Steps to promote gender-inclusive standards

If you REALLY want to support women in the workplace, you need to start: → Offering flexible work arrangements, especially to support mothers. → Encouraging women to go for internal promotions → Paying women fairly and transparently → Creating environments where women’s voices are heard → Calling out microaggressions and biases when you see them → Offering leadership training and mentorship for women → Rethinking how performance and ambition are measured (not just who shouts the loudest) → Making networking and career progression opportunities accessible to all → Championing women even when they’re not in the room → Reviewing your hiring and promotion processes to eliminate bias → Creating policies that support women through all life stages (not just maternity leave) → Holding senior leaders accountable for diversity and inclusion goals → Ensuring workplace policies support women’s health, including menopause and period policies International Women’s Day should be about real, tangible action. Too often, we see businesses celebrating IWD while their leadership teams are still male-dominated, pay gaps persist and workplace policies don’t support women’s real needs. So, if you’re a business leader, hiring manager, or even a colleague... Ask yourself: What are you actually doing to make the workplace more equitable for women? 🤔

Inclusion isn’t a one-time initiative or a single program—it’s a continuous commitment that must be embedded across every stage of the employee lifecycle. By taking deliberate steps, organizations can create workplaces where all employees feel valued, respected, and empowered to succeed. Here’s how we can make a meaningful impact at each stage: 1. Attract Build inclusive employer branding and equitable hiring practices. Ensure job postings use inclusive language and focus on skills rather than unnecessary credentials. Broaden recruitment pipelines by partnering with diverse professional organizations, schools, and networks. Showcase your commitment to inclusion in external messaging with employee stories that reflect diversity. 2. Recruit Eliminate bias and promote fair candidate evaluation. Use structured interviews and standardized evaluation rubrics to reduce bias. Train recruiters and hiring managers on unconscious bias and inclusive hiring practices. Implement blind resume reviews or AI tools to focus on qualifications, not identifiers. 3. Onboard Create an inclusive onboarding experience. Design onboarding materials that reflect a diverse workplace culture. Pair new hires with mentors or buddies from Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) to foster belonging. Offer inclusion training early to set the tone for inclusivity from day one. 4. Develop Provide equitable opportunities for growth. Ensure leadership programs and career development resources are accessible to underrepresented employees. Regularly review training, mentorship, and promotion programs to address any disparities. Offer specific development opportunities, such as allyship training or workshops on cultural competency. 5. Engage Foster a culture of inclusion. Actively listen to employee feedback through pulse surveys, focus groups, and open forums. Support ERGs and create platforms for marginalized voices to influence organizational policies. Recognize and celebrate diverse perspectives, cultures, and contributions in the workplace. 6. Retain Address barriers to equity and belonging. Conduct pay equity audits and address discrepancies to ensure fairness. Create flexible policies that accommodate diverse needs, including caregiving responsibilities, religious practices, and accessibility. Provide regular inclusion updates to build trust and demonstrate progress. 7. Offboard Learn and grow from employee transitions. Use exit interviews to uncover potential inequities and areas for improvement. Analyze trends in attrition to identify and address any patterns of exclusion or bias. Maintain relationships with alumni and invite them to stay engaged through inclusive networks. Embedding inclusion across the employee lifecycle is not just the right thing to do—it’s a strategic imperative that drives innovation, engagement, and organizational success. By making these steps intentional, companies can create environments where everyone can thrive.

