Witnessing Women Excellence Elevate the Workplace
Women excellence in the workplace is breaking down barriers that held so many female professionals back from reaching their full potential for years. In my many years in recruitment, one of the greatest things I witnessed and still witnessing is how women professionals impact the lives of so many people positively. I am very fortunate to work alongside brilliant women professionals in HR and recruitment. Women excellence is strengthening the world of work and with it, the world of recruitment.
Women Leadership
The days of exclusion and marginalization in leadership are numbered. Women are no longer willing to settle and they are fighting for what they deserve. However, that does not take away the fact that discrimination and misogyny in leadership is still a big issue, not only here in Australia but across the globe.
During a crisis, female leaders are said to be more effective compared to male leaders. And during one of the biggest global crises ever, the Covid-19 pandemic, this statement was proven true by research. According to a Harvard Business Review article, women leaders outscored men on most leadership attributes including taking initiative, developing people, collaboration and learning agility. This article was backed up by research done by Zenger/Folkman last year.
We have seen improvement in the statistics of women in leadership here in Australia. According to the latest Gender workplace statistics released by WGEA (Workplace Gender Equality Agency), women hold 14.6% of chair positions and 26.8% of director positions. Women also represents 17.1% of CEOs and 31.5% of key management roles. All four recorded an increase as compared to last year’s report. There is also an improvement in the percentage of women directors in the ASX 200 as well as new appointments to the boards. According to the 2020 report, 30.7% of directorships in the ASX 200 are women, now we are at 32.6%. Great improvements but still a long way to go.
Gender Diversity in HR and Recruitment
HR and recruitment both play pivotal roles in furthering gender diversity. HR is one of the top industries embracing stronger female representation inside the workplace. Recruitment has the power to diminish gender bias and stereotypes during the hiring process to give everyone the opportunity they deserve.
HR is taking the lead in advocating gender diversity in the workplace is important as it improves social cohesion to make way for better collaboration among employees. HR is also making its way to the boardroom and is taking the discussion of gender diversity to the table.
In recruitment, the global agenda of cracking down on gender inequality during the hiring process is moving forward. There is a lot of developments in recruitment tech mainly in developing algorithms to be more gender inclusive. However, it is important to remember that recruiters should still take the lead when it comes to practising gender equality during the recruitment stage.
Women Excellence here in Quay
Quay Appointments is home to so many talented, empathetic, innovative and strategic female recruiters. Speaking from experience, the ability of these people to emphasize employee development with integrity and champion change is truly amazing. Listening and working with my female colleagues also gave me a profound understanding of communicating powerfully. Heidi Livingston, our Executive Director is one of the most inspirational people I have ever met in my life. Working with her made me better understand what it means and what it takes to lead by example.
I truly believe that women excellence is a primary accelerator for the future of work. Women leaders today are working tirelessly to guide the women leaders of tomorrow. Women excellence is and should remain a vital part of business DNA.
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