
Equal pay practiced at all levels
Promote workplace equality in offering equivalent working opportunities regardless of hours or gender
Fair performance criteria and appraisal process for all employees
Flexible working hours available to all
Transparency around change with all employees encouraged to share opinions and views
Significant emphasis on creating a positive work life balance
Equal learning and development opportunities for all colleagues
What steps is your organisation taking to create a more inclusive workplace? Share your ideas with us at admin@nqual.co.uk
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