Change the system, not the individuals. This trans day of visibility, I encourage organizations to change their environments for transgender & gender diverse (TGD) inclusion. 🗺 Co-design workplace initiatives, practices and experiences with transgender & gender diverse (TGD) folks. Pay, recognise and reward them for this unique and vital contribution. This is not volunteer work, this is a form of research, this is culture building, this is experience design. This has an emotional tax so pay the bills. 🛑 Drive a zero tolerance approach for all forms of transphobia. Clearly define what’s a teachable moment (i.e. make a mistake, acknowledge it, apologize, aim to not make the same mistake, show growth) and what’s a sackable moment. Embed this into your code of conduct, policies, practices, training and values/behaviors efforts. Hiring? Here are Some Specific Edits at “Joining” Stage of the Employee Lifecycle. Systems: Review all systems and forms where gender markers and pronouns are asked. What options do you provide? What comes next and is it an ID/verification check? If so, what happens when someone’s government name and documentation doesn’t match their name on file? Can this be avoided and if not, are you teams trained on inclusive customer/employee experience? If a candidate is likely to meet 4-5 people during the hiring process, how will you ensure you limit the risk of them being misgendered or deadnaming occurring? See Envato example in comments. Process: Review your recruitment practices end to end with TGD employees and/or experts. Where you think you are being equal, you may need to consider where it is necessary to be equitable. Sameness isn't fairness. This includes when you collect information and why, unbiased interviews and selection practices and making sure your role descriptions and selection criteria are robust and line up otherwise, it’s left to “gut feel” and bias will come into play. Not all trans colleagues or candidates are out at work, and no two trans people will have an identical journey or transition. So remember to treat everyone uniquely, and without bias. Language: De-gender your targets, adverts and language. Use “they/them” as a default. Ensure you have 40/40/20 targets not 50/50 gender targets as nothing tells a non-binary colleague they aren't welcome in the exec team more than a target that literally denies their existence. Demonstrate: Show candidates not tell them. On your careers page, adverts and key hiring process points remind candidates that they can access someone in your team who is trained and aware of the barriers trans and gender diverse people face through the application process, and in work. See: Coles example in comments. Leverage (and credit) some great trans-led organizations who are specialists in this work. I’ll drop examples in the comments. What would you add?

Please stop telling your recruitment partners that "it'd be great if you could find a woman for the team". ❌ Instead, start doing the following... ✅ Evaluate your sales culture. If it's feels like a "boys club", it is. Fix it. ✅ Analyse the language you are using. Gendered wording of job advertisements signals who belongs and who does not. "Masculine- worded ads reduced perceived belongingness [among women], which in turn lead to less job appeal, regardless of one’s perception of their personal skill to perform that job." - Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, January 2011 - (🔗 Link in comments.) ✅ Provide workplace flexibility A 2023 study conducted by the University of Oxford’s Well-being Research Centre found that when it comes to fostering a positive working environment, reducing stress, and boosting employee resilience, flexibility is one of the most effective elements required to create a healthy work-life balance. The findings correlate with a separate study which found that post-pandemic, 72% of women are prioritising purpose and balance at work, and are looking for the flexibility that facilitates this. (🔗 Link in comments.) ✅ Build an infrastructure and culture of coaching and support. The opportunity to be coached by other women (both internal and external) goes a long way in not only developing existing staff members, but also in attracting new talent. (Bonus point: ensure your interview processes are as gender diverse as possible. You can't be what you can't see.) ✅ Implement gender-neutral and diversity-inclusive policies. Offer gender-neutral parental leave policies to prevent issues like absence visibility, project loss, and early return pressure. In my experience, the Nordics lead the way in gender-equitable parental leave policies, for example. ✅ Address any existing gender pay gaps. It's 2024... This shouldn't even have to be a point. I'm a recruitment & search professional. I'm not a DE&I specialist. But I really hope one day the conversation changes from "it'd be great if you could find us a woman" to "we have awesome diversity in our team because...". Women in sales & those of you in gender diverse businesses - what else would you add? LP ✌️ Pack GTM | SaaS Sales Recruitment in Germany #sales #hiring #careers #startups #recruitment 

𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐮𝐧𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 - 𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐬 - 𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐰𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. The Fawcett Society’s new 𝘉𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘐𝘵 𝘉𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 report with RIBA paints a stark picture of gender inequality in architecture. It’s not just about perception - it’s about systems that just aren’t working. 👉 The sector 𝘤𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯: Despite women making up over half of architecture students, just 31% go on to register with the ARB. 👉 The 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘺 is real: 83% of mothers say caring responsibilities harmed their progression - more than double the national figure. 👉 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘴: Long, inflexible hours and presenteeism dominate. 58% of women say they must adopt “masculine traits” to succeed. 👉 𝘉𝘪𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵: 64% of women are given more admin or support tasks. For many, career ceilings are set early. 👉 𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘺: Women of colour, disabled and neurodivergent women face layered discrimination - and even less progression. 𝐒𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐰? This isn’t about more training. It’s about system change. Based on our work with global organisations, here’s how architecture firms (and others) can move from awareness to action - using our Gender Equity Acceleration model: 1. 𝐃𝐢𝐚𝐠𝐧𝐨𝐬𝐞 – Pinpoint where the barriers lie, backed by data. 2. 𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐧 – Tie gender equity goals directly to business strategy. Secure executive ownership and commitment. 3. 𝐃𝐞𝐛𝐢𝐚𝐬 – Rework the systems: redesign processes, policies and practices that inadvertently hold women back. 4. 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞 – Build inclusive cultures. Equip leaders and employees to be active allies. 5. 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩 – Accelerate women into leadership roles with the right support and opportunities. We’ve used this model to help major employers uncover hidden barriers, close intention–action gaps, and make real gains in gender-balanced leadership. The time for incremental change is over. Architecture - and every sector facing these same patterns - needs structural redesign. Its time to fix the system, not the women. #GenderEquity #EDI

