We are living in a time of unprecedented change. From the ongoing and uncertain impact of Brexit and the shockwaves of the Trump administration to the ever evolving technology sector, businesses are facing disruption from every corner. From Nicola Deas, Practice Leader UK at Right Management.

Organisational resilience is more important than ever and as such, the drive continues to ensure that despite this backdrop, innovation, creativity and growth is still possible and so far, businesses still appear to be making progress. That said, there is one area they’re still largely floundering and that is around real and meaningful progress addressing gender disparity.

Whilst the number of women has outnumbered male university graduates in 95 of 144 countries and the percentage of women on large company boards has almost doubled over the past five years to 25 percent, women are still outnumbered by men ten to one, especially in the £1m pay bracket. Today we’re very much at risk of succumbing to an illusion of progress that is masking reality, stopping businesses and industries alike fully addressing the issue of gender disparity.

The reality we face
The reality is that we still have a long way to go. Despite the plethora of talent available and the capabilities of female candidates in the UK, women are simply not landing these crucial leadership roles. A recent report from the Harvard Business Review revealed that we still have an issue where fewer women than men are being promoted to senior positions within enterprises. Furthermore, women continue to be underrepresented in sectors poised for high growth such as engineering, technology and sciences.

Businesses are also not prioritising addressing the issue in the short-term, as highlighted by the BBC’s recent salary reveal and the widely critical conversation over the institutions gender bias. BBC Director General, Tony Hall, stated that he hopes the BBC can close gender pay gap before 2020. Rather than tell the world this is an issue the organisation is taking seriously and wishes to address quickly, the 2020 target rather reinforces the perception that it’s just not something the leadership team is prepared to prioritise and we all witnessed the subsequent fall-out as a result.

Taking steps to address the issue
What this tells us is just how important a role the leadership team has to play in addressing the issue and that the culture of an organisation needs to be considered to make real progress. We’ve found that the move for equality begins and ends within a business’s culture and within that, a dedication to ensure that women and all employees working within an organisation have the relevant support to progress, learn and reach their potential.

This requires seeing employees as individuals and supporting their needs accordingly. Even generalising an approach for women is potentially falling short – yet knowing and understanding some of the differences in approach can allow organisations to start to make progress. Our recent Women We Hear You report pointed out that women do not raise their hands until they know they can do the job, rather than pushing themselves to go for jobs that will stretch them, so may are not actively seeking stretch assignments or profit and loss positions.

Ongoing career conversations with all employees are important in addressing this, but particularly those showing real promise in reaching these senior levels. They provide the perfect opportunity to reaffirm strengths and individuals progress within an organisation. Yet it’s possible to go further.

Going beyond mentorship
One way is by providing the right support around the direct line management approach. Mentoring provides value in delivering an objective view to someone’s career but going further and encouraging an employee to find a sponsor goes far further. The role of a sponsor is to actively develop talent and help individuals to get promoted and progress their careers. They need to be of a certain level within an organisation to have influence and need to take a serious and genuine interest in championing the individual they are acting as a sponsor for.

When you have this facility within a wider organisational culture of conscious inclusion, you have a real chance to get the most out of your employees and really support their development and progression. This, in turn, will help women get the support they need to rise to meet their potential and fill roles at the most senior levels.

Readdressing gender disparity
Fuelled by investment from the boardroom to the grass roots and supported by programmes that support individual development, companies can create a culture where every individual has the opportunity to reach their full potential.

Yet there is not one single solution, or silver bullet, to help organisations to readdress gender disparity. It requires collaboration, investment, understanding and inclusion. But the benefits of having an engaged and fulfilled workforce where the most skilled candidates, regardless of their gender, are in the most appropriate roles, will bring businesses greater success. This is vital at a time of such unprecedented change and uncertainty. Only then will we move towards a world where inequality is all just an illusion.
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