Steps to improving workplace gender equality

Earlier this week, I shared new analysis from LinkedIn which highlights that women’s jobs are more vulnerable compared to men’s. Looking back over the past 12 months, LinkedIn’s data shows that the share of women being hired in the UK fell sharply in March and April 2020, before recovering to pre-pandemic levels. 

While the hiring outlook for women is much better today than it was last spring, there is an urgent need to make up for the lost ground caused by the pandemic. This is because the current improvement in the rate at which women are being hired doesn’t offset the number of women that have been disproportionately affected by job losses, with many leaving the labour market altogether. The latest ONS figures released last week estimate that the UK unemployment rate for women is 4.8% - 1.2 percentage points higher than a year ago, and data from HM Treasury also shows that more women have been furloughed in the UK (2.32 million) compared to men (2.18 million). 

Chart: Female Share of Hires by Country 

We found that several factors are contributing to women’s careers being more adversely impacted by the pandemic:  

• Women tend to take on a larger share of caregiving responsibilities in the home, which continues to be disrupted by school and other closures. 
• Women were more adversely impacted by labour market disruptions to the retail, travel and leisure industries which employ a relatively greater share of women. 
• Women’s jobs tend to involve more in-person contact and are less likely to be remote-ready. 

Women feel job prospects have suffered 

We also know that women themselves feel that their job prospects have suffered considerably as a result of the pandemic. In partnership with educational charity, The Female Lead, we recently surveyed 2,000+ working professionals in the UK (aged 25-55) which found that 41% of women said they had left or considered leaving the workforce, either permanently or temporarily. The primary reasons cited include: higher levels of stress (57%), too much responsibility at home and work (33%), and lack of childcare (14%). Data from LinkedIn also finds that on average, women in the UK applied to 4% fewer jobs last year compared to men. 

Improving workplace gender equality 

The vulnerability of women’s jobs combined with the extra domestic responsibilities they are taking on during this time threatens to set back progress made towards workplace gender equality. Companies can play a major part in ensuring that we get back on track by rethinking how they attract, hire and retain female talent. They can do this by: 

1. Implementing progressive workplace policies to enable greater flexibility:

The future of work will undoubtedly be more flexible. Research from LinkedIn finds more than three-quarters (76%) of C-level executives in the UK trust their employees to work productively from home since the onset of COVID-19. Furthermore, 74% of women in the UK say that family friendly workplace policies would offer them more support if they were available today. 

An organisation leading the way here is Zurich Insurance. The company recently saw a leap in women applying for senior roles after offering all jobs as flexible. David Henderson, Chief HR Officer at Zurich Insurance Group, shared his insights on the significance of this move: “It’s more important than ever for employers to empower their people to decide where, when and how they work. Flexible working, including job share and part time opportunities, is key to ensuring everyone has a level playing field when it comes to career prospects. During the pandemic, our longstanding Flexwork@Zurich commitment is enabling our people to balance work with other commitments, such as caregiving and homeschooling. In some countries, we have extended this by offering a two-week fully paid ‘lockdown-leave’ for parents facing childcare emergencies due to school closures. At times like these, employers should stand shoulder to shoulder with their people.”

2. Carefully considering the language of job adverts and employer branding: 

The words that companies use to describe everything from job descriptions to company culture influences its ability to attract a gender-balanced workforce. LinkedIn’s research finds that 44% of women would be discouraged from applying to a role if the word ‘aggressive’ was included in the job advert. To encourage more women to apply to roles, companies should be aware of masculine-coded language and instead use open and inclusive language, such as ‘supportive’ and ‘collaborative’. 

Thames Water has done some great work here. The company saw more women applying for manual roles after changing ‘masculine’ wording in its job adverts. Speaking to Lucia Farrance, who led the ‘Women In Ops Recruitment Project’ at Thames Water, she told me: “In order to bring about real change, women need more seats at the table and we know that phrases like “competitive”, “confident” and “champion” can put some women off from applying for our manual roles. I am really proud our initiative to change the ‘masculine’ wording of our job adverts has resulted in more women applying for roles at Thames Water. There is a huge pool of untapped female talent out there and it is great to see some of that showing through in the recruits coming into our frontline operational teams. We are extremely passionate about championing the importance and benefits of a diverse and equal workforce. By embedding this initiative into our recruitment policies we’re helping to break down gender barriers and highlight the fantastic careers the water industry has to offer.”

3. Expanding existing talent pools: 

The pandemic has shown many companies that physical location doesn’t have to be a barrier to doing a job. Companies have the opportunity to tap into new and expanded talent pools which will help them to improve the diversity of their workforce and also bring new skills into the business. To reach more diverse talent, companies should consider their employer branding strategy and look to partner with organisations that have an existing engaged community or following. 

To ensure women benefit from this, it’s important businesses understand what matters most to them when choosing a new job and that these priorities are considered as part of company policy and benefits. 

Chart: Results from a survey of 20,000+ LinkedIn members globally during March 2020 and November 2020. LinkedIn members were asked to select the five most important factors when considering a job opportunity.

By implementing progressive workplace policies, carefully considering the language of jobs adverts and employer branding, and expanding talent pools, can help organisations encourage female applicants from diverse backgrounds, drive retention, and ultimately improve workplace gender diversity. 

I’d love to hear about the initiatives your organisation is putting into place as we strive for an equal future. #IWD #WeCanDoIt