Inclusivity of women in the workforce has been an ongoing battle for years. There’s plenty of lip service paid to this topic, but the numbers tell us that we’re not putting words into action. Of the 3,000 publicly traded companies in the U.S., women hold just 18% of board positions. I’m encouraged that where I work, in California, that trend will have some help to change for the better. It’s now state law for publicly traded companies headquartered here to have at least one woman on their board of directors by the end of this year, and at least two by 2021.
But, we need to do better. The number of female Fortune 500 CEOs actually declined by 25% in 2018. Now, only 27 Fortune 500s have female chief executives and the S&P 500 only has 24 female CEOs. This is just the tip of the iceberg, with most major industries (health care, tech, finance) severely lacking in female leadership at all levels.
Neglecting to promote diversity at any level is a mistake businesses cannot afford to make. Harvard Business Review recently conducted research on more than 1,000 companies worldwide, and found that gender diversity is positively correlated with market value and revenue (one caveat: this trend was only found in countries where gender diversity is generally seen as important, such as the United States).
From the Equal Pay Act to discussions around the #MeToo movement, the theme of gender equality is at the forefront of conversations and top of mind for leaders. This is a major step forward for women in the workforce, but we have a long way to go. No one should have to wait until someone speaks up about gender bias at work for their company to take action. Proactivity is absolutely critical to prevent any type of exclusivity. Getting ahead of potential gender bias problems in your business can seem like an overwhelming process, but it doesn’t have to be. There are relatively simple changes and considerations that employers can make to level the playing field for women.
Take gender bias out of the hiring process.
From the job description to the actual interview process, there are improvements to be made to ensure inclusiveness for women. Job descriptions should show no signs of unconscious gender bias. Some words that commonly appear in job postings have been proven to discourage women from even applying to certain positions. The same goes for how the interview process is structured. When conducting interviews, companies can eliminate any unconscious bias by ensuring that there is at least one female interviewer when interviewing a female candidate.
We made these changes at Zenefits and were able to increase the number of women in technical roles by more than 100% in just two quarters. It’s had enormous benefits for the sense of community and culture in our product and engineering office, further proof that gender diversity is not just good for women, but for everyone.
Another way to make the hiring process more gender-inclusive is to make salary information public. Recent research shows that making salary distribution among genders public leads to more women being promoted, and more female new hires. Transparency goes a long way.
Bring employees to the table — and listen.
Make sure employees know they have a voice. Employee-to-employee discussion can be more effective than training sessions by an outside organization with little working knowledge about the company dynamics and culture. On top of that, it’s a less intimidating environment for employees to make themselves heard when they’re surrounded by their peers. Fostering a culture where lower- and mid-level employees feel like their voices are valued equally to the C-suite’s can be monumental in preventing any acts of bias or exclusivity.
But allowing employees to weigh in is a waste of time if a company isn’t prepared to actively address their concerns. One easy (and cost-effective) way to hold leaders accountable is to make employee survey results and discussions available for everyone at the company to view. I’ve seen round-table discussions among employees open up a forum for further dialogue on gender equality and diversity issues. I’ll say it again: transparency goes a long way.
Be the example.
This should go without saying. Company leadership’s alignment of what they say and what they do is critical to setting a tone for any office behavior policies. Most motivated lower- and mid-level employees look to emulate their superiors, and if the top executives in a company are behaving badly, then it only adds to the problem. This isn’t just a women’s issue, and therefore, it requires power and attention from all to truly lead to a solution.
There are male executives setting a precedent for gender equality already, and we applaud them. Dustin Moskovitz has always strived for a fair and progressive environment for all employees at Asana. And Marc Benioff, co-CEO and founder of Salesforce, is an iconic example as being one of the first companies to take a public stance on pay equality.
It’s clear. The encouragement and attention paid to enhancing women’s role in the workforce is amazing, and we are heading in the right direction. I applaud companies that have created an atmosphere that welcomes open conversation and truly tackles the problem at hand. In celebration of Women’s Herstory Month, I thank those who have laid their lives, voiced their opinions and tackled unspeakable amounts of bravery to propel the industry forward to where it is today. Without their dedication, passion and inspiration, we truly would not be in today’s futuristic world fueled by inspiration, nor even capable of having this conversation.
Bringing gender equality to the workplace is key to bringing it to other parts of our lives. If we are working in an office where women have more opportunities and leadership roles, it can set the tone for how women are treated outside the office as well. Gender inclusivity is the first step to making this happen.
