Despite significant progress made in the past few decades to support women in the workplace, they continue to face a range of challenges, including unequal pay, limited opportunities for career advancement, and discrimination, that result in a lack of representation in the corporate landscape. There has been an increasing push for gender diversity in recent years, with efforts to promote more women in technology-related fields. Deloitte’s ‘Women in Tech Industry‘ report reveals that women hold 25% of all tech jobs, marking a 2.6% increase from the 2019 statistics. Despite appearing to be a small change, this progress is a positive development!
To support women’s success in the workplace, policies and practices that provide equal opportunities for education, training, and professional development are crucial. Mentoring initiatives can help build skills and networks, leading to longer job tenures and resolving issues such as the broken rung in the leadership ladder. For example, linking variable pay to visible actions can motivate employees to foster a productive work culture. Adopting modules such as succession planning ensures that women are considered for leadership positions and that there is a pipeline of diverse talent ready to take on key roles.
Reverse mentoring, wherein senior leaders are paired with junior employees is a great way to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and experience. These strategies can lead to better collaboration, innovation, and employee engagement, and ultimately support women’s advancement and well-being in the workplace.
Additionally, in order to support women in the workplace, companies should strive to create a culture of inclusiveness and respect. Organisations should establish clear policies and procedures to deal with incidents of discrimination or harassment and provide training to all employees on how to navigate these critical issues. They should also encourage open communication and feedback to ensure that all employees have equal opportunities to participate in decision-making processes. With a hybrid work model allowing flexibility, and managers who prioritise empathy and individual needs, companies can be epitomes of great places to work. Further, an ethical workplace not only helps cultivate trust and loyalty but also fosters an open and transparent atmosphere that promotes productivity.
Outside the organisation too, the gender gap in STEM education should be aggressively addressed by encouraging high school and college women to pursue STEM studies. Women leaders could mentor younger women to ensure that STEM is viewed as an exciting career choice, to create diversity, and support the development of the next generation of female technologists.
To amplify gender inclusivity in the workplace, Collins Aerospace focuses on supporting women through various initiatives and workplace models that cover social, career, cultural, and life changing agendas. They are outlined below:
Director – HR, Global Engineering and Technology Center;
India HR Head,
Collins Aerospace
· By partnering with the Girls who code initiative, Collins Aerospace provides young women with the opportunity to learn coding skills, gain exposure to technology careers, and engage with like-minded peers.
· Collins Aerospace’ WeCareForYou program prioritises employee well-being, particularly for women, with services like door-to-door cab service during pregnancy, a creche, a maternity buddy program, and designated parking for pregnant employees.
· With programs such as ‘WILL RISE’ for leadership growth, ‘LIFT’ for authenticity at work, and the ‘Re-Empower Program’ for relaunching careers after a break, Collins Aerospace prioritises women’s careers.
· Collins Aerospace also organises a contest named MechAura which aims to support and encourage female engineering education in India.
· Re-Empower Program provides a unique opportunity to support experienced professionals as they relaunch their careers after taking a career break for maternity, childcare, elderly care, the recession, etc.
Overall, significant strides have been made over the last few years to focus on women as an intrinsic component of the workforce. Collins Aerospace has increased its female workforce by 7% over the last 4 years, moving towards creating a more gender-balanced work atmosphere. This has led to the growth of over 11.6% of women occupying leadership roles. Organisations should embrace the understanding that diversity drives innovation; equity eliminates obstacles and inclusion drives success.