🌈 5 FREE Tips to Support Trans Colleagues in the Workplace (and Beyond!) 🌈 Creating an inclusive workplace isn’t just about policies—it’s about action. Here are five practical ways you can start supporting trans colleagues today: 1️⃣ Normalize Pronoun Sharing Introduce yourself with your pronouns and invite others to share theirs, if they’re comfortable. Example: “Hi, I’m Magda (she/her). What’s your name, and would you feel comfortable sharing your pronouns with me?” 2️⃣ Implement a Transition Support Policy Develop clear policies to support transitioning employees and actively communicate them. Be sure everyone knows where to go for help. 3️⃣ Audit and Update Company Language Review documents like job postings and handbooks for inclusive language. Small changes, like using "they" instead of "he/she," make a big difference! 4️⃣ Allyship from a Place of Love Encourage cis allies to take action: speak up against misgendering and transphobic remarks, and foster inclusivity daily. 5️⃣ Celebrate Trans Awareness Days Recognize events like Transgender Day of Visibility with thoughtful campaigns, education, and amplification of trans voices. What would you add to this list? 💬 I’m Magda (she/her). I’ve experienced exclusion firsthand, and for the past three years, I’ve been working with brands like Google, Zalando, Grammarly, and the European Commission to help them become more trans-inclusive through AMA sessions and keynote speeches. Let’s make workplaces where everyone can thrive! 🚀 💡 If you found this helpful, share it with your network to spread awareness.

Standing with trans* employees: more than words, it’s action. Recent rhetoric and policies have undermined the rights of transgender and non-binary individuals, but let me be clear: trans rights are human rights. As workplaces, and as individuals, we have a responsibility to stand in solidarity with our trans colleagues. The workplace should be a space where everyone feels valued and safe to thrive—not an environment where identity becomes a barrier. Here’s how we can take action, together: 💼 In the Workplace Update Policies: Ensure anti-discrimination policies explicitly protect gender identity and expression. Inclusive Facilities: Provide gender-neutral restrooms and inclusive healthcare benefits. Education: Train staff on trans awareness and allyship to foster a culture of respect. Celebrate Voices: Amplify and centre trans and non-binary employees in decision-making and leadership. 🤝 As Individuals Use Correct Pronouns: Take the time to ask and use them consistently. Speak Up: Call out transphobic behaviour or rhetoric, even when it’s uncomfortable. Listen and Learn: Seek out stories, resources, and perspectives to better understand trans experiences. Normalise Support: Share and support trans inclusion initiatives in your networks. 📢 Now Available: A Good Practice Guide to Trans Inclusion I’m proud to share this guide, co-developed with over 20 trans and non-binary engineers with InterEngineering, National Grid and Stonewall back in 2017. It’s packed with actionable steps to create workplaces where everyone can thrive. 💡 Download the guide, share it widely, and start a meaningful conversation in your organisation. Together, we can create workplaces that embrace inclusion, not just as a policy, but as a practice. When we act as allies and advocates, we make inclusion possible—not just as a buzzword, but as a standard. Let’s build a future where everyone belongs. 🌈 #TransRightsAreHumanRights #WorkplaceInclusion #TransInclusionGuide

Training and assets alone are often not enough to change lives. To make a real impact, we have to address the "unwritten rules" that hold young women back. This tool offers a clear, structured approach to integrating gender into real-world practice, moving beyond theory into implementation. Inside you'll find: • A step-by-step framework to identify the social norms that shape, constrain, or promote young women's economic justice. • Practical insights on designing inclusive interventions that address care work, market roles, and gender roles. • Tools to strengthen analysis by mapping “reference groups”, the specific people whose opinions influence behavior most. • Guidance on monitoring progress through participatory exercises that track how expectations change over time. • Key considerations to ensure no one is left behind, with specific adaptations for marginalized groups. A useful reference for anyone working in programme design, gender mainstreaming, or development practice. #GenderEquality #InclusiveDevelopment #GenderMainstreaming

