Tangible progress toward gender balance makes companies more competitive in a tight labor market.
Do you aim to recruit and retain the best talent? Yes, of course, you do! You likely know that gender bias exists (i.e., favoritism toward or prejudice against a particular gender), and we hope you are implementing strategies to recognize and remove it.
Do you evaluate gender balance as part of your recruiting and retention plan? Do you consider gender balance (i.e., the equal representation of genders)when reviewing candidates? Are you assessing all talent gender-blindly – blocking out the gender during your recruiting process? If not, we got you. Technology, in conjunction with expert recruiters, can aid in achieving gender neutrality.
Recognizing and ensuring a gender-balanced workforce will help you retain your top female contributors. Below are three focus areas to further assist you in achieving this critical balance:
Upskilling
Launch fair skilling initiatives. Women are already left behind in the jobs of the future, making up only 32% of the AI and data talent base. While we have closed this gap by 10 points since 2020, we must continue to narrow it. Otherwise, women, businesses, and our economy will be left behind.
Mobility
According to McKinsey and LeanIn’s “Women in the Workplace 2022” report, women receive fewer opportunities for promotion. The study reveals that “for every 100 men promoted from entry-level to manager, only 87 women are promoted, and only 82 women of color are promoted. As a result, men significantly outnumber women at the manager level, and women can never catch up.”
This lack of mobility was a major contributor to the Great Resignation, which might motivate employers to concentrate on inclusive workplace initiatives and promotions.
Pay
Closing the gender pay gap is a complex issue. Start by reviewing your inputs. Compensation is an output, not the input. A first step in narrowing the gap is to ensure fair/equal inputs: such as specific performance evaluations, consistent hi-potential evaluations of talent, and identified and transparent promotional opportunities and processes. Additionally, it’s the quantitative value you place on people.
Even though gender balance is at the forefront of today’s workplace conversations, we still have work to do. Companies of all sizes and companies like yours can jump in on the forward progress. Implementing change inside your enterprise multiplies and propels us closer to a bias-free gender workforce.
We recognize that achieving equity is an issue for everyone, and part of our mission is to help drive the breakthrough through our work. Accordingly, our passion is placing leaders in crucial executive roles and finding the best talent for our client’s teams. Spot on Talent is a woman-owned business; our drive is to connect highly skilled professionals with meaningful work opportunities. Hats off to all who have and continue to pave the way. Let’s keep moving forward.
“Here’s to strong women: May we know them. May we be them. May we raise hire them.” – Unknown
