by Simon Lythgoe
Women currently make up just over 50% of the world’s population and yet so many businesses still suffer from a lack of gender diversity. Increasing the number of women in your workplace is not just about meeting targets or being a more gender positive employer – there are some very real benefits for everyone in recruiting more women to fill roles.
1. Improving performance
Research has found that the Fortune 500 companies that have the highest number of women on their boards financially outperform those with the lowest female board representation. Sales and profits are higher in teams that have a better gender balance and average revenues to tend to be better for businesses where there is greater gender diversity.
2. Creating a more positive and productive working environment
Businesses where there are more women are often simply a better place to work. More women throughout an organisation is frequently linked to a culture that breeds better job satisfaction, work that is more satisfying and meaningful and lower rates of burnout across the business.
3. Increased engagement and loyalty
In one survey employees were asked to give the reasons why they were most likely to stay loyal to a particular employer. In those organisations where there were more women in the workplace, employees were more likely to talk about a positive culture, including work: life balance, having enjoyable work and being given opportunities to make a difference.
4. Both men and women benefit
There are clear opportunities for women when businesses look to increase gender diversity in the workplace. However, recent research also found that more women in the workplace is also associated with more positive organisational outcomes for men too. From reducing levels of stress and burnout to increasing job satisfaction, men working for those organisations where there are more women in the workforce experience these benefits too.
5. A wider talent pool to choose from
If you aren’t proactively recruiting women into your business then you are, effectively, halving the talent pool from which you can build your workforce. Every organisation relies on great people to make it strong and having the broadest possible number of options is essential to finding the best candidates.
6. Improving team dynamics
There is a lot of evidence to suggest that mixed gender teams tend to be more collaborative and productive than those that are made up of a single gender. Women are often noted for being able to unify teams and encourage contributions and collaboration, creating a more open environment in which everyone can participate.
7. Reducing staff turnover
As a higher number of women in the workplace tends to result in more job satisfaction and organisational dedication, turnover rates tend to be lower. This can not only reduce the costs of recruitment for a business but also minimise team disruption and improve consistency and continuity.
These are just some of the benefits of recruiting more women into your workplace. From a more positive culture to an improvement in the bottom line, there are many advantages to this kind of gender diversity.