In celebration of International Women’s Day 2024 theme “count her in”, it is an opportune time for us to consider how we can embrace and champion gender equality by setting the right culture in place.
Time Conti Sheffield is an organisation that firmly advocates a culture that embraces diversity, inclusion and equity. We recognise that women’s rights should be considered through social, political, and economic rights and opportunities lenses and be equal to those of men. The struggle for women’s rights has been a significant aspect of the broader movement for gender equality. Throughout history, women have faced various forms of discrimination and inequality, and the fight for their rights has involved challenging societal norms, legal frameworks, and cultural attitudes.
“Culture eats strategy for breakfast” according to the legendary management guru Peter Drucker.
Creating a workplace culture that promotes gender diversity is crucial for fostering and inclusive and equitable environment. Being mindful of United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal # 5 on Gender Equality (https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal5), here are some strategies that Western Australian organisations can adopt by setting the right corporate culture.
- Leadership commitment.
- Ensure top-level executives are committed to promoting gender, diversity and equality.
- Consistently communicate this commitment through official statements, policies, value statements and through their action.
- Encourage leaders to sponsor and advocate for women in decision-making roles.
- Inclusive policies.
- Develop and implement policies that work to support the work-life balance, flexible scheduling and parental leave for both genders.
- Establish a zero-tolerance policy for discrimination and harassment.
- HR policies.
- Promote gender, neutral language in job descriptions and at advertisements.
- Implement blind recruitment practices to reduce unconscious bias in the hiring process.
- Regularly review and address gender gaps within the organisation.
- Provide equal opportunities for professional development and advancement.
- Allow for flexible work arrangements to accommodate various needs such as remote work, part-time positions, or compressed work weeks.
- Inclusive benefits.
- Provide benefits, support, reproductive health and family planning, including coverage for fertility treatments and parental support programs.
- Implement Diverse hiring practices and equal pay and opportunities.
- Training and education.
- Conduct, diversity, and inclusion, training for all employees, emphasising the importance of gender diversity.
- Address issues on unconscious bias and seek to increase awareness as well as mitigate its impact.
- Establishment programs to support the creative development of women in the workplace.
- Celebrating diversity.
- Celebrate diversity through events, recognition, programs, and cultural celebrations that showcase the richness of diverse perspectives.
By incorporating these strategies, organisations can foster a healthy and diverse workplace culture that not only recognises the importance of gender diversity but actively promotes and supports it.
At the end of the day, it is people that set an organisation culture in place. Each of us can and should make a difference by being champions of gender equality.Time Conti Sheffield is an equal opportunity firm that supports gender equality, diversity and inclusion of minority groups in its hiring policies in Western Australia.
