March is Women’s History Month, and we want to take this opportunity to advocate for the support of female leaders across all industries and ministries. Encouraging and empowering female voices is necessary for any healthy and diverse work culture.
More women are needed in leadership positions, and those that already hold leadership positions need continued support to thrive. Here are four ways you can support female leadership in your organization.
Support career growth opportunities. Make resources readily available that support professional goals and growth. Conduct one on one meetings with female employees and gauge their interest in higher leadership roles. At Vanderbloemen, we conduct weekly one-on-one meetings with every member of our team to focus on career growth and feedback. Creating a place for healthy feedback from employees can help maintain a healthy culture that leads to the retention of your top employees. Creating customized career paths for women in the workforce is a great way to encourage women to step into and stay in leadership positions. Encourage female leaders to apply for promotions, and cultivate relationships that aid advancement.
Conduct a compensation analysis. This statistical analysis is an easy and effective way to identify any pay gaps within your organization. Analyze your pay practices and improve fair pay if any discrepancies are evident. Conduct a compensation analysis to see where your organization’s compensation for a specific position lies in regard to other organizations with similar budgets. Compensation is a critical component of building a great team and retaining staff members.
Recognize achievement. Take a moment to celebrate the achievements of women in the workforce by using your company’s communication platform or through a company-wide announcement. Make it a regular practice to give audible and sincere congratulations for a job well done. One way we do this is by having a quarterly “Vanderhero” on our team which we announce at our staff meeting. This person is voted by their peers and we make sure to read some of the kind words their coworkers and managers have to say about them. Acknowledge accomplishments right away and thank team members publicly for their hard work.
Recruit women for leadership roles and normalize an inclusive environment. Create comprehensive job listings that include gender-neutral language. Consider offering a flexible working environment and attractive benefits that are relevant to women. Be committed to removing bias in interviews for leadership positions, and train hiring teams on sensitive topics.
Women provide a unique set of skills and can be fascinatingly inspirational mentors for future working generations. This month, take some time to brainstorm how you can support and advocate for the women on your team.
We believe that building your best team not only means finding the right people but also retaining them. Try our culture tool survey to get honest feedback from your staff and start evaluating your culture today.
