'Workplace Redesign' only path to gender equality

Two peak think-tanks have called for a complete ‘workplace redesign’, saying workplace gender inequality will persist until organisations rethink their approach to leadership.
Despite some key advances for women in the workforce and the growing body of evidence demonstrating a strong business case for gender diversity, women remain underrepresented in management and leadership roles, and it has been shown that this affects the business bottom line. In a new joint whitepaper released this week by the Australian Institute of Management and UN Women Australia, it was argued that organisations have been slow to embrace the value-generating challenge of retaining and supporting talented women through the leadership pipeline. Yet, companies with gender-balanced leadership report increased collegiality better insights into the consumer market.
According to the report, blocks in the leadership pipeline include:

• Lack of meaningful flexible-work options for working mothers
  
• Affordability of childcare
  
• Limited career flexibility options
  
• Recruitment bias
  
• Exclusion from informal networks
  
• Unconscious bias (stereotyping and preconceptions about women’s abilities)
  
• Insufficient leadership from the top— a failure to actively support women’s advancement

A ‘workplace redesign’ would involve re-thinking and then re-designing jobs to better suit the flexibility needed among the modern workforce. In particular, such guidelines that may be considered by HR include:

• Placing limitations on the hours that meetings can be organised, for example, between 10 am– 3pm to allow for school/childcare drop offs and pick ups
  
• Exploring all options for staff to work at home where possible
  Related article: Flexibility opens up untapped talent pool
  
• Looking at offering parental leave flexibility, rather than full time leave, over an extended period (for example two years)
  Related article: Communication disconnect: Employers and Mums returning to work
  
• Using technology, including video technology, to enable workers to fully participate in meetings while out of the office
  
• Using ‘dial an angel’ services, which could be shared between many companies or work groups, to look after children or other dependents if an employee needs to attend an urgent meeting and is unable to get other care arrangements in place.

Source: HC mag

Women make better leaders in turbulent times: true or false?

New evidence suggests that women may be better than their male counterparts in improving employee morale, motivation and performance – crucial factors that can enhance chances of organizations survival in turbulent times - according to Shabeer Ahmad on ChiefExecutive.net

Ahmad says that during turbulent times, "a management style that is more characteristic of women leaders really produces positive results", and that this is because:

- Collaboration becomes vital if the organization is to capture all ideas and opinions to ensure that the best possible course is taken. Women consult more with their peers and teams than men.
- Showing empathy when people are distraught will provide stability in the workplace. Women are better at expressing empathy than men.
- Similarly, responding to people’s emotional needs will ensure that they continue to perform under pressure – and women are much better at using emotions in a positive way.
- Women also tend to reduce or avoid hierarchical layers and to short-circuit communication channels, and this leads to improved trust and better communication.
- Being less aggressive will ensure that risk is reduced. Women take fewer risks than men so the organization’s chances of survival are higher.

What's your take: true or false?

Source http://sphinxx.com.au/_blog/The_SheEO_Blog/post/Women_make_better_leaders_in_turbulent_times_true_or_false/: Sphinx

Communication disconnect: Employers and Mums returning to work

Organisations are increasingly recognising that paid parental leave alone isn’t enough to make returning parents feel supported and equipped to return to work – yet turnover of Mothers returning to work remains high.

For Emma Walsh, a background in HR and her own experiences of re-entering the workforce after becoming a mother provided unique insight into the equation of Mums returning to work. Walsh consulted her friends and colleagues about the challenges they had experienced when returning to work, and what help and support they had received. “Overwhelmingly, the answer was none,” Walsh said.

Her experiences led her to found Mums@Work,a provider of return to work guidance. The organisation is now a leader in facilitating return-to-work programs, and designs in-house programs about how to facilitate parents returning to work. At KPMG, Walsh said the proper conversations were simply not taking place. However, after increasing diversity training and providing more specialist support to returning parents, the organisation has experienced a more successful re-integration process.

