How do we close the Gender Gap at work?

Gender gap at work is playing a big role in the corporate world today. In business, we find different types of people working together to achieve the mission and vision of companies.  Companies nowadays are open to people from all walks of life with different perspectives and personalities.  With this diverse mix of employees, companies need to ensure they have a fair and equitable approach to employment in the workplace, and are consciously closing the ‘gender gap’.  Traditional companies may be ‘old school’ in their approach to hiring, and hire more because of personality than skills.  More progressive companies do not look at just a person’s personality or skills.  Now, they also look at the prospective employees ambition to succeed and their resourcefulness.  Regardless of the gender or sexual orientation, if they have the ambitions to be a‘winner’ with a winning attitude, they can be certain to be employed and valued in a company.

Most traditional companies find it taxing to adjust to the changing times and individual preferences of people.  However, in the dynamic culture of business,the gender gap has been identified as an issue, and leaders have since made efforts to close this gender gap at work.  Here are some great ways how companies are doing this.

1. Diversity

A company needs to embrace diversity to close the gender gap in the office.  It does not only work on a particular department or section of the company but works from recruitment, training, production, leadership, and management.  Companies have had to adjust from the traditional organisational approach of having gender-specific roles in the company, such as men as the leaders, to a more open, more diverse culture where other genders are equally able to fill management positions depending on their proven skills and influence.  Now we see many female executives filling roles in upper management of an organisation.  This simply proves that one’s ability to succeed is not based on gender.

2. Equality

To close the gender gap at work, equality must be propagated not just in terms of distinction in the restrooms, but in all aspects.  By ‘all aspects’, we mean, the workload, pay, shifts, benefits, projects, incentives, etc.  Workload, pay, shifts, projects, benefits, and incentives should be standardised across all employees.  Companies need to streamline these aspects with specific clauses for each role or position in the company.  Regardless of gender, race or affiliation, these should be the same for everyone, depending on the role or position in the company.  Women employees or executives should have the same perks and privileges as the other employees or executives in the company.

3. Development

To be successful at closing the gender gap in the workplace, companies need to have programs in place where development and learning are available for every employee.  These programs will train and mould participants to fit different roles in the company in the future.  It should be available for all employees, regardless of gender, position and affiliation, who need the learning and training, and are interested in taking on different roles in the company.  Senior leaders must accept the possibility, and the responsibility, of preparing junior leaders to replace them.  Mentorship is very popular and this program should be available to all genders.  Organisations should invest in these programs and develop leaders from the employees whenever possible.

4. Culture

Closing the gender gap in the workplace entails cultivating a culture that is open for all.  The company must develop a culture that embraces diversity, and the individuality of each employee in the company, men and women alike.  The leaders of the organisation must be committed to overseeing the development of each employee as an individual and as a part of the company.  Their needs must be attended to, and their skills developed in order to improve, and to fulfil the achievement of the organisation’s goals.

Shifting from a traditional organisation to a more contemporary company requires acceptance, and understanding of today’s cultural reality.  The foundation of any organisation or company needs to be rooted in an ethical approach to the workplace, and to close the gender gap.  Most companies have adapted to this outlook in their organisational and team framework, however, there are still some companies where one gender is favoured more than the other.  In order for those companies to thrive in this fast moving society and business environment, they must review and adapt to the numerous changes in culture and business world.

If your organisation is having issues with gender gap and need help explaining it, then you can always contact me here.