You submitted your annual Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) questionnaire mid-way through this year – now what?
As you would be aware, non-government organisations of more than 100 employees are required to submit data and to complete the WGEA questionnaire annually. The questionnaire seeks to identify the extent to which organisations have internal policies, procedures, strategies and actions around gender equity in the workplace.
Many organisations dutifully complete this questionnaire, providing examples of the well-intentioned policies and frameworks they have in place to address areas of equity in their organisation. Despite the good intentions around this exercise, we are all aware that there can sometimes be an enormous gulf between intentions and reality; between policies and practice, and between data and real experience.
So, as valuable as the WGEA process is in terms of ensuring the right organisational frameworks and intentions are in place, how can organisations ensure that their commitment to gender equity is embedded in proactive and this therefore about more than this process alone?
Organisations need to take action to ensure that their culture is diverse and inclusive, empowering and accepting. Given that in a number of industries, women remain the minority – particularly when it comes to the composition of leadership teams, it is important for leaders to consider the opportunities they have to promote this empowerment and to prioritise a progressive mindset for those employees who identify as female.
Central to these empowerment programs is the need for team members to develop a strong self-awareness and an awareness of others. A strengths-based approach to self- understanding, coupled with a model such as the DiSC personality profiling tool enables individuals to consider ways to leverage their strengths and to effectively communicate with others, while also identifying areas of priority for further and future strengthening.
Mindset is also crucial for women’s empowerment in terms of the development of a growth mindset (to compensate for any tropes or narratives around glass ceilings that prevailed for generations) coupled with the grit and resilience required to manage setbacks and to develop a hierarchy of goals that will enable career progression – in whatever form that may take.
Confidence building is crucial and this can be assisted through professional learning opportunities that centre around mentoring, networking and teaching the skills of networking and speaking with conviction. Assertiveness can sometimes be a significant challenge for women in the workplace, but learning how to navigate the nuances of a difficult conversation and providing female team members with opportunities to develop an authentic voice in your organisation goes a long way to embedding those frameworks and sincere statements or objectives your organisation has articulated around equality for women in the workplace.
At Be Challenged, we partner with organisations from a range of sectors in the design and delivery of programs designed to empower employees who identify as female. We value the opportunity to facilitate and enhance self-awareness, confidence and grit, all the while acknowledging the reality that each journey, individual and therefore career are unique. If you are interested in learning more about how you can meaningfully embed your vision and policy statements around women’s empowerment and equality in the workplace, please reach out to us today.
Thanks,
Lisa Kelliher
Be Challenged | Head of People and Culture and Educational Consultant