Women At Work

Can you as a small business owner and/or manager, work to highlight women in the workplace, and close the gender gap for all the employees in your workforce? Yes. Yes you can.

Thinking about what women need and want from the workplace can go a long way in improving the entire company. All employees need a work atmosphere that allows them to concentrate on the tasks they have been given without worrying about harassment and drama on the job, but this is especially true of women and minority groups.

Harassment Policy Enforcement

These groups all need to know that you have created a strong harassment policy and specific punishments for breaking the rules of that policy. They need to know that you are willing to enforce it. Rules are nothing, if they are mere lip service. So create a strong policy and make sure that HR is constantly enforcing that policy. This cannot be stressed enough. If policies are not enforced, they mean nothing and change nothing.

Showing Respect

Treat everyone with respect on the job. How you treat people matters. As owner and/or manager you set the tone for company behavior. A little courtesy will go a long way and may inspire employees to go that extra mile to ensure a job gets done well. It is a good idea to let someone know that they have done a job well and that you did notice. You may or may not be able to reward your employees in a monetary way but there are a number of incentives you might consider, even if it's a small one like buying their lunch or dinner one day.

Specific Job Description

All employees like to know exactly what their job duties and tasks are, so a detailed description of the position and the tasks you expect done in that position need to be spelled out on paper. This way an employee knows exactly what is expected in terms of the work.

One good benefit of spelling out job duties is that it helps standardize your work flow. Everyone you hire for that position will be doing the same thing, though specific processes may change over time as new ways of streamlining productivity are found.

You don't have to reinvent the wheel to make this happen. Many jobs are broken down into their tasks in job descriptions available online. It is easy to find templates that you can use to add or subtract tasks that apply to your needs from an employee.

While you are considering that job description, think about fair wages. They need to be industry standard at minimum, but even better if you can afford just a little more. Women have families to support just like men. The real ideal would be equal pay and equal opportunity for career advancement.

Schedule Flexibility

Women need much more job flexibility at work. They are usually the member of the family called on when children are ill, or errands and other personal needs occur during working hours

If you can change the way you think to open up to the idea that women always have more than one job and can either offer up the freedom of hours worked across a day, or remote telecommute on days when workers have to stop what they are doing to cover their needs, you will strengthen the relationships with employees and inspire loyalty and a more productive staff who add more value to your company.

Safety on the Job

Everyone wants to feel safe on the job. Are your offices safe? Is the production floor safe? Have you made sure that you have done everything you can to provide good training for all of your employees?

Have you thought about women who work evenings and after dark? Do you have parking spots that are well-lit and available for women who do night shift work? Thinking about safety in terms of the women who work for you will encourage everyone to think about one of the work issues often overlooked until it becomes a problem.

Listen

Women will tell you what is happening at work if they think you will not only listen, but take them seriously and even at on some of their suggestions. They will also tell you what they need on the job if they trust you to trust them.

Recap

Be open and flexible. Be honest and Listen. Create strong work policies and enforce them. Create a job atmosphere that will make people want to come to work every day and do the best they can. And protect your workforce, as they are your greatest asset in the company. The value added to your company will include higher productivity and smoother work flow.