Have you created a solid anti-harassment policy for your organisation? How do you help working mothers achieve work-life balance? How far have you protected your female employees’ security at work? If you find yourself dilly-dallied answering these questions, then perhaps a woman-only club in your company should help.
Copious surveys and studies have provided us with abundance of data, statistics, and information related to women’s position in power, the ranks achieved and active participation in the workplace.
Not surprising enough, a finding from International Labour Organisation’s 2016 report, states that the proportion of women’s global participation in the workforce only 30 percent, thus lacking far behind men. The report also highlights that the gender pay gap continues to remain a global phenomenon, since women earn only 77 percent of what men do.
Unfortunately, most statistics are unable to provide a complete picture of real women’s experience and challenges in the workplace. We all do know and agree, that women are still widely underrepresented at all-levels across the organisation. But how do they really feel? How do they deal with their day-to-day challenges? How do they cope up with their status as a minority group? Woman club within your organisation will help female voices be heard and recognised for their unique personality traits, leadership and industry insights.
Detailed below are some reasons on why women club is important for women workforce in your organisation to stay inspired, learn life lessons from each other, care, share and achieve business growth goals together.
See: Challenges Faced By Millennial Women in the Workplace
Compared to men, women are known to be more of social beings. They love staying surrounded by people and like to share stories with them. In the woman club, each member will be provided an opportunity to share their story, talk about unique experiences, learnings and challenges they face at work. However, some women might find it awkward to start talking about problems at work, especially when it comes to trivial concerns such as problematic gaze and gestures from the opposite sex (could be the boss at work). These community groups allow women to be more to sharing – their reasons for emotional and mental disturbances, that affect productivity levels at work.
For example, Thomson Reuters Foundation survey reveals 61 percent respondents say they never or rarely report harassment at work. Such finding is devastating, because such toxic misconduct might perpetuate for long time. If you establish a women’s club in your company, you can prevent such worst case scenarios to happen. Thus, don’t abandon the power of sharing stories, as it can make a huge difference to one’s life.
Women should stop tearing down each other. Rather than showing defiance and hatred attitudes toward other women, it is time to build a strong sisterhood. And you can help to create one, by initiating a woman club in your company. In the woman club, women can learn to understand, support, and backup each other.
Women should stop seeing their female co-workers as rivals who will hinder their progress. On the contrary, women should group together and form an alliance to fight back gender discrimination in the workplace. Therefore, woman club plays a very important role as a medium for female employees to build solid workplace relationships, to survive and compete in a male-dominated workplace.
As a HR leader, it is part of your core responsibilities to pay close attention to your employees’ safety and wellbeing. While women in the workplace are challenging new careers and breaking the stereotypes today, it is time men show support to this revolution by being gender advocates to support this global women empowerment campaign.
If you want to protect your female workforce from quitting, start by safeguarding their rights and interests, it is time to consider having a woman club in your company.
Read also: Tips for Women: How to Prevent Sexual Harassment in the Workplace?
