How many people to implement a gender equity plan - at least five people

How many people to implement a gender equity plan - at least five people ?

I’m afraid to read the newly released WGEA Scorecard 2022: The state of gender equality in Australia. I think I’ve read through each report, eight or nine years in a row. They are really informative. They are usually on the top of my reading list for the year.

Why am I afraid…I think by now I can almost predict what I’m going to read. And with such a life changing last three years on the planet, are we snapping back to old ways or snapping out if it??We are always asking what are we going to do to move the dial? I heard the radio interviews this morning. You know the ones; with people with little to no practice experience asking highly knowledgeable and highly experienced people the same basic questions every year. And the expert then having to justify the work and respond to the “what ifs”…. what about merit, what’s a pay gap, why targets, why quotas, can you explain the business case, etc, etc. And then the usual suspects calling in, ‘they’ know their audience, to completely derail and diminish the work with ill-informed sweeping statements. What’s the point?

What will shake things up a little?

I have been saying this for a long time. If we are looking to cure something that is costing society, for example, cancer, then we establish large research teams, working around the clock to find a solution. If we have a pay gap of ~23%, and gender inequity is costing us billions to the economy and haem, then why are many organisations not investing with urgency and intensity that the moment calls for. So many new jobs this year. ?

Based on my recent experience in co-designing a number of gender equity action plans in the Victorian Public Sector, I have developed a resourcing plan (case study) that estimates how many specialist staff required to effectively implement a gender equity action plan in a medium sized to large organisation (approximately 1000 to 5000 employees). A minimum of five specialist staff. This is not news for the top performers in gender equity or DEI work. And the Commission for Gender Equality in the Public Sector Victoria, (CGEPS) is on to something, when they asked organisations to write an implementation and resourcing plan in their gender equality action plans. Yes, write it in. That’s roughly 300 organisations.

In the proposed resourcing plan below, I have written some of the typical duties for five specialist practitioners, including one that has diversity data literacy (including pay equity analysis). It’s not an exhaustive list and you may have more duties you could add. I have also suggested adding some operational costs.

This is going to be sobering or welcoming news for those who are performing all these functions on their own. This is only one area of DEI. Keeping adding personnel if you are doing other things. If you a champion of change, or part of a coalition of change, then you are in the position to accelerate the pace of change to achieve gender equality, as you have the discretion and autonomy to make this your top priority for 2023 and beyond.

Over the years, I have met many diversity, equity and inclusion practitioners working alone (or in groups of two) in organisations, charged with the responsibility to lead and deliver the organisation’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion strategic agenda across the business. They are expected to deliver transformative outcomes for the business. They also carry, what I call, the baggage of expectation. Having worked in an organisation that had 27 DEI practitioners in the DEI Unit, I have seen incredible transformational change. If you are wondering why your gender equity initiatives are stalling, then here is a list for you.

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Proposed Resourcing Plan - Case Study Example

High level experienced specialist - 1.0 FTE

• Working with CEO and Executives to establish annual priority areas of work, including process around accountability and formal reporting of outcomes
• Working with CEO and Executive to establish and agree to targets, including representation, pay gaps and culture surveys
• Working with CEO and Executive to establish to monitor, prepare, analyse data and prepare reports
• Working with CEO and Executive Champions and Sponsors to build their competency in gender equity (including narrative and rationale)
• Coordination of the Diversity Council, including preparation of reports, progress, outcomes and implement any recommended actions
• Coordination of the Gender Equity Working Group, including agenda, minutes and actions
• Responding to and implementing initiatives from Board and Diversity Council
• Preparing briefs, presentations and board and Council papers
• Attending quarterly to Board and Council meetings
• Preparation of annual gender equity performance reports
• Regular progress report on gender equity action plan and coordination of actions
• Benchmarking analysis against WGEA, Commission for Gender Equity in the Public Sector (CGEPS) and incorporating new actions
• Conducting regular gender equity audits and culture survey reports (live dashboard or quarterly) ?
• Benchmarking gender equity actions with peak agencies

Experienced specialist role 1.0 FTE

• Review of Human Resources policies and practices
• Manager skill development in managing flexible working arrangements and workplace adjustments ??
• Development and implementation of contemporary and alternative recruitment practices
• Embed equity principles (including achievement relative to opportunity) into promotion processes and upskilling hiring managers
• Relationship building with professional associations and external networks
• Coordination of succession planning activities
• Maintenance of work experience, internships and graduate programs
• Coordination of annual IWD event (and significant days)
• Coordinate activities in gender equity that link to other DEI action plans
• Developing content and co-ordination and monitoring of on-line sexual harassment and anti-discrimination training
• Coordination of contact officers and inductions
• Coordination of keeping in touch program
• Coordination of Women in STEM or IT programs of work
• Coordination of annual forums on gender equity on sexual harassment, cultural and psychological safety, biases, assumptions around job roles and intersectional inequity, racial equity, accessibility, ageism, inclusive language, respect at work, and utilize findings to inform future work

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Diversity specialist 0.8 FTE

• Working with data personnel to establish requirements, reporting templates and workflow process
• Working with data personnel to establish process to build data collection capability
• Analysis of all diversity data including pay equity analysis
• Establishing longitudinal benchmark data
• DEI survey design and delivery, including reporting outcomes ??
• Design of data literacy workshops
• Delivery of Gender Impact Assessments program for the organisation
• Embedding Gender Impact Assessments in programs, services and policies to the community

• High level specialist - Project Based Work 1.0 FTE
• Building understanding of intersectional inequity in gender equity work
• Building understanding of TGDNB in gender equity work
• Building understanding of ageism and disability in gender equity work
• Building understanding of male engagement and resistance to gender equity work
• Embedding intersectionality principles in every aspect of gender equity work
• Implementing a Preventing and Responding to Respect at Work Strategy
• Developing and implementing a Respect at Work or Sexual Harassment communication strategy
• Project work - Research leading strategies based on best practice to advance the economic security of women
• Project work - Flexible and Hybrid Working (including impacts or Covid)
• Project Work - Eliminating gendered based violence
• Project Work - Menopause in the workplace
• Project work - Contemporary practices, including design principles, to address job segregation
• Project work - Coordination of activities and programs to increase women here there is under-representation
• Project Work - Review of processes and practices related to gender-specific issues including women’s health
• Project Work - All infrastructure, facilities and equipment we are compliant and gender inclusive, audited annually, modified, monitored, reported and measured for effectiveness
• Conduct areas of research in collaboration with the relevant Sector or Industry

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Communication and Relationships 0.8 FTE

• Maintaining community relationships
• Events coordination for significant dates, including communication
• Developing employee resources, information and promotional materials
• Preparation of reports, fact sheets and marketing collateral
• PD and advertising review with gender lens and social media management
• Development of communications and promotional materials for Employee Value Proposition
• Working with social procurement team to implement gender equity initiatives
• Communication and workflow process to encourage sharing information and monitoring across the business

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Operational Costs (If you want good things, you need to pay for them)

• Cost to upgrade HR system (to allow live dashboard, integration and intersectional analysis)
• Central Management Automated Complaints System
• Resourcing of On-line training program and platform
• Engaging subject matter experts for workshop delivery for family and domestic violence training, masculinity, etc
• Coaching program for parents
• Potential costs to upgrades to facilities?

?#gender #genderequity #equality #inclusion #diversity #belonging