Today marks International Women’s Day, an annual celebration that is officially in its 43rd year, where people come together to celebrate women’s achievements, or rally for women’s equality.
The workplace has come a long way in recent years in creating a more gender equal working environment. However, there are things you can do to improve your workplace to support gender diversity and help empower women in their roles.
As more women rise to positions of power within their organisation, around 50 women now hold the title of CEO within a Fortune 500 company. Workplaces are ultimately changing to evolve with changing workplace dynamics. As matter experts in helping businesses transform their workplaces to adapt to change, through our smart products and innovative furniture designs, we understand what it takes to create a workplace that supports gender diversity and allows both women and men to thrive within their role.
Create a workplace that supports everyone
Diversity of any kind means your teams and organisation can benefit from a wide range of different viewpoints and approaches. These come from people having different life experiences and backgrounds. It has been proven that diverse working environments can help to boost creativity and innovation, creating new opportunities for people and businesses alike. You can achieve this by introducing a mix of collaborative workspaces, individual workstations or flexible and casual ‘zones’. This means people can choose where and how they work to best suits their needs.
According to an article produced by the Wall Street Journal, men and women experience the workplace differently. So, it’s important to cater to a range of working styles to get the best from your entire workforce and boost employee well-being.
Embrace agile working
A diverse and flexible workforce go hand-in-hand. More and more companies are transitioning to an agile way of working – as a result of the on-going pandemic. This new way of working is perfect for the modern family, where both or one parent works. It gives greater freedom and a better work/life balance.
Empowering women
According to a study by the Centre for Creative Leadership, more women in the workplace means higher job satisfaction. The study found that there was ‘higher organisational dedication, more meaningful work and less burnout’ within businesses with a more gender-balanced workforce. In turn, this led to employees enjoying their work more and feeling as though they have opportunities to make a difference.
Benefits – all the way to the top!
With increased diversity comes more inclusive cultures. In turn, this can help develop more positive working environments and improved employee retention. Employing more women, especially in senior positions, creates less gender discrimination throughout the whole employment process. It also helps position leadership roles become accessible to other women within the company.
If you would like to transform your workplace to create a unique working environment that supports change, get it touch.