Paul KeijzerDecember 28, 2014
If you follow the news like I do then you know that negatives outshine the positives – which is just so wrong! The same goes for gender diversity. When news like Microsoft’s Satya Nadella’s mistake on equal pay makes headlines but the National Association for Female Executives report on tip places for women to work at doesn’t get airtime then you know you’ve got a problem. After all, the news often makes reality real (think House of Cards) – so let’s put a spotlight on companies getting gender equality right.
Nestle Global
As a company who’s doing great things in gender diversity I’ve already mentioned Nestle in my interview with Sue Johnson. Their diversity program is pretty rock solid and is doing some great things globally. A couple of their steps to achieve gender diversity are:
– Focusing On Management: It takes more than simply saying you’ll have a gender based quota at the management level. You have to take steps to make sure you achieve it. Nestle does this by developing talent and ensuring that both men and women rise to managerial positions. They look at the entire journey rather than focusing on only the end results.
– Signed The Women’s Empowerment Principles In 2013: Sometimes it’s easier to accomplish difficult goals when you’re doing them together as a group. In partnership with other companies, this initiative organized by the UN gets leaders to take seven steps to advance gender equality. They focus on the workplace, market, and the community.
I’m thankful that a company like Google is making this list. It would be a shame if they didn’t. They actually have 30 percent women in their workforce, which is a good number for a tech company. A few of the highlights from their gender diversity programs include:
– Google Women In Engineering: Women in this did often have trouble networking with others. That’s what this program sets out to achieve globally. It’s about knowledge enhancement, connections, and support.
– Google Business Groups – Women in Business: An effort supported by freelance trainers across the globe which focuses in getting women into businesses online using the technology provided by Google. It goes to show that if you give people a platform for people to shine they’ll power it with their best.
Here’s the thing: gender diversity isn’t just about having nurseries in the office and flexihours. It’s about thinking out of the box and providing opportunities that really help women grow professionally.
Please share any impactful ideas you have in the comments below.
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