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Concrete action steps to ensure gender equality

People are naturally prone to stereotyping. Gender stereotypes are especially hard to break. As an HR manager, look how to

• overcome vertical and horizontal job segregation;

• overcome stereotypes and building an equality environment;

• ensure sustainable flexibility and reconciling work with family and social life.

Here are some concrete action steps an HR manager can take to ensure gender equality:

Recruitment

  • Review job advertisements encouraging both men and women to apply for the position.
  • Set quantitative recruitment goals to support gender equality.
  • Widen your recruitment pool.
  • Run recruitment campaigns in universities and colleges to attract women applicants to areas that have been generally destined for men such as tech jobs.
  • Review job descriptions and job requirements and make sure that they don’t favor one category over another.
  • Place greater value on soft skills and abilities.
  • Ensure transparent selection procedures that focus on individual qualities and aptitudes.
  • Make sure that the applicants are assessed exclusively on the job requirements.
  • Request interviewers to justify the basis for their selection.

 Professional development

  • Offer training for all employees at the point of entry.
  • Invest in tailored and individualized training and development.
  • Develop training initiatives aimed at increasing assertiveness.
  • Provide different forms of mentoring to support the development of women for leadership roles.
  • Change the traditional career structure to a non-linear one.

 Working environment

  • Integrate equality into the overall guidelines and strategic goals of your company.
  • Offer the same rewards for the same work, regardless of a person’s gender.
  • Get the pulse of the workplace and listen to the voice of the employees.
  • Constantly raise awareness about this issue.
  • Communicate progress and rationale for gender equality
  • Redesign your workplace to exclude gender division and encourage diversity.
  • Offer flexibility and support the reconciliation of employees work and personal lives.
  • Offer a stress management and/or stress management training.
  • Offer parental leave beyond the legal provisions.
  • Invest in a family maternity & paternity service.
  • Offer days of paid time off for child care.

Read more in the article “Here’s why you should encourage gender equality in your company”
Know more about implementing Diversity & Inclusion in the “Implementation Checklist For Diversity Management published by the European Commission, Section 7”