Building a Mom Friendly Workplace

The wage gap between men and woman is a long standing hot-button for woman everywhere. Jonas Prising, Chairman and CEO of ManpowerGroup has highlighted breakpoints in women's lives, such as marriage and childbirth, that lead to low migration to senior positions at work. 

At April Now, we find it disappointing that in these modern times women are still penalised for being a partner or parent.  Unclear policy and lack of sensitivity surrounding issues such as breast feeding, child care options, medical leave and work hours not only add to the pressure at one’s work place but lead to fewer women in leadership positions. And even when laws are available to protect these rights, social systems and norms often make it difficult.

Melinda Gates, Co-Chair, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation recently mentioned that women across cultures spend four and half hours more than men at tasks at home as primary caregivers for children and elderly among other chores. These unwritten expectations create more obstacles in the fight against equality at the workplace and otherwise. 

We believe it is high-time for men to carry their fair share of the load,  and that society needs to adapt by distributing core responsibilities such as parenting and elderly care equally between men and woman. Woman who feel solely responsible for such tasks may find it hard to cope at work, leading them to step down from other tasks. 

Simple management decisions such as flexibility in work hours for working parents could reduce stress on the individual, improve morale and build loyalty.  If men are expected to take time off work for their families, they will naturally become crucial caregivers. Many countries have already adopted a family leave policies supporting such changes in society.

What is essential in this conversation is to understand the value women bring to the organization, reduce penalties for necessary and expected breaks, and steering deserving candidates to leadership roles.

Melinda Gates

New Rules and Guidelines on Equality at Work: Providing Benefits to Investors, Staff and Society

New rules and guidelines on equality and how they impact the workplace

Equality and diversities exist in workplaces to guarantee a comprehensive working environment, one where discrimination is never an impediment to landing a position or advancing in your profession.

In the UK, practices and strategies are set up to guarantee all workers are dealt with equally and given the same open doors paying little heed to their age, race, sexuality, sex, incapacity.

Legal Significance

Organizations in the UK are legally required follow an arrangement of practices to guarantee separation is killed and desires of fairness are met in the work environment.

The enactment is extensive, ensuring organizations hold fast to the base principles set out by a variety of segregation acts, including the:

·         Sex Discrimination Act

·         Inability Discrimination Act 

·         Human Rights Act

·         Equity Act 

·         Race Relations Act

These laws guarantee that the best staff from the widest conceivable pool of potential workers is picked.

Notwithstanding treating everybody the same, managers should be able to make reasonable adjustments depending on the workers that require them. Keep in mind that each organization is distinctive, so they might have their own particular approaches to these adjustments. Some employers will simply meet the base lawful measures, while others will have a comprehensive set of arrangements set up.

The impact on organizations

 Balance, equality and diversities in the working environment can influence relations between staff; so an all around executed diversity project can make a working environment fixated on decency, pride and regard. Great diversity projects might include:

 ·         Comprehensive training

 ·         Improvement programs

 ·         Great channels for correspondence and discussion

 ·         Workable evaluation and review processes

 ·         An unmistakable value framework founded on mutual respect

How does it affect me?

You might believe that a decent diversity program wouldn't have any impact on you. However you'd be wrong, as they benefit everyone. To be sure, you can have the basic consolation that there will be no segregation in the work environment. Not only this, you can be certain about the information that you've been employed because you were qualified just like your colleagues were.

Similarly, you have the advantage of being given the right instruments to carry out your job obligations legitimately, for example, being given adaptable working hours, and great correspondence among all staff members.

On the other hand, it's very gainful to the business, as having individuals from varying backgrounds can be immense for any business, with alternate points of view and bits of knowledge regularly prompting a dynamic and innovative workforce.

Time for April Now

April Now is a blog and networking group formed in 2009 by five woman working in the industrial, technology and pharmaceutical sectors. We met through work, at networking events and in classes at university. Our group of contributing authors has since expanded to include over 15 writers who contribute content on a regular basis.

Our aim is to serve as a one stop source of encouragement, information and advice for professional woman everywhere. We are pleased with the progress woman woman have made over the last 50 years, and of our stronger position in society. But at the same time, we believe more can be done faster.

It's time for April NOW.