Examples of gender equality policies in large firms

Management was 1% women when I arrived at Nissan in 1999. My goal was 5% in three years. The approach had little to do with ideology and everything to do with performance. The #framework had three pillars: First: measurement. What you do not measure, you do not do. We set a target and made it visible. Good intentions without numbers produce nothing. Second: succession planning. Every manager at Nissan was required to submit an annual ranked list of five successors for their own role. That list had to include at least one woman. If a manager could not name a single female candidate from their team, they had two options: empower one internally, or hire one from outside. Inaction was not an option. Third: mentorship. Under-represented groups often carry self-doubt that is culturally ingrained, not a reflection of actual capability. I saw many talented women at Nissan who questioned their ability because they had been told since childhood that certain roles or industries were not for them. We built a formal #mentorship program, with top management sponsoring high-potential women directly. We repeated the message until it became real. When skeptical Japanese managers doubted whether women could lead factories, we sent them to our plants in Romania and Slovenia. Eastern European industrial culture, inherited partly from the communist era, had normalized women in senior factory roles for decades. Managers who arrived skeptical came back convinced. You cannot argue with what you have seen with your own eyes. The result went beyond the numbers. When word of Nissan's advancement culture spread, top female graduates from leading universities began seeking us out specifically. We had created a talent magnet. The virtuous circle ran itself. The #women who grew in the company became mentors for the next generation. When Japan's first female minister was appointed, Nissan was one of her first official visits. That confirmed to me that something real had been built. This logic applies to any under-represented group in companies. Age, background, nationality, minority status. The untapped #talent loss is yours. The competitive advantage for whoever does address it is real. What is the untapped talent pool your organization is systematically missing?

India Inc is revisiting parental leave policies as inclusion efforts pick up pace and family structures evolve, reports Sreeradha Basu for The Economic Times. ➡️ Colgate-Palmolive India recently extended its supportive caregiver policy from four weeks to three months, which can be availed within a year of the child's birth or adoption. This is an effort to improve gender equality at the firm by creating a culture of shared or equal parenting, adds the report. ➡️ Hindustan Unilever Limited in March launched a foster/kinship caregiver leave policy, which offers employees who choose pre-adoption foster care or become legal guardians, up to four weeks of leave. The firm has also expanded its tie-ups with daycares. ➡️ Volvo Group India in 2023 rolled out a gender-neutral parental leave initiative, in which employees can avail 26 weeks of leave for primary caregivers, along with 26 additional weeks of unpaid extended leave or flexible working arrangements, and a month of leave for secondary caregivers. Why are such initiatives crucial? Economic benefits for firms include reducing turnover costs and increasing workforce participation, especially for women, according to Mansee Singhal, Rewards Consulting Leader at Mercer India. These policies can also help reduce gender pay gaps by enabling women to maintain career progression after having a child, and establish firms as good places to work, she adds. Source: The Economic Times: https://lnkd.in/ekjyXRFe ✍ : Isha Chitnis 📸 : Getty Images

THE 161 UK EMPLOYERS THAT OFFER EQUAL PARENTAL LEAVE As an employer, introducing Equal Parental Leave, where maternity and paternity pay and duration is the same, is one of the best things you can do for workplace gender equality. I first curated this list in October 2023 when there where 74 employers offering EPL. Great to see positive progress in that time 👏🏽 We are ready for a change from the outdated ideas of masculinity. As men we can be breadwinners, and we can also be carers. We can be leaders, and we can be led. We can be providers, and we can be provided for. Equal Parental Leave is a game changer. The evidence is clear to see. In the UK: 👉 80% of the gender pay gap is attributed to the motherhood penalty 👉 The gender pay gap is 3 times higher for women over 40 than it is for women under 40 👉 An estimated 72,000 women per year will lose their job due to maternity discrimination Encouraging, supporting and enabling dads to be equal parents from the very beginning is fundamental to them becoming equal parents. And equal parenting is essential to addressing the motherhood penalty & achieving equality for mothers at home and at work. Equal Parenting is also fundamental for dad's mental health and happiness, recruitment, retention and, importantly, outcomes for our children ❤️ These policies are gender neutral, meaning that the leave is available to all birthing partners, regardless of gender. And they are available for all parents, regardless of how you become a parent, this could be via adoption or surrogacy or any other way. The best policies are inclusive to all. I applaud the organisations that are leading the way on this. These are policies that go above and beyond Shared Parental Leave and statutory paternity leave, both of which are vastly insufficient. This is ring-fenced paid leave for the dad, or birthing partner. But it's also important to note that the culture change work needs to be done alongside the policy. Creating a Parenting Out Loud workplace culture, one that encourages dads to be loud and proud about their caring responsibilities at work, is key to ensuring dads use the full parental leave offer available. This is what I help organisations with. Through workshops, webinars, men's listening circles and senior leader roundtables. Creating a culture where dads can 'parent out loud' at work is essential to ensuring a good take-up of the policy. We need to create inclusive working environments that normalise male caring. For more information on all the organisation's policies, including duration, pay and eligibility, see the full article here: https://lnkd.in/ej6Cbyfd If you're organisation offers Equal Parental Leave but is not featured, please let me know 😉 #EqualParentalLeave #ParentingOutLoud #WorkingDads #ParentalLeave

