One of the major issues that has come to the forefront in the workplace these days centers on females employees. There has been strong acknowledgement that female workers are discriminated against in alarming numbers at companies. For these employees, it makes their jobs more difficult and causes them to suffer from a range of mental and physical health issues.
For companies it means a loss of productivity, and their missing out on contributions from, in some cases, more than half of their workforce.
There has been legislation enacted to protect female employees in the workplace, and there is a social movement in many countries to bring negative attention and penalties to companies that do not put in regulations and protocols to end gender discrimination and negative behavior toward women at their businesses.
Smart companies have become very proactive. In addition to putting in the needed changes, they have gone much further to show their female employees how much they care for and respect them. Here are some of the things they are doing for their female employees that is making a positive difference for them at work.
Encourage Employees to Invest in their Health
Obviously, women and men are different, and those differences get highlighted in the type of insurance coverage they need. Women need to have specific tests done to check for certain potentially devastating diseases like breast cancer. They also need insurance for if they get pregnant. Additionally, depending on the type of work they are doing, there might be an additional need for preventative care against certain types of conditions. Teach employees the benefits of family health insurance, for example, which will cover hospital care for pregnancy, will encourage staff to make sure they are properly cared for if they fall sick.
Increasing Women’s Pay
Across nearly every industry, women make less than men for doing the same work; this pay inequality is a continuing sore spot for women. Smart companies will have noticed the impact and decide to pay women fairly and equally for the work they perform. On top of this, employers may decide to provide them with a bonus (if they have access to specialist garnishments payroll software to make the process easier) to reward both men and women for the work they are producing. When it comes to increasing the pay of women, smart companies provide equal compensation packages with the same or equivalent perks as their male counterparts.
Recognizing and Ending Gender Bias
Gender bias persists at companies and smart companies admit that this is the case. They also begin to confront it and work toward ending it when it is found. This starts with a review of hiring and promotion practices and training for those in charge so they understand how to modify company procedures that discriminate against women.
Hiring More Female Management
By having more female management within the decision making process of a company, more women get promoted and recognized for their contributions. Companies also get the benefit of an additional female perspective which can help them to make better decisions about hiring and other key elements of their business. Overall it is a huge positive for companies.
Bringing in Experts
Quite often a company cannot recognize its own issues around gender bias. In this case, they bring in experts who can independently evaluate the extent of the problems, and where the problems are, then offer workable solutions to make things better. This is definitely a process that requires lots of soul searching and in some cases big changes in how companies operate, but the benefits that will occur are more than worth the work required.
Companies should focus on using the differences between men and women as strengths rather than challenges. The end result of treating everyone who works for you fairly is that they feel more comfortable, Work harder and stay with your company longer.