How to Ask Your Company to Treat Women Better - The Muse

How to Ask Your Company to Treat Women Better - The MuseHow to Ask Your Company to Treat Women BetterWhile asking your company to treat women better sounds great, its a bit more complicated than that. After all, very few people would feel comfortable marching up to the CEOs door and saying, I demand equal pay. And very few CEOs would respond to that knock with an immediate, Of course, come in and let me fix our payroll now.But that doesnt mean youre stuck. Rather, it means that you have to approach this conversation correctly. And while each company is different, I recommend you start by umgebung up a meeting with HR or your manager. So, how do you start that conversation? Well for starters, its crucial to acknowledge this fact The issues women struggle with and care about vary greatly. Therefore, you have to avoid making assumptions that categorize women into one big homogeneous group who will all benefit from the same policies, or making demands that might benefit you, but leid be of utmost importance to others. Once you understand that, start with an email to the effect ofDear HR rep or manager,My name is Your Name, and Ive worked on the department team for length of time youve been at the company. Im very passionate about gender equality in the workplace, and Id love to ask you a few questions about the companys initiatives around diversity and inclusion. Can I schedule a meeting with you in the next couple of weeks to discuss?Then when you do get that meeting? Ask about the following 1. Ask About Equal PayStudies show that women are less likely to ask for more money when negotiating for a new job or a promotion. Over time, if not monitored, companies can find themselves in a situation in which men are unintentionally compensated better than women. Of course, just because its unintentional, doesnt mean its OK. To investigate the issue, ask if your employer conducts a compensation analysis regularly, and if so, if they would feel comfortable sharing some of those learnings with the larger company (as well as discussing the plan for making adjustments, if theres an issue).This analysis should compare compensation across levels, functions, and demographics within your company as well as with market data to ensure women are receiving fair and equal pay. Another option is to ask the person who leads recruiting at your company if they do compensation benchmarking for the salary range set for a position before they start looking for candidates. If the company makes sure the budget set for the position is in line with the market before the jobs posted, it can reduce the likelihood that a woman hired into a role would be under-market as soon as she starts.2. Ask if Theyll Invest in Sexual Harassment TrainingPeople hear the term harassment and automatically think of very serious and litigious cases, but women can often face subtler forms of sexual harassment that make them feel both uncomfortable and scared. For example, things like a late-nigh t text with a compliment and an invite to meet for a drink, the wink thats included in every new assignment email, or the kiss on the cheek your boss gives you when greeting you or handing you an award.Most of the time women stay quiet, endure it, and often just leave the company when they cant take it anymore.Thats not fair- and most companies would agree its not right. So, ask HR to invest in sexual harassment training. Even better, ask around if any of your friends at other companies have consultants theyve used for this type of training that they think have a modern and effective approach. Youll not only be helping your company save some time, but youll also show how serious you are about the topic while demonstrating that youre a partner in finding a solution.3. Ask How They Support Women With ChildrenMany women battle with the question of what to put first career or family. And often this is because theyre working in an environment that doesnt seem very supportive of parents. Ask your HR department how your company supports women who are planning to have children, who have recently returned to work, or who are established mothers. You can suggest things like (or even offer to help with) the followingOffering expecting mothers a guide for what to consider before going out on maternity leave and what to do when returning Providing paid maternity leave for all or part of six monthsCreating a return-to-work transition plan to help them gradually enter back into the workforce, ensuring there is a proper, legally compliant lactation room with a refrigeratorStarting a support group for new moms to meet, share stories, and swap resourcesEncouraging your company to offer a variety of times when company or team socializing happens (for example, if socializing only happens after6 PM, parents have fewer opportunities to build relationships with their team or boss)4. Ask That Managers Complete Inclusivity TrainingEncourage your company (or even just your department h ead) to build out manager training programs that outline the importance of creating inclusive team environments that are free of assumptions and biases.For example, some leaders assume mothers wouldnt want to be considered for a big assignment or a promotion, or that women who dont have children dont mind staying late in a meeting while they watch their colleague get dismissed to leave because they have to do school pick-up. These are certainly not true in many cases, and making these assumptions can be dangerous for womens advancement, not to mention overall team morale. Management training can help people become more aware of their unconscious biases.5. Ask for Equal Access to Career OpportunitiesFor various reasons, women can feel as if theyre not given the same important, high-profile assignments as their male counterparts, that theyre not given the credit they deserve for the work they contributed to a group project, or that theyre not being tapped for the more senior role.As y our company if theyve recognized this dynamic at play among their own workers and, if so, how theyre being proactive in fixing the situation. If theyre not, you might suggest things likeStarting a womens leadership network in your organization so women at all levels can support one another and share resourcesEncouraging your company to post jobs internally before externally to ensure interested employees have an opportunity to apply Asking leaders at the company to consider this question when they have opportunities to assign high-profile assignments Are there any talented women we havent given a chance to yet?In an ideal world, more companies would conduct surveysasking questions about real issues employees care about and tackle any serious issues inhibiting peoples comfort and satisfaction head on. However, that process is time consuming, and some companies simply dont have the resources to make that a priority.If thats the case, it could mean that if you take the initiative, you could start to make changes. While you cant ensure all women are paid the same as men, you can start support groups, help educate people on how things like bias works, and start these tough conversations so that if and when resources become available, the companys ready to go.