Running a successful business means that you must have the best and most qualified individuals working for you. Many companies can go even further if they look for skilled people in a diverse talent pool.

In today’s corporate world, having a group of decision-makers who are women on board with your company can benefit your group’s direction. Here are a few ways to help encourage women at your workplace to find success.

1. Offer Better Pay

The first thing to change within the industry is the pay rate. Women typically make less than men for the same type of work, so be sure that you have fair compensation packages available for all your employees.

If your company has trouble attracting qualified women, make sure your pay is something that can bring in new possible hires.

2. Find New Talent

Once you’ve hired individuals for your company, be on the lookout for women who could be leaders.

Some women may be quieter in their demonstration of competence and skill, so it’s important for supervisors to look beyond just the person with the loudest voice.

Look at the people who really are getting everything done and spend some time with your employees to get a clearer picture.

3. Recognise Bias

Unfortunately, sometimes there is still a residual bias towards men lingering in the workplace. Certain types of jobs may be affected by this bias more than others. Review your own thoughts about promoting a woman with the same or better qualities than a male counterpart. Avoid making generalisations about everyone.

4. Hire Female Supervisors

In order to promote more opportunities for women in your business, it’s vital to have strong female role models as leaders in your current corporate structure. Having several female managers can help your other female employees know they could advance within the company as well. This also sends a message that your workplace and management team are more representative of your employees.

5. Understand Different Work Styles

A female-friendly workplace is also open to different types of work styles. In many situations, you may have to bring your employees together to work as a team.

With the different work styles, this could be helpful if you’re looking for new ideas and methodologies. Some staff are more logical, while others are more focused on the emotional impact of things. Additionally, some people are great at understanding the big picture of an idea, and other workers do much better with the smallest details.

6. End Male-Dominated Culture

If you are truly committed to creating a workplace that values people of both genders, it’s vital to eliminate the male-dominated culture of a workplace.

This type of work environment is intimidating to women and can make advancement difficult for them. A male-dominated workplace may hold business meetings on golf courses or other sports events. It may also value aggressive discussion techniques that many women don’t feel as comfortable participating in.

7. Promote Family-Friendly Policies

A female-friendly office is also one that has more policies that benefit families. Since women are usually the ones that take parental leave, it’s important to provide paid leave during this time period. Women with small children often feel left behind, and employers can do more to help them feel more encouraged.

Offering flexible schedules and incentives for childcare could help keep these talented women on board with your company.

8. Encourage Diversity Across the Board

Many leaders have found that encouraging diversity of all groups of people in a company can help women feel more comfortable with an organization.

When companies make it a point to recruit people from a variety of backgrounds and life experiences, it makes for a much more comfortable working environment for everyone. Then, it’s essential to ensure that everyone can share their ideas and feel supported by each other.

9. Get External Help

Sometimes, if you really want to make your workplace the best it can be when it comes to diversity, you’ll need outside help.

Many companies invest in diversity training, consultants like Rhizome consulting, or cultural proficiency courses. These resources can help you and your staff be more open to new opportunities and ways to define success at your company.

    10. Don’t make anyone feel like a token

It’s important to have your staff understand that everyone was hired because they were the most suitable candidate for the job. Hiring to increase diversity and hiring the best applicant are not mutually exclusive pursuits, so no one should feel like they’re only there to fill a quota. A powerful way of proving this is to have a workforce that is diverse throughout, from entry-level, temporary, and support positions all the way to executive and management roles.

   11. Track and measure your progress. You won’t know if your efforts are working unless you set benchmarks and goals. Start by auditing your current work environment. In which ways is your organisation already diverse? Which areas could be more inclusive, and how will you address them? Mapping these details out and collecting feedback from your employees will help your team stay accountable and focused on your objectives.

If you’re looking around thinking your workforce is the pinnacle of diversity and inclusion, congratulations — but you still have work to do! A healthy, welcoming workplace culture requires constant upkeep. Regularly remind your staff of your values of empathy, respect, and sensitivity by featuring relevant materials in your communications and trainings. Also, make sure HR is continually vigilant about attracting talent from diverse pools and supporting workers with the specific tools and services they need to thrive.

Sources:

https://lifespeak.com/10-critical-ways-to-empower-women-and-minorities-in-the-workplace/

https://wealthygorilla.com/10-ways-make-workplace-better-women/