#InspireInclusion and Why This Speaks to a Critical Issue for Employers in 2024 – Part II

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Last week, I focused on the campaign theme of #InspireInclusion for International Women’s Day 2024, given how we have recently encountered many discussions on this topic of this series, I explained how a lack of inclusion is fueling the continued underrepresentation of women in many workplaces, especially at senior levels, yet this critical retention issue is often overlooked.

As a community, we need to be intentional about inclusion because it is an essential part of any good program to increase diversity and retention. If anything, the recent data is telling us that this message needs to be stronger.

In continuing to align with Women’s History Month, I would therefore like to build on last week’s historical understanding of how women came to be excluded at work. We ended with the question, But how can we drive meaningful change? Let’s start to answer that now.

Getting Inclusion Right: Suggested Action Points

As hiring professionals, we already know that achieving representation for women at all levels is vital, but it cannot happen without inclusion. Bringing together the recent data and the historical context, I would like to propose three key action areas that I expect will transform workplaces to benefit women, especially when it comes to fixing the “glass ceiling” and “broken rung.”

1. Create an Inclusive Culture: We have seen that microaggressions (and wider company culture) are the primary reason for women to feel excluded at work. While you should carefully consider how to combat this in your specific workplace, I would like to highlight two particular approaches that various companies are adopting.

First, have a “no interruptions” policy during meetings. This means women can give their input and get credit for it while minimizing “hepeating.” Second, be sure to remove hidden gender bias from job descriptions and other corporate literature. Avoid defaulting to stereotypically masculine traits such as “assertive” or “competitive” and find a balance with more feminine-coded characteristics, like “responsible” or “cooperative.”

2. Pay Equity and Transparency: Last year, I noted that a growing number of organizations are acting to increase transparency for job seekers and employees. Nowhere is this more important than in pay transparency, especially for women, who still earn notably less than men. In one of the studies I mentioned earlier, this was identified as the second most important reason for women to feel excluded at work.

Recent data puts the gender pay gap at 16.9% in the US, so something as straightforward as a clear equitable pay (and benefits) policy can make you stand out from the crowd. It sends an important message that you value the work being done.

3. Provide Mentorship and Sponsorship Opportunities: Advancement and promotion rely partly on advice and guidance from mentors and formal sponsorship programs. A few years back, Harvard Business Review pointed out that these opportunities are less available to women. However, sponsorship may be particularly valuable to women in the face of historical structural barriers because it means having someone in your corner advocating for your career advancement, as well as providing guidance. 

Conclusion

I hope this two-part series has both informed and inspired you when it comes to building better workplaces for women. In looking to increase diversity, we all recognize that retention is just as important as hiring and that retention relies critically on inclusion. This brings me to my final point, given how we have learned that culture is the main reason for women to feel excluded at work.

A key challenge when looking to increase the sense of inclusion and belonging is that it isn’t easily measurable, in the same sense as more established diversity metrics such as representation, making it difficult to track. How to best approach measuring inclusion and belonging will depend on the characteristics of your particular organization, so I would encourage you to start new conversations on what the most effective solution would look like where you work.

Perhaps that would be a great focus to keep throughout the rest of March as Women’s History Month, as we further consider this year’s International Women’s Day theme and seek to #InspireInclusion.

JOIN US IN THE COMMENTS: Have you already implemented some of the suggested action points and seen the benefits? What other strategies can you utilize to build a more inclusive workplace? As always, we encourage you to share your thoughts below.