The Business Case for Gender Balance (three main reasons for helping women to break the glass ceiling)
Hurrah!
Evidence is growing that gender balance is good for business.
Call me a cynic but I think we all know that most businesses (especially those with shareholders) are interested primarily in the bottom line i.e. £££’s – so until now there has been very little incentive to look at the gender balance of an organisation.
At current rate of progress (as at 2012), it would take another 40 years to achieve something approaching gender balance in boardrooms.- just not good enough is it!
According to an on-line (link removed), there are three main reasons for helping women to break the glass ceiling in company boards:
- The economy: getting more women into the labour market is an important contributor to improving Europe’s competitiveness;
- The business case: a growing number of studies show a link between more women in senior positions and companies’ financial performance. For example, a report by McKinsey found that gender balanced companies have a 56% higher operating profit compared to male only companies;
- Europeans support better gender balance. In a new Europe-wide opinion poll, 88% of people say that, given the same competence, they think women should be equally represented in top business jobs.
How is your Balance?
Alongside my coaching and mentoring I have worked as a equalities consultant for 18 years, and have a 3 pronged approach to addressing this challenge in organisations.
In brief this is:
- Assess the gaps in the Gender Balance: levels, salaries etc
- Review Policies: equality analysis of key poloices
- Programmes specifically designed for Women in Business to ensure they are set up and supported for success “Women On The Business Stage”
Contact me to book a Skype or phone (02392 255232) call to discuss your Business Gender Balance challenges and solutions too!
