Equality For All – Woman In The Workplace

Gender equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in the workplace remain ongoing challenges and growing priorities for organisations across the UK and globally. This has been further highlighted in recent years on the back of the introduction of the legal requirement for all businesses with 250+ employees to publish their gender pay gap data.

The Current State of Gender Equality in the UK Workplace

As a result, it has been widely reported that 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 (Women in the Workplace, 2017). This is even more surprising when considering women 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).

Why Equal Opportunities for Women Matter in the Workplace

Equal opportunities for women in the workplace should be embedded within organisational culture rather than viewed as a diversity and inclusion buzzword. The benefits of such implementation when put into practice should be communicated at all levels.

Supporting Working Mothers and Work-Life Balance

Achieving a healthy work-life balance can be particularly challenging for working parents and those raising young children. The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on mental health and well-being. 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 burnout. 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).

How NQual is Promoting Gender Equality and Inclusion

At NQual, 64% of our workforce are women, with 100% of our Senior Leadership Team being female. We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace culture where women feel valued, respected, supported and empowered to succeed.

Practical Steps to Create a More Inclusive Workplace

To support workplace diversity, equality and inclusion, we have implemented the following initiatives to create a more inclusive working environment for all employees:

• Ensuring gender-neutral pronouns in job advertisements, learning materials and learner results documentation.

• Equal pay is practised at all levels.

• Promoting workplace equality by offering equivalent working opportunities regardless of hours worked or gender.

• Fair performance criteria and appraisal processes for all employees.

• Flexible working hours are available to all.

• Transparency around organisational 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 employees.

Share Your Ideas for Building a More Inclusive Workplace

What steps is your organisation taking to create a more inclusive workplace? Share your ideas with us at admin@nqual.co.uk.