According to Walsh, the way organisations tackle the return to work transition has improved. “I think there’s been a significant shift in the last six years, and we’ve seen much more willingness to acknowledge a need for flexibility for people with families, from a time when a lot of parents almost had to pretend they didn’t have kids, and just get on with it.”

Lucille Rogers, a mother of three and a former HR director with more than 15 years in the business, found that despite dropping to three days a week, the “hour’s equation” still didn’t add up. Rogers fully expected to completely transition back into her role, but didn’t account for a new variable: the emotional side of returning to work. Rogers was in the unique duel position of understanding the business requirements from a HR perspective and also as a new Mum returning to work. For Rogers, who is now a USANA Health Sciences associate, the biggest pitfall was estimating what would be achievable before taking leave. “At the end of the day, a workplace is a workplace and a business needs as many hours as they can get. But for Mum’s, they need flexibility, and of course it becomes emotional.”

Walsh said successful re-integration is achievable, and time and time again one of the main pitfalls employers make is not sitting down with the employee after they return and doing a ‘job redesign’. “So often Mums go in with unrealistic expectations about what can actually do. The focus needs to shift from what they can’t do, to what they can do.”

-Stephanie Zillman

Source: HC mag http://www.hcamag.com/newsletter/content/122490/

Diversity can lead to conflict, or respect

Difference in the workplace often creates misunderstandings that give rise to conflict, but with the right management approach, difference can lead to respect, says Macquarie University professor of management Lucy Taksa.

Employers should recognise the fact that difference is difficult and creates issues between workers that need to be resolved, she says.

Without proper training, it's all too easy for a well-meaning manager to make matters worse instead of better when responding to difference.

The difficulty in equipping managers to deal with difference is that there's no one-size-fits-all approach.

"Somebody who has a different source of identity, whether it's sexuality or culture, even gender, may keep silent in order not to draw attention to their difference. [Or] they may adapt to the norms of the dominant group in order to fit in."

Similarly, some people don't wear religious garments or symbols because they don't want to draw attention to their faith, but others believe it's crucial to their identity.

"There's a variability in the way people respond to difference... and that really makes it difficult for a manager.

"Sometimes it leads to conflict, sometimes it doesn't - sometimes it leads to respect, and I think managers need to develop their skills to respect difference."

Do your managers have the necessary skills?

One of the most critical management skills for dealing with difference and fostering diversity is that of active listening, Taksa says.

"All managers, from first line up, need to have mediation training, because one of the really important elements of mediation training is active listening."

This is a critical skill, because manages who don't listen well won't mediate well.

Training should also teach managers different strategies for accommodating difference in the workplace, Taksa says.

"I think there are certain practices that should be accommodated - whether it's a prayer room or the capacity not to work on the Sabbath - there's got to be a flexibility to enable people sufficient scope to practise their differences."

Recognising and celebrating a cultural or religious festival outside the dominant culture, and giving people an opportunity to celebrate and explain their different practices - or simply "tell their stories" - can make the different more familiar, she says.

"And the more familiar [differences] are, the less conflict you're going to have [because] there's understanding."

Managers also need training in intangible soft skills like building rapport and creating a trusting environment where people don't feel the need to conceal their differences, Taksa says.

All the while, managers must be mindful that there are multiple types of difference, which can intersect.

"There needs to be a sensitivity to those choices that individuals make, and an effort not to make stereotypical assumptions.

"We often talk about diversity in terms of women, cultural background or race, religion, age, ability/disability, sexuality and so on, as if they are unitary characteristics. But of course they're not. A woman can also be gay or she can come from a culturally distinct non-English speaking background, which will affect her communication style, so there are multiple levels of oppression and potential discrimination that might occur," she says.

"In the dominant Anglo culture, we have a tendency to leave spaces between each other's statements as a sign of respect and that we're concentrating and listening to the person. But if people come from an Eastern European background, the less space the better - the more engagement. So you'll often find people from Eastern and Southern Europe sound like they're arguing and interrupting each other... but they're norms within the culture."

