1.1 Prepare the company to be seen as inclusive for women
Content
Description of Best Practices
Make sure the workplace is attractive for women before starting to develop outreach programs, specific recruitment activities, or other activities to attract talent:
- Clearly state gender equality goals in corporate policy, vision, and mission statements and include them in external communication and outreach campaigns
- Specifically, include employee development options, provisions for a safe and family-friendly workplace, and benefits[1] for employees with childcare duties in communication to different target groups
Create women-friendly policies and improve corporate culture to become a more inclusive and attractive place for women
Challenges of Implementation
Companies in sectors with historically low female representation have a reputation for being poor employers to women. They need to put extra effort into showing their inclusiveness for women.
Companies may need to undergo structural changes first to be seen as inclusive. This can take time.
What Success Looks Like
Policies in place to promote the company as a good place for women to work
Staff composition, external appearance, and internal practices show that women and men can be equally successful within the company’s environment
Company perceived by women as a good place to work, to be measured internally (e.g., by employee surveys, retention rate of women and people with childcare duties)
Company perceived by the general public as an employer of choice for women and men (e.g., through positive word of mouth, mentions in social media, employer evaluation platforms, or other external recognition)
Resources and Tools
Guide: Building Gender-Inclusive Workplaces in Singapore: A Practical Guide for Companies and Human Resource Practitioners (Singapore Management University)
Guide: Four for Women: A Framework for Evaluating Companies’ Impact on the Women They Employ (Wharton School of Business)
Report/Study: Accelerating Progress in Gender Equity from the Inside Out (EY)
Article: Creating a "Human-Friendly" Workplace (Allen Communications Learning Services)
[1] BENEFITS. Employee benefits are part of the total compensation package that includes all tangible return for an employee’s labor except for direct payment. Some benefits are mandatory, such as social security benefits, unemployment compensation, and workers’ compensation, while other benefits are discretionary, such as paid time off, health care, retirement, childcare, employee discounts, club memberships, and financial assistance plans. (Source: Resourcing edge, Human Resource Glossary)