Accelerating gender equality in the workplace has been a core focus of Northern Power Women's mission since it launched in 2015. 

In the year's that have followed there has been a lot of real progress made. Most notably in February 2023 the Hampton Alexander review revealed that FTSE 350 companies have met the target of 40% Women on Boards three years ahead of the 2025 deadline – a huge milestone and significant achievement.

Despite this progress gender equality in the workplace remains a challenge that requires urgent attention. A diverse and inclusive workplace benefits everyone, yet women are still underrepresented in leadership positions, face numerous barriers to advancement, and are disproportionately affected by the lack of flexible working arrangements. In addition, addressing skills gaps is crucial for creating more equitable workplaces. 

 

The insights and strategies presented in this e-book are the result of a Northern Power Women roundtable for International Women's Day 2023, for which representatives from 17 regional, national and global organisations across multiple sectors and industries came together to swap best practice knowledge and expertise. 

 

Prior to the roundtable discussion we asked the Northern Power Women community on LinkedIn: 'Which is the most pressing issue in achieving gender equality in workplace?' Almost 500 survey participants shared their thoughts focused on three key topics – addressing skills gaps, getting women into leadership, and flexible working. We used this community feedback to explore solutions and share experiences to empower change and drive progress towards gender equality.

 

The results of the survey show that the conversation around empowering women to be equal in the workplace is one that is being had not just by women but by male allies too. There was plenty of rich debate in the comments section not just from those who experience the barriers due to being female. The statistics speak for themselves. When asked which of the core issues were most pressing for gender equality in the workplace:

 

We took the survey results to our roundtable of experts from industries across recruitment, legal services and public sector, including higher education and many more. Here's the five core recommendations that were discussed.

1.       Challenge ‘essential’ criteria

We urge employers to evaluate what is truly necessary before advertising a job. When making the decision to recruit for a role scrutinise what is actually 'essential' before putting a job out to market. While men apply for a job when they meet only 60% of the qualifications, women apply only if they meet 100%. We need to challenge ourselves as employers to do better in attracting people and stopping women from deselecting.

This will make for a much more inclusive recruitment drive not just for women but for others with protected characteristics as essential criteria causes more of a barrier the more protected characteristics you have.

2.       Embrace ‘flexible’ flexibility

A huge part of the conversation was centred on flexibility, and not just from the point of view of part time or full time work. It was discussed how sometimes women are sometimes invited into historic practices that aren't yet accustom to change. Gender Equality isn't a

numbers game, it is so we prioritise different things in society such as wellbeing, caring responsibilities, mental health etc. These things all have flexibility at their core. If we can create flexibility in different ways for every new generation then we can lead the way to make it happen for organisational success in the future. Many suggested that there is still a long way to go in accepting that (providing initial training has been provided and an employee is well embedded in the culture and practices of the organisation) you don’t have to be in 'the office' to be a productive and valuable member of any team.

3.       Redefine what good leadership looks like

Traditional authoritarian and hierarchical leadership styles have given way to more collaborative, inclusive, and empowering approaches. This change is driven by a range of factors, including advances in technology, increased diversity and globalisation, and a growing recognition of the importance of employee wellbeing and engagement.

Today's leaders are expected to be more adaptable, transparent, and communicative than ever before. They are also expected to be more emotionally intelligent, able to inspire and motivate their teams, and committed to creating a culture of trust and respect. While traditional leadership styles still have a valid place within certain industries or practices it's important to be aware that leaders who cling to outdated approaches may struggle to adapt to new challenges and opportunities. Leadership needs intellect, thought, open-mindedness. To ensure we stay on the right path the members of the roundtable discussion were keen to maintain a values-driven approach to recruitment and promotion.

4.       If we don’t create equality in childcare we don’t create equality at all

The roundtable all agreed that without proper support for women who are coming back from maternity leave then we won't be able to tackle the problem of 54,000 women leaving the labor force every year. 

It was highlighted how women who are coming back from maternity leave are battling with a compressed timeframe if they intend to develop on their return. With this in mind, it was suggested that crystal clear expectations should be set in terms of how performance will be measured and with reasonable targets that are based on objectives and key results over harsh KPIs that ultimately erode trust in the employment relationship.

Widespread reporting has demonstrated that the volume of unpaid work that women do before they get to their employment is higher than their male counterparts, with particular pressure applied to those with caring responsibilities. Whilst implementing affordable and high quality childcare for employees is certainly no silver bullet to the issues of gender equality, the representatives certainly believe that until that happens we will continue to see the same levels of women leaving work as a result.

5.       Don’t just make up the numbers

It was agreed across the board that no one wants to be given an unfair advantage in order to 'make up the numbers', especially at senior or board level position, although it was stressed that equity is an integral goal that will allow women to step up to the starting line along with their male counterparts.

There is no doubt about it, the competition has to be fair and it is important to have talented role models representing women at senior and board level. 

However, one thing we cannot do is to put a harsh lens on women already in positions of leadership. The participants urged employers to stamp out gender biases and stereotypes that can influence how women are perceived and treated in the workplace, including when they are promoted to leadership positions.

To address these issues, it is important for organisations to promote a culture of respect and inclusion, where all employees are treated fairly and with dignity. This includes providing training to help colleagues recognise and address unconscious biases, as well as implementing policies and practices that promote diversity and equity in the workplace. Leaders can also play an important role by modelling inclusive behaviours and taking proactive steps to support women

 

The recommendations, opinions and insights in this Ebook are the result of a supportive and empowering one hour roundtable between a group of incredible practitioners in their fields. Thank you:

Kellie Rixon MBE, Rixon Associates

Louise Hosker, BNY Mellon

Maya Ellis, Lancashire Country Council

Archie Kalyana, BBC Sport Cricket

Ellen Shephard, Royal Navy

Sarah Maskell MBE, Consultant

Catherine Boddington, Boddington Coaching and Consulting

Julie Newton, United Utilities

Jane Dalton, Groundswell Innovation

Julie-Ann Gillespie, HSBC

Alison Lobb, Morecrofts

Heather Waters, Natwest Business

Sarah Tingling, Stella Insurance

Maddie Birtwistle, Boohoo Group PLC

Samantha Hughes, Page Personnel

Kathryn Bradley, University of Manchester

Dr Fatima Tresh, EY UK

Pamela Doherty, AxiaOrigin

Cath Bailey, Consultant

Nicky Harper, Page Group