MEN are more likely than women to believe their employer is committed to achieving gender equality in the workplace, according to a global survey by recruiting firm Hays.
It is well known that diverse organisations not only outperform those which are less diverse but are also more likely to attract and retain talented professionals.
These sentiments were reflected in the 2019/2020 Hays Asia Diversity & Inclusion Report where 76% of professionals across Asia said greater diversity and inclusion (D&I) in the workplace would have the most positive impact on company culture (76%), followed by innovation (59%) and retention of talent (53%).
Hays surveyed just over 1,300 people globally ahead of International Women’s Day, to find out employees’ perception of their employer’s commitment to achieving gender equality in the workplace and the potential barriers to achieving it.
Overall, 29% of respondents stated their employer wasn’t fully committed to achieving gender equality, while encouragingly 53% said they thought their company was committed. The results of the survey have seen an improvement on the previous year, with only 45% of respondents saying their employer was committed to achieving equality in 2019.
When breaking the results down by gender, 37% of women thought their employer wasn’t fully committed, compared to just 21% of men. Whereas only 45% of women thought their employer was committed to achieving gender equality in the workplace, compared to 60% of men.
Hays group head of people and culture Sandra Henke said: “It’s positive to see that there has been an improvement in the results relating to the perception that companies are tackling gender equality. However, with 29% of workers stating their employer isn’t fully committed there is still clearly more work to be done. Businesses need to be transparent and communicate to their workforce the steps they are taking to tackle inequality.
“Purposely supporting and managing diversity and inclusion is becoming an increasingly important topic for businesses, especially at an executive level, and rightfully so. As the world continues to change rapidly, and the business environment becomes more challenging, it’s essential businesses ensure they have the best available ideas in the room, which means access to every voice.”
Of the respondents who stated their employer wasn’t fully committed to achieving equality, Hays asked the areas in which they thought their employer could improve in order to support greater gender equality.
Overall, 31% said their place of work should provide equal opportunities, followed by equal pay on 25%, 17% said flexible working practices and 14% stated training to create more awareness of gender equality.
Interestingly, 55% of women said equal pay was needed to achieve gender equality compared to 26% of men. In contrast, 46% of men said equal opportunity was the priority versus just 28% of women.
For those respondents who had indicated their employer was committed to achieving gender equality, Hays asked which areas they thought their employee excelled in, overall 31% stated equal opportunities, 22% cited flexible working practices and 21% said equal pay. When looking at the results by gender, men and women agreed. – March 4, 2020
