The Secret Weapon To Your Company's Success

If I asked you to show me what it means to fight like a girl, what would you do?

In 2014 Always, the pad and tampon company, asked grown women and young boys that exact question. They responded probably like you would, with some half-hearted flailing.

Then, young girls were asked what it meant to fight like a girl. They squared their shoulders, curled their hands into fists, and confidently attacked the air in front of them. (You can watch the video here. It's pretty uplifting.)

But obviously, as a society we have some misconceptions about what girls, and women, are capable of. And it goes beyond just what it means to fight like a girl or run like a girl. From presidential campaigns to corporate offices to factory hierarchies, women are often thought less able to hold upper-level positions. According to research from Catalyst, women make up 54% of the workforce of S&P 500 companies in the United States, yet just 6% of CEOs in those same companies are women. And globally, Catalyst's research shows that women held just 24% of senior roles in 2016.

Women: A Secret Weapon for Your Company

That's not to say great change hasn't been made. The number of women in politics is slowly increasing, and all over the world, companies are learning that involving women in key decisions isn't just a good PR move, but it's actually good for the company itself.

Companies with strong gender diversity have been found to be 15% more likely to outperform competitors. Another study found that tech companies who had just one woman in a senior role had 13% to 16% higher enterprise value than firms with all-male leadership! (Source)

Men, you're missing out on a secret weapon to your success. And you're in luck, because this secret weapon is literally all around you.

All over the world, the scale is slowly tipping. In many places, women are earning degrees more often than men. They're already in lower levels of the labor force, and many have gained more than enough skills to take companies above and beyond where they are now.

They're ready. The question is, are you? 

Hiring Women in Senior Roles

The research is clear: having women in senior roles is good for companies. But how do you attract women to those positions?

For the most part, you're in luck! Well-qualified women are abundant, and in many cases, they're already applying to positions from the bottom of a company to the top.

The tricky part is preventing unconscious bias from swaying your decision one way or another. We're all biased in one way or another, and the matter of the fact is that we like to surround ourselves with people just like us, so men tend to hire men.

But sometimes, women aren't applying at all. Women may not think they stand a chance. Research shows that women are nearly four times more likely than men to believe they can't climb to the top because of their gender.

Even worse, women may feel they don't belong in a certain company or industry, perhaps because of company policies or workplace culture.

There aren't generally quick or easy solutions to these problems, but in general, use these tips to help women overcome gender bias in hiring:

• Redact the names of applicants on cover letters, resumes, and other hiring materials to reduce the risk of unconscious bias. Ask a trusted colleague to complete this task, and be absolutely certain that this person has no stake in the hiring decision at all.
• Encourage women to apply in job postings. A simple, "Women and other under-represented groups are encouraged to apply," can do wonders.
• Take a good look your own network when a position opens up. Well-qualified female applicants may already be in your periphery, or even in your company.

Furthermore, you can make your company more female-friendly:

• Take sexual misconduct reports seriously, investigating incidents and implementing appropriate punishments when necessary. Do not allow men's voices to overpower women's in these conversations.
• Create female-friendly policies and benefits, such as family leave in the event of childbirth and choosing insurance companies that respect women's health.
• Hire more women! Women talk. When a place is bad for women to work, they tell their friends and they won't apply.

Relocation Trends are Changing

Achieving equality in your hiring process is not enough, though. To truly have a strong company, you need to improve upon all processes, including relocation. According to a 2016 Global Mobility Trends Survey, in 1995 only 13% of women offered relocation assignments were taking them, but nowadays 25% of employees on overseas assignments are women. These women taking jobs abroad are more likely to advance to leadership roles, get promotions, and earn raises faster. 

Still, there's a lot of work to be done, seeing as 59% of companies surveyed said that female employees had more barriers to accepting international offers than their male colleagues, the main reason being family concerns. It seems like that straight women in married relationships don’t take these job opportunities because that could mean reversing gender norms in their relationship.

In order to support the female talent in your company who would jump at the change to be relocated but hesitate because of family reasons, we suggest you help them with the cultural aspects of the relocation. Primarily, this means to provide cultural guidance before the big move so the entire family has a clear picture of what it'll be like to live abroad in their from day to day.

Women have never been so well-equipped to rise up in the workplace, and they're waiting with fresh ideas and perspectives that you may never think of. Hire women, promote women, relocate women, support women, and you'll be thrilled with the changes in your company!

Author: Paul Walentynowicz is the founder of PWCIB.com, training and consultancy firm on diversity (cultural, generational and gender). 

Connect with him on Linkedin.