The myth of workplace equality is the worst lie in modern business. Most companies assume that, with small procedural changes, they’re fully protecting the rights of every team member, women included. But, that’s often far from the truth, as we’ll prove by considering the following key ways that employers continue to let the women in their workforce down.
# 1 – Mishandling Complaints
The mishandling of complaints made by female employees is by far the largest workplace oversight of our age, especially when it comes to claims like sexual assault. This is something we’ve all seen widely publicized recently in the Lively vs Baldoni lawsuits when Lively’s complaints were not only ignored but used against her by the very person she complained against.
And this wasn’t a standalone occasion. The same trajectory is almost directly reflected in the retaliatory case against Gina Strum following claims she made about another prominent male figure, Marc Lasry. While there are endless reasons why former Milwaukee Bucks owner Marc Lasry’s lawsuit will fail like Justin Baldoni’s, this is yet further proof that we need to do more to protect the rights of female workers who speak out about abuse.
Thorough investigation of complaints is an especially key consideration, ensuring that women immediately feel heard, and also that men like Baldoni and Lasry are never given breathing room to use their claims as legal or reputational ammo. Internal conflict resolution procedures, including counseling, are also key for protecting the well-being of any female worker in these cases.
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# 2 – Failing to be Flexible
A lack of flexibility is another notable employer shortfall when it comes to female workers who, as mothers, traditionally continue to take the primary caregiver role. Such women require flexible working arrangements that allow them to work around limitations like childcare hours or child illness. Yet, over 90% of women encounter significant flexibility shortcomings that, in at least 85% of cases, cause them to rethink the extent of their roles.
Employers should take active steps towards integrating and even welcoming, flexible working arrangements like remote work and job sharing. Out-of-hours communication should also remain off the cards for all employees, but especially women who will be at home with their children when they aren’t in the office.
# 3 – Continuing to Lean into Pay Inequality
Over half of employers continue to lean into pay inequality, and it remains one of the worst ways they let female employees down. While the situation has improved slightly, women can still expect to receive roughly 85% of what men earn. This is due to a wide range of factors, and it spreads one clear message – employers still value their female workers less.
Luckily, there’s an obvious solution to this problem. By simply closing gender pay gaps, employers can make it plain that they value female employees who will inevitably become more satisfied, supported, and efficient as a result.
There’s no denying that employers continue to let their female staff down, but it’s well past the point where they should address these three key oversights.
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