Balancing Act – The Global Recruiter
It’s no secret that a diverse workforce helps build a successful business – so why aren’t so many organizations in the UK diverse in terms of gender? A government-backed review found that there are “few signs of change” in the under-representation of women in management positions in companies.
Companies that promote a positive culture attract and retain the best talent in the workforce. By promoting inclusive policies, there will be many benefits beyond attracting the best talent from a diverse candidate pool. This includes eliminating offensive and narrow decision-making, offering a fresh perspective on something everyone sees the same, providing a better platform for innovation and creativity. and an improved customer experience.
Employees should feel comfortable reaching their potential, which should be supported by diverse and inclusive policies. Unfortunately, not all companies do. Jaguar faced a labor court as a result of a fluid gender employee victim of abuse and lack of support at work.
Although the Equality Act 2010 was introduced to set a minimum standard, a true diversity policy goes beyond legal compliance and adds real value to a business while promoting employee well-being. Research has shown that organizations leading the way gender inclusion also has an impact on performance and profitability compared to their competitors.
In 2019, the share of women on boards of directors of large UK companies reached a record high of 30%. While it is positive to see progress and record numbers being achieved, there is still a long way to go before achieving gender equality, both on the board and in the workforce. -work.
Inclusive recruitment
The statistics on women on the boards of recruitment firms are disappointing. According to research conducted in 2020, approximately a third of recruitment firms have less than five percent of women leaders at the board level, although more than two-thirds have more than half of their employees being women.
Director of Women’s Recruitment Julie Selby said: “Increasing the representation of women on the board and across the company is not just the ‘right’ thing to do, but it It also makes good business sense. It creates teams that have a greater diversity of thinking, which can achieve goals with creativity and more efficiency.
“However, despite numerous studies showing the correlation between companies with a higher proportion of female directors and better business outcomes, the numbers show that many of the UK’s top companies fall short of the Hampton- target. Alexander Review one-third of the board and management positions to be filled by women.
The recruiting industry has a responsibility to set an example for the companies it works with by hiring and promoting a diverse selection of employees. How can companies trust monotonous recruiting firms with their candidates?
Count low numbers
The Big Four accounting firms are the biggest companies in the accounting industry that have innovated the way we invest and work. The Telegraph reported shocking diversity statistics – with just 11 black partners out of around 3,000 in total. It is important that we also look at the gender statistics.
61.3% of all accountants and auditors are women. This is an increase from 39 percent in 1983, which at the time was considered an important statistic. Although this is great, only nine of the 3000 partners are women. Almost every senior auditor of these companies appears to be a white male.
Rachel Reeves, Chair of the House of Commons Affairs Committee, said: “If the audit industry thinks it is delivering the highest possible standards while it is missing out on the talents of half the population, then he has to think again.
PwC completed the highest number of company audits in the FTSE 100, although none were led by women or people of color. The under-representation of women in these leadership positions has been a key factor in the gender pay gap. The accounting firm found that the median gap between men and women was 18 percent. While white males dominate the leading roles, a business cannot go further until it stabilizes due to a lack of diversity and different ways of thinking.
Women in technology
The state of women in technology is a sad affair. Despite global conversations about gender diversity in tech, women are still underrepresented, underpaid, and often discriminated against. For the tech industry to truly flourish, diversity and inclusiveness are crucial so that innovative and creative products and services can be designed, taking into account all members of society and not just one. dominant demographic group.
For example, Fitbit’s period tracking feature was incorrect, only allowing women to record their menstrual cycle if it was 10 days or less. If more women were involved in the conception, this catastrophic error would not have happened and would have alienated many of her clients. Despite this, women remain vastly under-represented in tech.
In the UK, female employees represent 19% of the tech workforce. This figure is even lower for black and Hispanic women at three percent and Asian women only make up five percent. There is less inspiration for women looking to pursue tech careers. This is due to the incredibly low number of role models being talked about in the media, combined with caps on women when trying to enter the industry or move up. Others point to the lack of girls taking STEM subjects in school and higher education due to social prejudices that encourage boys to choose these subjects.
Diversify advice
The promotion culture that excludes qualified female candidates could be one reason why women are under-represented. These candidates cannot be part of the social networks that board members and CEOs use when reviewing a candidate. Board members usually play it safe and hire or promote similar candidates. Since there are far fewer women in leadership positions initially, the same white male professionals are repeatedly selected. If executives improve their recruiting methods and increase the pool of potential candidates by seeking diverse workers, they will make better use of the talent pool.
Implementing legislation requiring companies to appoint a minimum number of executives with different attributes can help address this issue. This has been used successfully in Norway since 2008 to improve gender diversity on the board, with at least 40 percent of board positions to be held by women. Spain and France are also considering introducing similar mandatory requirements for gender diversity, which the UK could consider.
Diversity training
It is important to remember that sexism and misogyny in the workplace must also be tackled to create a safe and inclusive environment. Sexism is not always overt with blatant remarks and aggression. It can be concealed and displayed through microaggressions and prejudices. It can be just as damaging for women in the workplace, who may feel uncomfortable raising the issue. Addressing the way people think can be done through workplace inclusion and diversity training so colleagues know what is not acceptable and how their behaviors and words can be offensive. People need to be called out on their prejudices and learn to become better. In the 21st century, there is no excuse for sexism and hidden micro-aggression.
Creating targeted training for emerging leaders who could potentially become directors in the future could help those with the potential to grow and advance for roles in the future. It makes them feel involved, rather than being ignored and feeling pressured into changing jobs to look for better opportunities. While there has been some progression over the decades, there is still a long way to go and the conversation is not yet ready to end. With pressure from the public and the workforce, things could change.
It is important that industries learn to be inclusive, not only to generate more profits, but also to encourage others to follow suit in helping to create a new normal in the world of work. Business will stagnate when everyone thinks the same and is limited by their own experiences. Hiring workers from diverse backgrounds and demographics will add new perspectives – an invaluable resource for businesses. Sectors should consider what Top 50 inclusive businesses do to embrace a culture of inclusiveness and diversity.