Gender equality in the workplace is a fundamental issue that requires long-term commitment from companies. And while it is highlighted on March 8, International Women's Day, it requires attention and effort throughout the year. At BNP Paribas, it is the combination of a multitude of initiatives that enables us to move ever closer to achieving balance, as evidenced by our global workforce study: a near 50/50 representation and a percentage of women in management positions exceeding 40%, including on our Executive Committee. Among the actions implemented are:  🔹Local programs designed to encourage and support women in accessing and thriving in leadership positions. 🔹Numerous initiatives to promote gender diversity in professions where it is needed, particularly in science and technology, 🔹Extensive work on career development, with the help of inter-company initiatives and our internal employee networks, 🔹Partnerships with social actors committed to these issues, 🔹A commitment to fighting for financial independence and combating economic violence on a global scale, whether through public awareness campaigns or active training for our branch advisors.   This clearly illustrates our belief that promoting gender diversity is not just an HR initiative. It is a leadership and corporate culture choice that requires perseverance.   If you are interested in this topic, I encourage you to read the article recently published on our website, which details some of these initiatives (link in comment).

Men and non-birthing partners experience barriers and stigmas associated with taking parental leave. This article reflects on the way gender stereotyping not only pigeonholes women as more communal (warm, caring, nurturing) than men, and men as agentic (decisive, assertive, competitive). This goes on to influence decisions regarding paternity and parental leave in a range of ways. Women and men internalise these stereotypes, and men who do take paternity leave can face backlash - seen as weak and lacking committment. The UK's shared parental leave policy, introduced in 2015 allows eligible parents to split up to 50 weeks of leave. But research showed that of the 900,000+ UK parents eligible to take advantage of the policy, only around 1% of these did. That is a mind-numbingly low participation rate. The reason? It largely boils down to financial and social factors. Unless the employer is paying enhanced parental or paternity leave, statutory payments typically won't plug the household income gap, which is an issue as despite progress in the majority of heterosexual households the man is still the primary breadwinner. The other key factor of course men having to contend with the potential career implications of going against gender stereotypical norms. And so the cycle of inequity continues. However, we are seeing a slow but nonetheless positive trend in big corporates helping to support families (and in the process break down unhelpful gender stereotypes) by offering enhanced parental leave. Aviva were one of the first to offer their groundbreaking ‘gender blind’ policy, offering 26 weeks leave on full basic pay, regardless of the parents gender or sexual orientation, or whether they’ve given birth or adopted. If both partners work at Aviva they can both take leave. This attractive offering has meant that almost 50% of those taking parental leave are men, who take on average 24 weeks leave. Talk about shifting the dial. The likes of Vodafone, Accenture and the Civil Service also have generous parental leave policies. THIS is what we need to see more organisations doing. How does your company support paid parental leave? Are you seeing non-birth parents take up paternity leave? #BreakingBarriers #ThreeBarriers #EDI #AcceleratingGenderEquality #ParentsAtWork Sarah Meier Jessica Dowding PCC Rachael Waldinger https://lnkd.in/esTF-JsQ