It’s important to celebrate the achievements and contributions of women in the workforce and beyond, but true progress requires ongoing effort and support throughout the year, not just on International Women’s Day.
As an employer or HR Professional, it’s crucial to go beyond symbolic gestures and implement tangible actions that support and empower female employees consistently.
In this article, we’ll discuss key strategies for supporting your female employees all year round.
Equal opportunities and advancement
Conduct regular reviews of promotion processes, ensuring they’re fair and unbiased. Implement mentorship and sponsorship programmes specifically designed to support women in reaching leadership positions within the organisation.
Invest in training and development
Focus this on building relevant skills and confidence- for instance, leadership training, negotiation workshops and networking opportunities tailored to the needs of your female employees. Investing in their professional growth will not only benefit them, but also strengthens the overall talent pool in your organisation.
Create a supportive culture
Foster inclusivity and create a place where women feel values and able to voice their opinions and ideas. Encourage open dialogue through feedback mechanisms and employee groups focused on gender diversity and inclusion. Address any instances of bias or discrimination promptly and take proactive measures to create a safe and respectful workplace environment.
Family friendly policies
Such as parental support, childcare assistance and enhanced maternity offerings such as coaching. These don’t only benefit female employees but promote a more inclusive and family friendly culture for everyone.
Recognise and celebrate achievements
Do this regularly, recognising hard work, input, skills and leadership qualities through direct feedback, awards and promotions. It boosts morale and re-inforces a culture of recognition and appreciation.
Pay equity and transparency
Conduct regular pay audits to ensure equity across genders. Be transparent about salary ranges, promotion criteria and performance evaluations. Address any discrepancies or biases in compensation promptly and take corrective action.
Encourage mentorship and networking
Both within and outside of the organisation, do what you can to support attendance at networking events, conferences and industry forums where women can connect with mentors, peers and leaders.
Supporting female employees shouldn’t be limited to a single day or month. It requires sustained commitment and proactive measures to create an inclusive and equitable workplace where women can thrive.
If you’d like more information about our maternity return coaching programmes, please get in touch.
My colleague Sarah Turner and I have been busy creating content highlighting the importance of organisations providing support for working parents. As part of this, we created this video series exploring the entire journey of maternity leave, from before the leave starts, through to preparing to return and then the first few months back at work. If you or your organisation would like to understand more about how to support your employees as they take parental leave, please get in touch.
This blog post is a collaboration between Maternity Coaches Laura Duggal and Sarah Turner. They are working together, sharing their experiences and bringing the best of their joint advice and knowledge to you.