“Men apply when they meet 60%. Women only when they meet 100%.“ We’ve all heard it. We’ve all quoted it. And… It’s wrong. That line comes from an internal HP report from 2014, not a scientific study. It spread because it felt true. But feelings aren’t frameworks. Here’s what research says: The Behavioral Insights Team (2022) and Harvard’s Katherine Coffman (2023) found that women don’t apply less often because they lack confidence. They apply less often because our job ads make them guess. When ads are vague: “proven excellence,” “leadership mindset,” “strong analytical skills” , qualified women are far less likely to apply. Make the expectations concrete, and the gap almost disappears. In Coffman’s experiment, women’s applications jumped by 20 percentage points when the ad listed specific, measurable requirements. Not because women changed. Because the signal did. So if you really want more women in your pipeline, stop fixing women. Start fixing your job descriptions. Here’s where to start this week: 1. Rewrite one key role with clear, measurable, skill-based criteria: describe what someone needs to do, not just who they should be. 2. Separate must-have skills from “nice-to-haves.” Focus on what’s truly future-proof: adaptability, learning mindset, collaboration, and digital literacy. 3. Add a straightforward line: “If you meet most of these skills or have the potential to grow into them, we’d still love to hear from you.” 4. Track your applicant data. Watch who shows up and who finally feels seen.     That’s how inclusion starts, not in slogans, but in structure. And not in personality traits, but in skills. Let’s stop quoting the 60% myth. And start rewriting the rules of how opportunity is communicated. Skill by skill. #SkillsFirst #Recruiting #Diversity #Inclusion #FutureOfWork #Leadership #Hiring #GenderEquality Sources: Behavioural Insights Team (2022). Gender differences in response to requirements in job adverts.London: The Behavioural Insights Team. Coffman, K. B., Collis, M. R., & Kulkarni, L. (2023). Stereotypes and Belief Updating. Management Science, Articles in Advance. Harvard Business School Working Paper. ID! A dark blue graphic with bold white text shows the quote:“Men apply when they meet 60%. Women only when they meet 100%.”The quote is crossed out with a large red “X.”Below, new text reads:“The problem isn’t women’s confidence. It’s how we write the job.”On the lower right, Ute Neher appears smiling, with curly blonde hair, glasses, and a patterned blouse, set against a light background.

In the face of political and social headwinds, men who champion a gender-fair workplace (and world) continue to show up with individual commitment, intention, and inclusive leadership behaviors. The new administration—in a flurry of executive orders, lawsuits, and threats—imagines it can do away with diversity (the presence of people with different identities and experiences), equity (fairness and justice), and inclusion (making everyone in your organization feel valued, respected, and welcomed in). But here is something they didn’t count on: Thoughtful, inclusive men who aren’t having it. Men who recognize the reality of gender, racial, and other biases that prevent a genuine “meritocracy.” Men unwilling to change course in their individual intentionality around allyship for a FAIR workplace. In this piece for the Society of Women Engineers, Sandra Guy offers a roadmap for staying the course as an ally in challenging times. You’ll find key tactics here from men like Michael D. Smith, D.Eng. David Smith, and Lee Chambers. She even includes several male ally tactics from #GoodGuys to help you stay the course on your gender inclusion commitments: ✅ Have your evidence-based inclusion pitch cued up. Be able to cite statistics, research, and studies about why gender inclusion and gender balance in hiring, retention, and promotion are good for men, women, and organizational outcomes. ✅ Assume women are capable and competent — then stop assuming. Scrutinize any automatic, often erroneous, assumptions and speak up about valuing women colleagues as talented and accomplished. ✅Encourage women to be confident in their skills. Affirm their capabilities and challenge sexist and biased comments about assertive, competitive, self-confident women.  ✅Speak up if it seems that women are not getting credit for their ideas and innovations. ✅Level the playing field by upholding the same performance expectations for men and women.  ✅Be observant but don’t give unsolicited advice. Flip the script and ask yourself if you would give a man any unsolicited advice you are considering giving to a woman. ✅Participate in women’s initiatives and events. When there, demonstrate your willingness to listen, and ask women how you can support them. ✅During meetings, create space for women so their voices are heard, and make clear that you value their perspective and expect them to contribute ideas. ✅Calmly and consistently call out men interrupting women in meetings. Consider establishing a no-interruption policy that would apply to everyone. ✅When you publicly intervene to disrupt inappropriate language or behavior, take full ownership of your actions. Do not attribute your concern to the presence of women. #genderequity #genderdiversity #genderequality #womenleaders #goodguys #menasallies #maleallies #workplaceallies #21stcenturyleadership #genderinclusion Workplace Allies https://lnkd.in/eMifabNH