Let’s cut to the chase. It’s just good business to do whatever you can to retain and promote women.
We all know that women bring unique value to their organizations: Experts cite their diverse perspectives; their singular reflection of the customer base and their skill at collaborating. Moreover, many surveys show that greater female representation increases productivity and financial success.
According to research by the American Psychological Association, women-led teams showed greater “collective intelligence” and enhanced ability to solve problems. “Groups with more women exhibited greater equality in conversational turn-taking, further enabling the group members to be responsive to one another and to make the best use of the knowledge.”
So, it is crucial to build organizational support structures to ensure that women are retained and promoted. This involves examining where there are potential barriers and either eliminating them or replacing them with opportunities to succeed.
Greater Flexibility With Work Hours
In the most recent report, “Women in the Workplace” (by McKinsey in partnership with LeanIn.Org), it stated that director-level women are leaving companies at a high rate. The report also states that women have found they can balance work and life in different ways than they could before the Pandemic. Clearly, women are prioritizing family as well as work, and they want to find flexible arrangements to help them accomplish this change.
With the flexibility that management needed to put in place during the Covid years, we have a new model that works to support women (and men) who need balance in their lives. Creating policies to reflect that flexibility will go a long way towards encouraging women to remain in the workforce.
Training On Inclusion To Appreciate Different Styles Of Work
Appreciating diverse working styles doesn’t always come naturally. As we all acknowledge, it takes awareness and practice to feel comfortable with different perspectives and behaviors. Training is the best method to reach this appreciation of differences, whether that’s face-to-face or digital, it’s important to be exposed to the underlying causes of our blindspots and find methods to overcome them.
Once we’ve done that, we can move onto valuing and really appreciating the benefits of different viewpoints and styles.
Overt Efforts By Organizational Leaders For Equal Opportunity And Career Advancement
Whether it’s performance reviews or assigning career-enhancing projects, there needs to be conscious efforts to do so without bias and this comes from the top. This can come from overt comments and from public displays of commitment to female advancement.
Establish Mentoring And Sponsorship Programs
These two forms of support are critical for guidance and advice. Obvious support by senior leaders who advocate for talented women in the organization is germane to upward mobility and retention of key talent. Mentoring and giving feedback as people develop is one of the main areas for substantial growth, confidence and ability to take on new challenges. In addition, there should be ample opportunities for skill development and professional growth.
These organizational supports and obvious signs from management and leaders will be exceptionally helpful and will likely encourage women to remain with employers who display this kind of commitment to their advancement.
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At RW3 CultureWizard, we're committed to fostering diversity and inclusion (D&I) in the workplace. Our tailored programs offer comprehensive support structures, training on inclusion, mentorship opportunities, and overt leadership initiatives aimed at advancing women in your organization.
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