7 Ways your Team can Benefit from Gender Diversity in the Office
Gender Diversity is a practice in the workplace that can ensure an ethical and empathetic environment where everyone is equal, no matter their gender, sexual orientation, race or creed – sounds like the beginning of a very serious political speech, but this custom at work does not need to be ‘serious’ it needs to be ‘normal’. A 21st century dilemma that needs to be tackled.
This blog will explain;
- what gender diversity actually is;
- how it can bring change to your work environment;
- The best ways to achieve this balance in your office.
What is gender diversity?
Gender diversity is often misinterpreted with the 50/50 split between men and women across your departments; but this is not necessarily true. The mix of male and female employees is necessary to find the right balance of gender diversity, but cisgender and transgender balances also need to be achieved; or at least not held to any sort of prejudice.
Primarily, gender diversity is an ideal that can be achieved only when hiring managers pick and choose the stand-out candidates that fill new roles, based on their ability, experience, character and drive – and not their gender or orientation.
How does gender diversity affect the workplace?
Do you remember being in a situation where you or a friend of yours said; ‘that’s a man’s job’ or ‘that’s a job for women’? Surely, you could cut the tension in the room with quite a hefty knife. While physical and psychological differences separate men from women in certain aspects, when it comes to skills, ability and technique, there’s no apparent difference in results.
Every individual carries out a task in a different way; focusing on certain aspects as their priority and leaving, what seems to them as, the least important task to wither away. Creating a team where gender diversity shines is the best way to ensure all angles are focused on. Here are 7 benefits of having a gender diverse team:
Deeper pool of talent
Getting talented individuals to join your team will improve your productivity and eventually your bottom line too. The deeper your talent pool, the more your team differs, the more interesting your work will be.
Broader perspectives
With both men and women on your teams, you will experience different points of view that could take a project further than you expected. Creativity, innovation and organisational skills differ in every individual.
More collaboration
When men and women mix in a group at work, there is an increased chance for collaboration over competition. Typically men compete with men and women with women – of course this is not always the case, corporate roles are often covered by both men and women.
Staff stay longer
This inclusive culture of gender diversity makes your staff feel safe, taken care of and respected for their talent not their gender or such like. This morale boost keeps employees on the ball and happy to do their work with great passion and determination – keeping them in your midst longer.
Increased relatability
Your clients will not be all-male or all-female. You’ll surely have an array of customers to tend to and the way people react to men or women, regardless of their own gender, is not bound to a certain formula at all. Some men feel more comfortable talking to men while others prefer discussing creative options, for example, with a woman.
Improved recruitment opportunities
Having a diverse team means you will attract more and more potential talent. You would of course promote this on your social media whenever you’re hosting a team building activity or event. This facet will attract so many interesting people to join your colourful team.
More profitability
According to an MSCI report, having more women onboard boosts productivity and increases your chances of profit in the long run. Whenever productivity builds up, there’s a greater chance to make a profit.
How can you create gender diversity in the workplace?
There are also some great ways to inspire a gender diverse environment; this is where managing directors and recruitment managers need to put in the extra effort:
- create and inclusive workspace
- write job descriptions that attract the right people
- try your hardest to source diversity
- provide unconscious bias training
- vary your interviewers
- create a fair compensation system
- learn from exit interviews
Adapting inclusivity, understanding, clear instructions, training, variety and compensation into your gender diverse team is the best way to achieve success. Learning from your staff, and solving their problems, will elevate your company even further.