Because managers can encounter any number of differences in the workplace, they must be capable of being flexible and reflective. Unhappy, disengaged, or self-censoring workers should send warning signs that difference might be causing tension.

They then need to look beyond cultural and gendered norms, see whether there's an issue, and respond with sensitivity, focusing not on generalisations and stereotypes but the individual's specific circumstances and needs, Taksa says.

Managers are people too

It's vital that managers remember they too are "different", she adds.

"Often we think, 'Everyone's diverse except the Anglo-Australians', when in fact they have an identity as well, and that needs to be addressed. Nobody is without identity difference [so] it's important that managers become aware of their own sources of identity."

It follows that diversity training should not only make managers aware of prevailing stereotypes and assumptions, but allow them to identify and address their own preconceptions.

Because managers must work within systems, they can sometimes be viewed as merely part of those systems. But managers need support too, says Taksa, who recommends giving them the opportunity to "debrief with each other on the handling of differences, so they're not isolated in their handling of diversity issues".

"I think it's healthy for people to be able to verbalise or articulate their tensions and frustrations, and dealing with difference and diversity is difficult. We have to recognise it's one of the most difficult things in the world... so I think it's important for people to be able to voice their concerns."

Failure to address diversity issues can lead to a loss of talent and an increased risk of bullying and discrimination cases - not to mention low morale, Taksa warns.

"Sometimes initiatives can cost money, and if there's no direct bottom-line evidence that it's going to make money people don't want to buy into it, but that's a very short-term perspective.

"What HR managers need to do is to identify the long-term perspective and to illustrate the long-term cost of not doing things to create a tolerant and accepting environment," she says.


Source: hrdaily  

"Quick wins" good for diversity, but more lateral approach needed

Organisations are building some "quick wins" toward their diversity targets by boosting the numbers of senior women in traditionally female-dominated areas of business, but gender diversity experts say they need to broaden their approach in order to make real progress.

According to Emberin founder Maureen Frank, many organisations subject to the ASX gender diversity guidelines - which require companies to set targets and report on the representation of women in senior executive roles - are currently using a strategy of "Let's get some quick runs on the board".

"They're going for the quick wins to start with. And certainly if you look at some of the areas where there has traditionally been a number of senior women - HR, corporate communications, legal, even finance to some extent - those are areas where there is a very obvious talent pool of women who are senior, and who they can call upon to fill those roles.

"That's a start; it starts to set the right tone. However, if companies are really going to conquer this issue, they're going to have to start looking at putting women in operational roles.

"That's the key to it. You want women who are running profit and loss centres and you want them to start bringing the women in their organisations through into operational roles."

Karen Morley, co-founder of Gender Worx, says that the "quick wins" strategy makes sense "in some ways, because it's much easier to move women into roles in a context where there are already women - into female-dominate areas. It's just easier to do.

"There are more risks associated with moving women quickly into male-dominated areas." (See this article for more on this topic.)

But, she says, these organisations are the ones taking a compliance approach to the guidelines and might struggle to maintain the momentum needed to reach their targets.

Frank says organisations need to realise that for most, meeting targets will require a long-term focus.

"A lot of companies have put a lot of energy in, in the last 12 months, but there's still not a huge amount of progress in most. So I think it's important to recognise that the journey has just begun. And there are no quick fixes or silver bullets, but this is going to require persistent effort probably over the next five years."

Further, many will need a new mindset for hiring, she says.

"Traditionally, companies have had very rigid mindsets around the way people progress in an organisation. That's been what I describe as a masculine model - 'That guy has been in the organisation for 15 years; he's ticked all the traditional boxes, therefore he becomes the head of that department'. So I think they need to start thinking laterally, and more broadly, about how they hire and recruit into those senior management roles, and they need to recognise that subject matter expertise and experience does not necessarily make a really good senior manager."

Act now to avert a male backlash

Both experts warn that without providing a high level of education about gender diversity, organisations risk a "backlash" from their male employees.

