roundtable
can be hugely unrelatable to women, who tend to have more of a creative leaning. Yet there are opportunities for women out there, so we have to encourage people to just go and find them.”
Chapman agreed STEM has an image problem: “There are problems in areas like the language used in recruitment advertising and the workplace. The work we do in our Women’s Leadership Forum around profiling and champions, benefits men, too. We have to show the next generation that creativity and collaboration are valued skills in STEM.”
Are businesses being flexible enough?
It was clear from the discussion that many employers are behind in offering alternative arrangements to women – and men – who don’t want to work traditional hours. Warren-Smith: “There are many factors at play here. Some women have other priorities and may not want to take on more responsibility at work. They will only take promotion to a certain level because they know there will be too many conflicting interests after that.”
Karen Witton: “I think a lot of women feel it is an ‘either/or’ choice they have to make. I also have men wanting to work flexibly – so it’s about men as well.”
Shimmin: “We could start helping by moving the dial a little each time we bring people back into the workplace, so we encourage more people to return to work.”
Warren-Smith added: “Where I think the dial is slightly ahead is in larger businesses that can afford to create a more flexible environment. It’s a luxury to have; smaller companies might not have the resources. It can be really tough offering greater flexibility when you are small, and if your margins are squeezed.”
Changing attitudes and language
There can be a certain stigma attached to part-time and flexible working. The panel looked at ways to address this. Witton said the language used around inclusion and diversity is important. “We call it intelligent working rather than part-time or flexible. Intelligent working is something everyone can do and helps us get rid of the stigma.”
It can be a struggle to find part-time roles for people who can’t commit to full days. Clarke noted: “We have students who can plug the skills gap, but
THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018
there’s little flexibility from employers. It’s about educating people that part-time can bring a huge cultural shift and can be an asset, rather than a liability.”
Chapman: “You just want a job to get done. It doesn’t matter who does it or how, for example, by using job sharing, flexible hours or remote working. Spreading skills among a group is helpful. It’s important that mums don’t feel pressured to return full-time but instead can discuss different options openly, considering what could work for them, their family and the business.”
Shimmin: “We need to get away from presenteeism – the idea that you have to always be at your desk if you are to be effective.”
Dr Alessandra Sherman described the experience at her company. “We have made it a collaborative environment with people from all backgrounds. There were men saying you keep going on about the gender gap. But it’s more than that. It’s about addressing the disability gap, the ethnic gap, the gap across the payroll – and that affects men as well. Teams need to realise the benefits of having different people. For us, it’s all about diversity, inclusion and tolerance.”
Creating a culture of inclusivity isn’t easy for companies to achieve. The panel voiced frustration at the difficulty in overcoming barriers without imposing quotas. Shimmin observed that the law industry is both hierarchical and male dominated. “It’s a double difficulty for women. You have to shift the culture to leave the door ajar for everybody.”
Witton noted the importance of bringing everybody on the journey of change. “Our firm has debated setting quotas or targets for the number of women employees. I think that sends the wrong message and devalues the commitment and achievement of women in business. I don’t want anyone to think that a female is in a position because of her gender, rather than on merit. That’s why it’s so important men are involved in this discussion and we find the solution together.”
Recruitment hurdles
The recruitment process is often the first chance women have to assess a prospective employer and decide whether they match up to their expectations about inclusivity. Views about a company can be formed early on, said Hemming. “In the interview process, why do you often have two men doing the interviewing? If a mixed panel conducted the interview it would give a gender balanced view of the applicant.”
Witton: “We push back with our Continued overleaf ...
businessmag.co.uk 23 Sharon Pursey Kath Shimmin
Alice Attwood
Sarah Chapman
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