It was reported last week that Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, has called for businesses to dramatically change working practices to prevent mothers feeling ‘shoved aside.’
In order to achieve this, organisations will need to embrace diversity and focus on strengths and competencies to select and develop their top talent. That’s according to global talent management consultancy, a&dc.
Pip Clarke, Principal Consultant at a&dc commented “The diversity argument continues to rage, but the long-standing recommendations simply aren’t working. It’s a concern that progress on this issue continues to stall, with a recent survey by website, Mumsnet, revealing that 60% of women felt less employable since having a child and a further 75% reporting that having children has limited their career progression.”
Ensuring that assessment and development processes are based on competencies and not allowing bias to enter the decision making process will ensure that the right people are put in the right roles and developed for the right reasons – regardless of gender or parental status. This will also have the added benefit of increasing engagement and building a more efficient workforce.
Opening up communication channels and encouraging honest conversations at all levels of the organisation will further help the situation. This authentic approach to leadership gives employees an opportunity to say what they’re able to accommodate alongside their commitments at home, allowing them to shape their career route and job role in the company.
“Forcing businesses to alter existing practices – including the introduction of flexible working hours and quotas for females at board level – will only go so far in addressing the barriers to women in the workplace” Clarke continued. “In order to create an environment that is conducive to diversity, there needs to be a shift in mindset across all levels of an organisation. We need to focus on the strengths of the individual and accommodate their needs to prevent funnelling these women into roles that they’re not satisfied with or that perhaps do not fit with their home commitments.”
