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This International Women's Day, we interviewed some of our team asking them to share their thoughts on how we can #EmbraceEquity.
Equity can be defined as giving everyone what they need to be successful. The IWD 2023 campaign theme seeks to forge worldwide understanding about why equal opportunities aren’t enough, and a focus on gender equity needs to be part of every society’s DNA.
International Women’s Day belongs to everyone, everywhere. Collectively, we can all help create a diverse, equitable and inclusive world.
#EmbraceEquity with Frosina Nita, associate consultant at Eames Consulting in the UK.
1. How can companies strive for more equitable talent attraction?
Companies could improve and emphasize their diversity branding by including authentic stories on their corporate website, the media, career sites and many more. In order to attract underrepresented groups, companies must help them understand how they can thrive in their business by sharing ways to keep their employees informed and engaged.
Nowadays, candidates are looking for more than just a salary when applying for a job. They care about fitting into the culture and meeting their personal and professional needs. That’s why authentic voices are so important; they make the underrepresented talent feel confident in themselves.
2. Within your market/industry sector, what progress have you seen businesses take to progress gender equity?
Unfortunately, the recruitment industry is considered a ‘boys club’. However, recruitment has seen a remarkable shift in mindset, with steps being made to create a more gender-diverse workforce. Businesses now call out inappropriate behaviour, recognise achievements, and create more leadership roles for everyone. They also conduct podcasts and internal/external interviews by bringing in female industry leaders and motivational speakers to lead women into more senior positions.
3. What is one action companies can take to further balance their talent attraction strategies?
Companies can better define their employer brand to transform their talent attraction strategy. The candidates need to understand what a business offers and where it’s headed before they proceed with a job opportunity so that they can better envision themselves being a part of the team. Businesses have to communicate the support they give their employees on both a professional and personal level. Having employee-specific development plans, mentorship opportunities (or even rotational programmes) can help attract more female talent.
4. What is your top advice for making job descriptions more inclusive?
In my opinion, job descriptions can be more inclusive by taking out gendered words and replacing them with gender-neutral titles. Also, we should be mindful of the essential skills as men are more likely to apply for a job when they only meet 60% of the requirements, whilst a woman will only apply if she meets 100% of the requirements. Last but not least, we should not use a lot of unnecessary jargon, as insider language can make someone feel like an outsider.
5. What does being an effective ally for women look like to you?
Listening to women and understanding their experiences are the best ways to be an effective ally to them. Listening to the negative experiences they have had because of their gender and being able to support them without judgement is vital. Sometimes we have arguments/answers for everything instead of trying to understand the others person's point of view.
6. What do you think is the most significant barrier to female leadership?
The most significant barriers to female leadership are lack of confidence and stereotyping. The absence of female role models in most industries makes women hesitant to move forward and progress. Not only that, but in some situations, men can think of their male colleagues as competition while thinking of their female colleagues as incompetent. Employees tend to interpret a man’s assertive behaviour in the workplace as strong, commanding, and direct. On the other hand, if a woman has assertive behaviour she is considered as rude, aggressive, and pushy. Because of that, women do not use very assertive tactics to negotiate promotions, which leads to lower chances of leadership.