Paving A Path For The March Towards Gender Diversity

How do companies move from awareness to action?

Diversity is always top of mind for HR professionals, and certainly a topic I care about deeply. At my own company, PointClickCare, our approach prioritizes diversity in all of its forms — cultural, religious, sexual orientation, age, and gender—and look for ways to deepen our view and our actions to enable the success of all of our employees.
 

In particular, gender diversity, both at the workplace and in and of itself, has received a significant amount of airtime recently so I thought I’d add my perspective.

Movements like Time’s Up have galvanized women in every industry to speak out about harassment and inequality in the workplace, and research on the role and impact made by women in the workplace is released with more frequency. Yet despite this increasingly brightening spotlight, a disconnect remains.

A recent report, The Double-Pane Glass Ceiling: The Gender Pay Gap at the Top of Corporate Canada found that Canadian companies are falling down when it comes to both representation and compensation. It revealed that only four percent of CEOs and 10 percent of top executives in Canada are women and that even those who have made it to the top are paid less than their male counterparts. This data counters the perception held by 87 percent of respondents only two years ago, that both genders are treated equally in their workplace.

Understanding and acknowledging the issue is one thing, but what comes next? How do companies move from awareness to action in terms of actually addressing the issues at hand?

At PointClickCare, we are tackling gender diversity in a number of ways, from removing gender bias from the hiring process to partnering with organizations that support gender equity within the community. But before we could begin executing on these types of tactics, we needed to lay a foundation for change—a process I’d recommend for any organization.
 

1. Make gender diversity a priority with a target Most companies are very good at setting goals and targets for sales or growth in revenue, but most don’t even consider setting targets for gender representation. In fact, last year’s Women in the Workplace survey found that only 38 percent of companies set targets for gender representation. Targets work. In 2008 Norway set a 40 percent quota for women on corporate boards and has exceeded that number.  
 

At my company, we’ve set goals and deadlines, which holds us accountable for what we need to do. From quarterly training sessions to mentorship opportunities for women to revising existing policies, we’ve made our efforts actionable, visible, and measurable. Accountability is in our DNA, thanks to the example set by our CEO and founder, so this approach works well for us and is something to which we’re committed.
 

2. Give both women and men the opportunity to own a piece of the solution. Creating gender parity in an organization shouldn’t be shouldered solely by women because, frankly, it isn’t a women’s problem—it impacts the whole company. As such, every member of a company should be a part of the solution, meaning men need to play a critical role in making a change.
 

There’s an impulse to form gender-specific committees to solve these issues, but I find that there’s often more value in bringing a variety of voices to the table, as great ideas can come from anywhere and anyone. That said, everyone at the table needs to have a voice and feel empowered to put forth ideas and solutions without intimidation or fear, to ensure that these committees are formed and run as safe and collaborative spaces. It’s also important that these committees are focused and working towards completing actionable goals. All talk and no success can be disheartening and frustrating, so make sure these committees don’t try to tackle too much at once.
 

3. Find ways to weave inclusion into your culture Changing a policy is one thing, but enforcing is another, and can greatly impact a company’s culture. For instance, both men and women who believe that disrespectful behavior toward women is often quickly addressed at their company, are happier in their roles and less likely to think about leaving. This means that “locker room talk” or offside jokes cannot slide. Ever. Employees need to feel empowered to shut this kind of behavior down, and leaders need to model appropriately at all times. A company can’t just talk the talk—they need to walk the walk as well.
 

If one thing is clear, it’s that the march towards gender diversity in corporations is a slow and often arduous process. Change cannot and will not happen overnight, but incremental shifts within a company’s culture and structure will eventually turn a seemingly insurmountable task into a manageable one.

The key to making a change is to recognize its necessity, come together and then commit to seeing it through. A gender diverse workplace improves morale and creates a better work culture in which employees motivate each other to perform at a higher level.

Sarah Bettencourt leads the development and execution of talent strategy and acquisition, culture initiatives, and talent management and development. As PointClickCare’s Chief People Officer, Sarah has spent over 10 years creating innovative programs to attract, develop, and retain technology’s top talent. Sarah also spearheads the programs that have created and evolved PointClickCare’s reputation, “Work Hard. Play Hard.” culture. Under Sarah’s leadership, PointClickCare has grown to one of the most well-respected and talked about business and cultural environments in the technology industry today. Connect Sarah Bettencourt Visit https://pointclickcare.com Follow @PointClickCare