Women are a vital cohort in the workforce, and our data shows that when organizations prioritize improving women’s experiences in the workplace, they are more engaged, more productive, and they want to stay with their employers longer. It’s not only the right thing to do, but it’s a win-win for leaders to cultivate an inclusive culture where all women are set up to thrive.
Michele Parmelee, Deloitte Global Deputy CEO and Chief People and Purpose Officer
Last year, Inclusive Practices Support Officers Elham Hafiz and Ashley Willcox took part in a career development program called Future Pathways. Facilitated by Amanda Phillips from APA Training & Development, the training helps participants develop skills in leadership, strategic thinking, communication, and career planning.
Elham and Ashley shared their impressions and takeaways from the training in a session for UTS staff last year. Catch a few highlights from their lively presentation below.
Evaluating the status quo for women at work
Gender equality leader organisations are benefiting from doing it right. Who would have thought that treating your people right would benefit you as an organisation? Crazy, right?
Elham Hafiz
As part of preparation for the training, participants were encouraged to read Deloitte’s Women @ Work 2023: A Global Outlook, which reported on the experiences of 5,000 working women across 10 countries, including Australia. Whilst positives in the report included lower burnout rates, fewer experiences of non-inclusive behaviours, and more positivity towards hybrid work, many core issues remain.
Elham shared her reflections on the report, noting that women continue to bear the greatest responsibility for household tasks, often feeling they need to prioritise their partners’ careers over their own. This flows through to caring responsibilities and a continuing ‘default’ to calling on the female partner:
This is something that even came up in our workshop. There were people who might have higher earning or more important roles […] but if their kids got sick they were the ones who would take a day off, and if they didn’t take a day off, their partners would call them throughout the day.
Despite some improvements, poor mental health and experiences of non-inclusive behaviours persist, amid broader health and safety concerns. There is ongoing stigma relating to women’s health issues such as menstruation and menopause, too; in some cases, over 40% say they work through painful symptoms and many are reluctant to disclose issues to managers and employers.
Career enhancers and career killers
Trainer Amanda Phillips introduced the concept of ‘career enhancers’ and ‘career killers’ – things we might do, consciously or not, that have positive or negative impacts on our careers. Elham pointed out that career enhancers can include having a mentor, maintaining healthy boundaries and valuing your own time and energy.
Some people will come to us with things that we don’t have the space and time for. Don’t take it on board – it’s not your weight to carry.
Career enhancers also came in the form of understanding your transferable skills as your career develops, and being part of workplace cultures where you are valued and respected.
Elham also shared examples of notable ‘career killers’, which included not understanding your organisation or how your role is funded, and missing opportunities due to ‘presence bias’ – not being visible and physically available in the workplace. Not taking breaks or annual leave allowances could also be a killer, leading to burnout and a loss of perspective on work and priorities.
Finding and being a mentor
Imagine that you have a mentor on your shoulder. What would your mentor be saying about this? You can make them up if you don’t have one…
Ashley Willcox
Towards the end of the session, both speakers shared their personal takeaways from the training. Ashley noted that for her, record keeping was important – being able to track and celebrate achievements and adding to a personalised, documented work plan regularly. For Elham, learning new skills was top of mind, from conflict resolution and negotiation to communication skills and understanding how others perceive and deliver information.
Both Ashley and Elham emphasised the importance of finding and maintaining relationships with mentors, noting their own positive experiences with professional colleagues over the years. Ashley described the feeling of a ‘mentor on your shoulder’ who can remind you of your strengths and values, whether they’re physically present or not. Elham pointed out how we can support and advocate on behalf of others, too, even when we might be reluctant to do the same for ourselves.
Keeping talking: International Women’s Day 2024
8th March is International Women’s Day and the theme from UN Women for 2024 is Count Her In: Invest in Women. Accelerate Progress. To mark the day, register to join the UTS Centre for Social Justice and Inclusion for Wifedom: Exposing the workings of patriarchy, a special event featuring author Anna Funder. Hear from Anna as well as a panel discussion with A/Prof Ramona Vijeyarasa and Prof Peter Siminski, where speakers will share insights and expertise on how we can move towards more equitable models.