Creating an equitable world of work for women
We hosted an unforgettable Q&A with Lucy Chamberlain, Founder and CEO of C&C Search and C&C Academy, and Geeta Sidhu-Robb, Founder of Nosh Detox and Founder of W-Corp. The event was unpredictable, uncensored, entertaining, and extremely thought-provoking.
With over 35 Senior HR Professionals in attendance, there was a great sense of urgency and interest around the topic: How can we create a more equitable workplace for Women?
The short story? We must reframe the organisational infrastructure around what women need in terms of policies and processes to begin levelling the playing field.
As ever, it was wonderful to see such a fantastic attendance from senior HR professionals and a genuine interest in the event from those unable to join us on the day. Building and maintaining these networks is important for the sense of community amongst People leaders and to build a sense of accountability around important areas in the world of work. Especially when recruiting for office jobs in london. - C&C Search Boutique London.
Whilst there was little doubt as to the need for the conversation, Geeta shared some glaring data points which reaffirmed the urgency and level of disparity in equality women face in the workplace. From a survey of 96,000 women, W-Corp has designed KPIs for organisations to be assessed against, with a bold aim to create a psychologically safe, supportive environment where women can succeed.
For instance, building an equitable workplace is a $12 trillion dollar opportunity; where data shows that organisations where Women representation on the board is highest, outperform those where representation is lowest by 66%.
The focus on EDI (Equality, Diversity & Inclusion) strategies over the last decade has driven a greater parity in recruitment for many sectors. For example, studies showed the vast majority of leading law firms now have 50% women uptake in their graduate intakes. However, over 1/3 of women lawyers leave within the first 5 years. The infrastructure in place at present does not support women in work to feel safe, supported or help them succeed. From Geeta’s perspective, women have spent too long trying to fit a model workplace which is simply not designed for them to succeed. Re-empowering the feminine is crucial in laying the groundwork for learning what women need.
Indeed, Geeta was unwavering in her answer to where the biggest gaps are seen when broaching W-Corp frameworks; the mindset gap. Simply, there is a lack of understanding as to how it is different for women in the workplace. Moreover, empathetic responses and awareness from line managers is currently a lottery. And where 43% of doctors have never formally been taught around peri-menopause, it is essential that we create a platform in the workplace to educate on how best to support individuals struggling with symptoms such as brain fog, memory loss and insomnia.
However, there was a strong agreement from all that it is difficult to embed frameworks until we have more data to prove what and why we need changes. Creating a psychologically safe environment, shifting the narrative from ‘emotional’ and ‘disability’ to biological facts and symptomatic language, is important in creating a level playing field. Therefore, the main questions Geeta implores your organisation to ask internally; Has your organisation asked Women what they need and how they feel best supported? Are there avenues for employees to speak out about authority within the business and multiple avenues which are visible and possible for them to reach out to?
In all these conversations business owners need to work out what their objective is. Sometimes it is more important to put injustice to one side and focus on what you need to change.
Thank you very much to all those who shared their knowledge and time to be part of such an important question.
Please do reach out to C&C Search for hiring needs, personal searches, or bespoke training enquiries at grace@candcsearch.co.uk
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