According to Frank, there is a high degree of knowledge, at very senior levels, of the business case for gender diversity, but "middle management still feel very threatened".

"I think there's still the mentality that it's... positive discrimination against men. So there is a fairly urgent need for education of men at middle management level."

Morley agrees, saying, "It's really important that organisations carefully manage the perception that people are missing out on jobs".

"It's certainly one of the anxieties that people have. There's a concern that one of the consequences of introducing gender diversity guidelines is that talented men will find it increasingly difficult to get roles.

"There's a lot of discussion about that in terms of board positions - there are men who are saying they're board ready, but they're not able to get access to new roles. And a part of the reason is that women are being given priority for that."

Morley says that "on a statistical basis", the recent increase in the percentage of women being promoted to board positions does mean that men are not being promoted into those positions, "so... there is slightly less opportunity for men".

"But let's be clear that those appointments are still not 50:50 appointments," she stresses.

"We have to be clear that we've not had a level playing field; we've not previously had 'merit', in terms of placing people in senior positions and board positions. So for a period of time we may have to go back in a different direction, and that's just what it will take for us to get to better representation of women."

Frank says that on an individual level, she does not think that men are being discriminated against and missing out on positions and promotions.

"In my experience, although [organisations] very clearly want to see a candidate slate that has equal representation of men and women on it, they are still absolutely picking the best person for the job."



Source: hrdaily

Career Advice for Parents program introduced by the DEEWR

We are proud to be part of the New Career Advice for Parents program, being run by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations.

The program has just been introduced and is now live!

Career Advice for Parents is a free telephone service which provides professional, informed career advice by qualified Career Advisers to assist eligible parents in identifying transferrable skills, explore career options and develop a plan of action to help them achieve their employment goals.
The Career Advice service is only available via telephone. It does not include a face to face option.

Eligibility

An employment service provider can determine eligibility for the service. A parent is to be registered with an employment service provider, if they are not registered already they can find a provider by using the search tool:

• Find a provider

Career Advisers offer two distinct but related streams of service, Career Planning and Résumé Appraisal.

Career Planning

A Career Adviser can help with a range of activities such as:

• identifying transferable skills
• researching industries and occupations
• improve understanding of job search strategies in today’s labour market
• identify education and training options
• developing a plan to achieve employment goals.

To get the most out of a Career Planning session, eligible parents should do some of the activities in My Guide before speaking to a Career Adviser. My Guide is a personalised career exploration service that records interests, skills and experience, and assists in developing a career profile. My Guide includes My Career Plan which helps set and achieve career goals.
To access My Guide, go to My Guide and sign up to My Guide. My Career Plan can be emailed to the Career Adviser ahead of a career advice session to CareerAdvice@deewr.gov.au.

You'll find an overview of the program here.


Source: http://www.deewr.gov.au/Employment/Programs/CareerAdviceforParents/Pages/default.aspx

12 Ways to Support Your Working Parents in 2012 - Practical Tips and Ideas!

1.      ‘Career After Kids’ Seminar – 2.5hr seminar to help your parents return to work and manage work life balance.

With reputable career coaches your presenters, this seminar is designed exclusively for mums and dads needing assistance to:

·         Plan and prepare to re-enter the workplace

·         Review their career and explore flexible work options

·         Create work life happiness and manage their career as a working parent

Going back to work after full time parenting can be daunting, even when you have a job you love! Support the parents in your organisation to return to work and balance career and family with ‘Career After Kids’.

2.      Start a Stay-in-Touch Program – let mums@work develop and run it for you with our Stay-in-Touch Program.

To ensure your employees experience a smooth transition to and from parental leave, it’s vital to offer a ‘stay-in-touch’ service which allows you to continually communicate with employees at home. mums@work is making it easier for you to stay connected to your parents on leave and retain talent with our ‘stay-in-touch’ program. We can help your business create a parental leave program and better still manage the program for you, making it easier for managers and employees to transition to and from parental leave.

