The novel corona virus has affected the whole world. It has disrupted the work life balance and also revealed many facts about women in the workforce. This Transformation Tuesday, let us look at the ways to build an inclusive workplace for women to survive and grow:
Make place for inclusion
Being inclusive is very easy to say but difficult to implement. To be inclusive organizations need to make conscious efforts and a variety of structural and behavioural changes. Organizations must make efforts to put in structures, policies, initiatives, technologies such that they are inclusive in nature. For example companies that are inclusive in nature can make the onboarding process for new joinees better. Like they can ask the new joinees to take problem solving assessment and the results of the same can be shared with the managers. These managers can then use the assessment results to make the onboarding process more meaningful thus making the employees feel like they belong to the organization.
Customize the inclusion
Every woman has a different journey. Be it single, married, she has career pause or if she is at home or she is working from home. Workplace and the initiatives at workplace should be customized and personalized for the physical and psychological well being of the women. Organizations should also make male employees in the organization more aware about the challenges that women face at workplace.
Inclusion should be a core value
Research suggests that employees, consider inclusion as most important factor when they select an organization for work. Employees prefer organizations that are inclusive in nature. They prefer organizations that design a strategic approach that is cornerstone of their foundation.
Accountability
Leadership at the organization should embrace inclusion and diversity. It should start from the top. Practising such behaviour shall encourage more inclusive environment during these difficult times and thus help in the long run.
Now is the time to embark on this journey.
Written and Compiled By Faber Mayuri Pandya
