5 ways to support women in your business

International Women’s Day is celebrated all over the world and is a fantastic way to highlight the imbalance that often still exists between women and men, particularly in the workplace. While the day itself is important, what is more beneficial to women whether in business, education or wider society, is that equality is pursued every day.

In business, women have traditionally found it more difficult to progress and to achieve salary equality. They may have even been overlooked for promotion or other opportunities simply because of their gender. Thankfully, this is changing.

Scott Partners is a forward thinking accounting business who have long valued the role of female and male team members and are driving a change to help other small businesses do the same. We have put together our top tips to help others make positive moves to ensure equality in the workplace.

Strive towards gender equality in the workplace with these tips:

Eradicate unintentional bias when recruiting:

Take preconceptions out of the decision-making process when hiring new staff. Focus on the role rather than the candidate you expect to apply or interview. Once you remove gender preference from the process and clearly assess each candidate based on skills, experience and interview performance, you will end up with the right person for the job – regardless of gender. You could even go so far as to make applications anonymous when deciding who to interview.

Provide pay equality:

Simple but effective – pay your staff appropriately for the job they do, and ensure that women and men are on the same pay scales. Only by more companies doing this can we close the gender pay gap.

Provide equal opportunities:

Whether it is career advancement, training or education, employers must provide equal opportunities to male and female staff members. Gender should not be a barrier to any of these.

Delegate miscellaneous tasks equally:

Very often, additional workplace tasks fall to women, for example organising social events, collections for gifts for co-workers, booking facilities or even the coffee run. Ensure that all members of staff take their turn and are willing to pitch in to help with these occasional tasks.

Promote a fair work/life balance for employees:

Often family responsibilities fall to female staff members to handle, as many companies frown on men taking ‘personal time’. However, if a more equal system was in place that allowed men to enjoy a better work/life balance rather than leaving things to their working spouses, then it may become more socially acceptable for working couples to decide what works best for them.