Ensuring workplace safety for women

Regardless of all the buzz about gender equality, the fair sex is often meted out unfair treatment. Worse, women are also known to suffer from violence or harassment in the workplace. How serious is this issue and how does an organization protect its women staff members from such untoward instances? Read on to find out.

— By Nirupama V.G.

International Women's Day is celebrated by nearly all government bodies and large public and private enterprises every year. According to the latest available statistics from the World Bank, the share of females in the global labor force was about 39.17 percent in 2020. Women are already close to making an equal contribution when it comes to the world of work. However, despite such a high contribution, women's safety in workplaces continues to be a serious global concern even today.

Risks that women are exposed to

Arguably, while several large public and private enterprises seem to be taking measures to ensure women’s safety at workplaces, it may not, perhaps, be enough. According to a report by International Labor Office (ILO), homicide has become the leading cause of death on the job for American women. Even the developed countries including France, Argentina, Romania, Canada, and England have reported the highest rates of assaults and sexual harassment on the job, says the ILO report.

At some point in their careers, working women are exposed to a range of risks. Starting from sexism, bullying, and mental and physical harassment, women workers face and navigate a hoard of risks at their workplaces. Women are prone to becoming victims of sexual abuse and molestation during their commute to the workplace. Often subjected to work conditions with improper sanitation and inaccessible lavatory facilities, women workers also experience physical and psychological stress.

Often subjected to work conditions with improper sanitation and inaccessible lavatory facilities, women workers also experience physical and psychological stress

On the job, women are affronted by their male colleagues and superiors and are, at times, subjected to sexist remarks. Stereotyping is another factor that creates psychological stress and can be experienced right from the stage of recruiting process. Women applicants lose out on job opportunities in sales and manufacturing to their male counterparts, as these functions are treated to be suitable for men.

These safety issues not only cause stress for the victims but also prove harmful to businesses as well. When female employees are exposed to unsafe situations, they are compelled to leave their jobs, draining the organization of their potential. It leads to the need of hiring and training new employees, which is a costly affair. It can also hurt the sentiments of other team members and affect their functioning. Companies are exposed to the risk of losing valuable manpower if do not make enough efforts toward making workplaces safe for women.

Given this scenario, How do companies then tackle such serious issues and ensure that women feel safe and free while at their workplaces? Here is an attempt to answer this crucial question with some useful tips.

Your five-point formula for creating a safe workplace for women

Devising a workplace safety policy for women employees is just half the battle won. But the implementation of the policy rules and adherence to a few good practices will help improve the workplace safety for women. Let’s explore some of the concrete steps for establishing a safe workplace environment for women.

? Place employee safety first

Placing employee safety as the foundational prerequisite is the first step to creating a safe workplace environment for women. This includes complying with all the regulations and standards related to human safety, fire safety, power cable installations, HVAC system installations, etc. Besides improving the workplace facilities from the infrastructural standpoint, attention must be paid to amenities provided to the employees.

For instance, does your company provide a safe and reliable transport facility for the women staff members, especially those that work in night-shifts? What kind of physical security and surveillance provisions do you have at the campus and the access road to your campus? Are your office buildings, the passageways, the staircases, and the campus well lit?

? Establish a Women's Safety Cell

Whenever any women's safety issue arises, it is usually reported to the corporate HR and the executive leadership. However, considering the multi-faceted nature of threats to women's safety, it is advisable to create a dedicated Women's Safety Cell under the corporate HR that can help address the grievances of female employees. The cell can extend help to the women employees on a range of aspects including grievance redressal, legal counsel, psychological help, medical assistance, and so on. The cell can also counsel the male employees sensitizing them about the issues faced by their women coworkers.

? Encourage a free and inclusive work-culture

The biggest help for a woman worker to break the gender barrier is by providing her the role of high responsibility that she deserves. As more and more women employees manage projects on their own, they will attain greater power, confidence, and recognition. As the feminine voice becomes stronger and stronger, women's workplace safety will be easier to achieve for organizations.

? Conduct special training

Women employees often witness a gender bias when it comes to promotions or increments. While it may take time for age-old beliefs and perceptions to change, women can be helped to become extra-competent to overcome these challenges. Specialized training programs exclusively for female employees to help improve their job skills and soft skills can empower them to crease out these differences on their own.

? Accept anonymous feedback

Many a time, the women employees who experience unwanted sexual advances report that they were made by their senior co-workers. Many of such issues go unreported as the victims fear backlash or even job loss. Creating a system wherein anonymous feedback given by female employees is accepted for a preliminary investigation into the matter can boost the confidence of the women staff. Moreover, organizations may also carry out regular employee surveys to understand what women employees think about their safety at the workplace.

It is said that justice delayed is justice denied. Therefore, lastly, but most importantly, in an unfortunate event when an instance of workplace violence occurs, taking decisive and speedy action against the culprit will go a long way in creating a sense of confidence and trust amongst the female staff members. It will also help your organization to establish the credibility of being a women-friendly employer in the marketplace.

Now, here is a question for my friends from the HR fraternity. How do you tackle the issues related to women's safety at workplace? What policies and provisions do you have introduced in your offices to assure peace of mind for women? Share your experiences. Write your comments below.

#workplacesafety, #womenssafety, #womenempowerment, #sexualharassment, #genderequality

Nirupama V.G. is the Co-founder and Managing Director of Ad Astra Consultants. With about three decades of experience in the Recruitment Consulting domain, she has worked with various large organizations and family businesses while building their people practices. She is a certified coach and a mentor.