by John Paul McGannon
Promoting Diversity and Equality
According to the UN (2023) , women and girls account for half of the world’s population and, as a result, half of its potential. Gender equality is not only a fundamental human right, but it is also required for peaceful society with full human potential and sustainable development. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that empowering women increases productivity and economic growth. Promoting equality and diversity in the workplace is critical for creating a more equitable and inviting workplace. Companies that embrace diversity and encourage inclusiveness may improve creativity, innovation, and results while also hiring and retaining exceptional people from varied backgrounds.
Diversity education is one approach for promoting equality and diversity. This will ensure that employees understand the importance of diversity and develop the skills needed to work effectively with individuals from various backgrounds. It can also help employees identify and overcome unconscious discrimination. Another method to encourage diversity and equality is through flexible employment arrangements. Companies may assist employees to manage work and personal commitments by providing flexible work choices such as working from home, flexible scheduling, and job sharing. This is especially useful for employees who have caregiving duties or impairments and require flexibility in managing their work and home life.
Anti-discrimination policies are also crucial to fostering diversity and equality. The policies should define both harassment and discrimination directly and have procedures for documenting and dealing with these concerns. Companies should also give employees policy and procedure training to make sure that they understand and follow them.
Women in Leadership
Despite recent improvements, women are still underrepresented in position of leadership in many sectors and nations all over the world. Supporting women in positions of leadership is critical to attaining gender equality. Women in leadership may be supported by companies by offering chances for professional growth, mentorship and networking programmes, and leadership training. Companies can also aim to remove workplace unconscious bias and create rules that promote work-life balance.
Innovation, creativity, and corporate success may all be fuelled by the distinct views and skill sets that women in leadership positions can provide. In spite of recent progress, women continue to lack representation in leadership roles across a wide range of businesses and nations. In order to achieve gender equality and develop a more varied and inclusive workplace culture, it is crucial to support women in leadership positions.
Addressing workplace unconscious bias is a crucial part of encouraging women to hold leadership positions. Implementing measures like education about unconscious bias and diverse recruitment practises are examples of measures that may be taken to enhance diversity and inclusion. It can also entail developing a workplace environment that aggressively combats harassment and discrimination while valuing and promoting diversity.
Training in these areas is as important for women in positions of leadership. Companies can provide leadership development and training courses that focus on communication, negotiation, and conflict resolution abilities. These initiatives may be beneficial in providing women with the skills and confidence they need to succeed in positions of leadership. In addition to getting education, training, and certifications in the security field, Perry (2017) , argues that networking should never be underestimated. People are more likely to do business with people they like rather than through advertisements. Networking will provide you with professional business contacts as well as fresh prospects for success.
Programmes for networking and mentoring are yet another technique for supporting women in leadership. These programmes can provide women the chance to network with experienced leaders, learn about the techniques and difficulties of leadership, and develop business contacts that can help them progress their careers.
Finally, encouraging work-life balance is essential to helping women advance to leadership roles. Companies can implement procedures and policies like flexible scheduling, working from home, and parental leave that help women combine their professional and personal life.
Workplace Gender-Based Violence
Workplace gender-based violence is a severe issue that can happen and includes sexual misconduct, assault, and domestic abuse. Companies are obligated to offer all workers a secure and encouraging workplace. Employers may combat gender-based violence in the workplace by putting rules and processes in place for reporting and handling violent occurrences, educating staff members in recognising, and preventing violence, and giving assistance to victims of abuse.
Sexual harassment, physical assault, and domestic violence are just a few of the many forms of common problem known as gender-based violence in the workplace. Such events may produce a hostile workplace and have detrimental effects on victims’ physical, mental, and financial health. All employees should work in a secure and encouraging environment, and companies must take action to stop and resolve gender-based violence at work.
Workplace policies and practises, according to Ourwatch (2023) , can promote gender inequality by discounting, excluding, or marginalising women of all backgrounds. This can lead to unconscious prejudice guiding decision making or the status quo of gender disparity being maintained. Workplaces, on the other hand, may drive change by proactively supporting women and men to share care obligations and unpaid work equally, take on senior jobs, and be economically independent.
By putting in place policies and procedure for reporting and handling violent occurrences, Companies may combat gender-based violence at work. These guidelines should specify precisely what gender-based violence is and offer staff members a secure, private way to report incidences. Additionally, companies should set up procedures for looking into and dealing with allegations of violence as well as for offering assistance and resources to victims of abuse. Training employees on recognising and avoiding violence is another crucial step in combating gender-based violence in the workplace. Training on recognising and reporting instances of gender-based violence, bystander intervention, and fostering an environment of respect and support in place of employment are a few examples of what falls under this category.
The victims of gender-based abuse in the workplace may also get support services from Companies. Giving victims of abuse access to counselling services, legal aid, and other types of assistance can help them deal with the psychological and physical impacts of violence and take action to safeguard themselves from further damage.
Conclusion
Not only is achieving gender equality morally required, but it is also crucial for fostering a positive work environment. Organisations can develop a workplace culture which recognises and appreciates differences, fosters creative thinking and productivity, and offers an atmosphere of security and encouragement for all employees by promoting diversity and equality, assisting women in leadership roles, and dealing with gender-based violence in the workplace. As a result of greater staff retention, raised employee morale, and improved business reputation, this will not only be advantageous to the employees but also have a favourable effect on the organization’s bottom line. Because of this, businesses should make gender equality a top priority in their entire success plan.
References:
- OurWatch, 2023. Workplace.OurWatch. [Online] Available at: https://workplace.ourwatch.org.au/[Accessed 22 05 2023].
- Perry, M. A., 2017. The Future of Women in Security. In: S. Davis, ed. Women in the Security Profession. London: Elsevier, p. 259.
- The United Nations, 2023. Gender Equality. [Online] Available at: https://www.un.org/ [Accessed 22 05 2023].