3.      Offer maternity leave and return to work coaching support –see our Coaching Gift Certificates!

It’s no longer enough to offer paid maternity leave if you want to be successful in retaining quality talent. Make the transition of having a family and going back to work a successful one for both your organisation and your employees. Make return to work coaching a part of your organisation’s family friendly initiatives. Provide your parents with access to a working parent career coach to assist them in:

·         Preparing for parental leave

·         Explore and implement a viable flexible work arrangement

·         Discuss and navigate the return to work process and transition from parenthood back to work

·         Consider future career path options within the organisation post parenthood

·         Improve work and family balance

4.      Create a Working Parents Toolkit.

The mums@work Working Parents Toolkit provides companies with all the information and resources you need to successfully manage your working parents. It is designed to specifically support:

·         Expectant parents

·         Employees on parental leave

·         Working parents

The Toolkit makes the transition to parenthood and return to work that much easier with valuable insight, legal requirements and advice from experts in the fields of career management, human resources and childcare, as well as real-world working parents.

 

5.    Implement a ‘Manage Your Own Career’ workshop for parents balancing work and family.

Help your working parents take control of their own career and empower them to take initiative in all stages of their career through having a baby, returning to work and managing work life balance. Offer advice for surviving and thriving as a working parent, how to keep your career on track and creating work life happiness.

 

6.      Audit your family friendly and flexible work practices –survey and find out what your working parents need!

Hold discussion groups to give your employees a forum to provide feedback.

7.      Offer a ‘Preparing for Parental Leave Package’ to expectant mums and dads that include a Coaching Session and copy of ‘Towards Parenthood’ Guide.

About the ‘Towards Parenthood publication’ – This guidebook aims to assist parents manage the complex demands of parenting; strengthen the couple relationship and the relationship between parents and infants. Skills in coping, problem-solving, enhancing self-esteem, assertive communication, bonding with your baby and understanding your baby’s cues are presented. 

Upon completion of this service, your parents will be prepared for parental leave; have a plan for how they will stay in touch whilst on leave and, feel supported as they begin their transition into parenthood!

8.      Create a Flexible Work Policy and Toolkit – see our handy guide for managers and employees.

The Flexible Work Proposal Toolkit is a simple and convenient business case tool that enables employees and managers to research, negotiate and implement a flexible work arrangement.

This Toolkit is a must for organisations who want to retain valued, skilled and experienced employee (not just parents). You can brand this toolkit as your own and your existing flexibility content can be integrated to suit your organisation’s needs.

9.      Create a Job Design Guide for Managers and Employees – ask about our Job Design Toolkit. Empower your employees and managers on effective job design to create more efficient and flexible ways of working.

10.  Start a job share and flexible work register to encourage connection between employees working flexibly to share stories and advice.

Job sharing can help employees achieve a balance between work and other activities, including family responsibilities, availability of a wider range of skills and experience within the job, peak period coverage – it may be possible for both partners to work during very busy times, continuity of coverage, staff retention, reduced staff turnover, attracting new staff, improved staff morale, lower absenteeism, and increased productivity. Registers can be a useful tool where interested employees can indicate their preferred hours. Organisations can then match job-share partners who have complementary hours, skills and other relevant factors.  

11.  Create a recruitment strategy to design flexible roles and attract and retain key talent – talk to our recruitment manager for more info.

mums@work offers a simple recruitment service to introduce and connect mums and dads to jobs with family friendly, flexible employers across a range of industries and professions. Best of all there is NO costly agency placement fee involved. It’s simple, flexible and affordable.

12.  Launch a ‘working parents’ group in your workplace – let mums@work develop and run it for you.

Being a working parent has its challenges but working mums and dads can thrive with support. Coming together with people in a similar situation and discussing highlights, challenges and strategies can be of enormous benefit and offer your working parents the encouragement and support that will help them be successful at work and at home.

Contact mailto:info@mumsatwork.com.au

www.mumsatwork.com.au