Who Run The World? Girls!

How do you support the female superstars in your life? How about in the workplace? It is crucial to ensure that women in the workplace are properly represented, celebrated, and supported. This can be done by reviewing your company structure, organizational culture and redesigning the hiring process. Here is how you can help support women in the workplace to empower females for generations to come!

Equal Representation

Look around your office, scan your payroll up and down. What is the distribution of male vs. female employees? If you notice an unequal distribution, this might be a sign that you should continue to strengthen your recruiting practices to seek out qualified female candidates. Adding some gender diversity can help your team learn to collaborate differently and consider different perspectives. Consider talking with your current employees and asking them what qualities they would hope for a new teammate. As a result, this can help you find a new member who will fit perfectly with the company culture.

Stats to know:

• Working women labor force participation rates – Here 
• Gender gap in employment – Here 

Celebrate Female Accomplishments

Make sure that when recognition is given to the team, females are included in the mix. This can include special shout outs such as employee of the month, bonuses, or teammate of the week awards. Incorporating recognition practices into your organizational culture can be a great way to motivate employees and encourage focus. So, be sure to include females in these company practices!

More to highlight: 

• Women’s History Month (March) – read more here! 
• Celebrate important women’s historical moments/accomplishments – check out these resources! 

Promote Women In Management Positions

Women leaders are great role models for subordinates, clients, and everyone involved in an organization. So, make sure to support women in management positions! This can include promoting well-performing current employees to higher positions.

Female leaders:

• Highlight changes and accomplishments made by female leaders.
• Celebrate newly hired female leaders.
• Encourage collaboration between management leaders so that every voice is heard.

Encourage Women To Apply to Male-Dominated Departments/Industries

Try to encourage women to apply to male-dominated departments and industries! This is a fantastic way to support females in the workplace. When conducting interviews and reviewing resumes, encourage females within your company to apply to traditionally male-dominated departments. When recruiting other applicants outside of the company, ensure to focus on women applicants as well. This can be done by contacting all-female graduate programs or colleges. You can also offer flexible work accommodations to allow employees to work remotely. This can significantly help broaden your demographics because it will help well-qualified females find your job posting.

How to accomplish this:

• Include remote working on the job application.
• Form a relationship with female-dominated undergrad/graduate programs.
• Contact organizations and associations that specialize in supporting women interested in STEM/other male-dominated fields of work/study.
• Encourage women within your company to branch out and apply for male-dominated departments.

Review Your Company Discrimination Policy

Now is a perfect time to revisit your company discrimination policy. Make sure to take the time to focus on all minority groups, not just women! However, this article is tailored for females specifically. So, you should make an extra effort to ensure your policies regarding women in the workplace are up to date. This can help women feel more comfortable and represented in the workplace. Keep in mind that your employees will likely leave online reviews. They might even chat with their friends about the culture at your company. Solidifying these policies will help your reviews glow because your employees will be proud of the company!

Review your policy:

• Form a team that is specifically focused on representing women in your workplace. These people can be your go-to team if a discrimination case involving women occurs.
• Craft a well-written statement and make it public on your company website. This will show potential female applicants that you take women empowerment seriously in your organization!
• Make it so that each employee must sign the discrimination policy. Ensure everyone understands that your organization holds a zero policy rule.

Be Flexible With Maternity Leave 

Mothers are a force to be reckoned with. So, it is important to be flexible and understanding when women in your workplace need to take time off for maternity leave. In fact, you should become familiar with the maternity leave laws in your state to make sure that your company is abiding by the rules. Keep in mind that these leave laws often allow minimal time for mothers to heal. Be patient and accommodate when you can! Once a woman decides to transition back to work, make sure to be flexible. Because they have taken extended leave, the transition back might be hard. Encourage your employees to return at a slow and steady pace that is comfortable and healthy. As a result, you will have a better functioning workplace. It’s the little things that matter most when managing employees.

Be flexible by:

• Allowing extended maternity leave to be taken.
• Offering childcare solutions through the company, if possible.
• Be flexible when female employees transition back to work after taking maternity leave.
• Accommodate unexpected situations all new parents face.

Ask For Feedback

One of the most valuable things you can do within your company is to ask your subordinates for feedback. Focus on having meaningful, real, open conversations with your female employees. Talk about improvements that your workplace can implement. Sometimes, just checking in every once in a while can do wonders for employees’ motivation, self-esteem, and overall happiness in the workplace. There is no need to make this a formal and structured chat. Inquire about organizational structure, culture, and ways your management team can improve and better support subordinates. As a result, your female employees will perform better. Plus, they’ll have a better relationship with management. It’s a win-win!

Guide to asking for feedback:

• “I would love it if we could start having monthly conversations to talk about how we can best support women in our workplace. This is completely optional, but we would love it if you could join us!”
• “Your feelings and thoughts matter to the management team. We want you to be happy at work and feel comfortable in our office environment!”
• “We know you left a great review of our company online, but we would love to hear more ways in which we can improve!”

More to Explore:

How to Maintain Cultural Awareness – Here 

Asking For a Pay Raise During COVID – Here 

Phone Interview Hacks to Stand Out – Here 

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