The year is 2023, and companies around the world are adapting to new changes to embrace the evolving business landscape. In this blog post, we will highlight four crucial and urgent changes your organization needs to implement right now to create an intelligent workplace, making it more inclusive for not just women but for all individuals regardless of their ethnicity, race, sexual orientation, and gender.
Before we begin, it is important to comprehend why inclusivity for women and other marginalized communities in the workplace has been a concern for businesses. Although more and more women are being hired by companies every passing day, they are faced with countless hurdles, sometimes because of their gender and external responsibilities, and so we believe it is any successful organization’s mission to empower their female staff.
Table of Contents:
- Flexible Working Hours
- Female Mentors and Role Models
- Protection Against Harassment Policies
- Transparency as a Core Value
- Final Words
1. Flexible Working Hours
9-to-5 jobs get work done, but they are inherently sexist and exclusive of working moms, as they often result in women having to choose between work and personal responsibilities.
Any successful business appreciates the valuable contributions of its female employees and should support and enable them to work flexible hours. This means offering opportunities for part-time work as well as the ability to work from home, enhancing talent recruitment and ensuring working moms can balance work and personal responsibilities effectively.
Not only will flexible work arrangements increase employee satisfaction, but they can also help with increasing productivity, as the ability to accommodate personal responsibilities results in employees doing the most they can without worrying about external stressors.
2. Female Mentors and Role Models
Most workplaces are male-dominated, and women often don’t have access to the same opportunities. According to research, 46.9% of women form part of the global workforce, while the percentage sits significantly higher at 72% for men.
This can feel isolating and discouraging for women who join the workforce, as they might not receive adequate support and encouragement. Having female bosses and mentors in the organization can act as inspiration and motivation for other women to aspire higher as well.
Working with people you can relate to and identify with is a crucial aspect of feeling a sense of belonging. Especially in the workplace so the employees can get a sense of belonging and ownership of the company. This boosts team morale and encourages proactive work and innovation.
3. Protection Against Harassment Policies
For women to perform at their best, they need to feel heard, and they need to feel safe. If your work environment is discriminatory against any groups of people, you will lose out on great potential, and your retention rate and reputation will suffer as well. Any organization, no matter how big or small, needs to have actionable anti-harassment policies in place before any unfortunate incident occurs.
Anti-harassment channels should be set up and accessible to all employees, with a system in place for who to report to and the processes that will follow. Other than that, it is a good idea to conduct proactive workshops informing employees about themes like consent, unprofessional behavior, unrequited comments, and advancements, etc.
All employees have the right to feel respected in the workplace, and it is the organization’s responsibility to ensure its employees feel heard and cared about.
4. Transparency as a Core Value
Any successful business has a diverse selection of employees who enrich company processes with their opinions and ideas. This can promote creativity and innovation and help businesses grow.
However, as workplaces hire diverse employees with wide ranges of beliefs and opinions, it is important to promote transparency as a core value in the organization. This ensures that any decisions made are based on objective, professional criteria and do not reflect personal beliefs or biases but only the organization’s vision.
Honest, communicative, and respectful dialogue is an important part of establishing a transparent and open work environment where employees feel comfortable voicing their ideas and trust that they won’t be discriminated against for any reason.
Why choose MIW?
At Mclean Intelligent Workforce, we keep these tips at the center of our vision and policies, encouraging our female staff to be confident and ensuring they are comfortable and feel respected. 45% of our workforce comprises female employees, who are vital and appreciated members of the MIW team, helping us grow as an employer and as a company.
Our versatile workplace offers a range of solutions, transitioning from expertise in IT and government contracting agency recruitment, construction engineering, audit, and finance to providing you with the finest fintech recruiter for sourcing technical talent on your project.
Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you with your talent acquisition needs.
