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Employers run risk of forcing women out if they don’t change, study finds

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Summary

A new study has found that employers from future-focused industries, such as technology and the green sector, risk forcing out women employees if they don’t change their business practices. Outdated attitudes towards flexible working, the expense of training, and a lack of skills and access to lower-income backgrounds are cited as major blockers. Employers need to create a workplace culture and environment where diversity is championed, and include better understanding and assessment of how work and family responsibilities affect low-income women. Additionally, training times need to be more flexible and employers need to make roles more flexible to balance alongside family commitments.

Q&As

What are the current issues blocking the hiring of more women with children into the workforce?
The current issues blocking the hiring of more women with children into the workforce are employer attitudes towards flexibility, hires not having the skills and not being able to afford to train, and needing flexible work due to caring responsibilities.

What do employers need to do to make their roles more attractive to lower-income women?
To make their roles more attractive to lower-income women, employers need to offer flexible working and work from home options, provide learning and development opportunities, mental health support, implementation of a four day working week, and strong paid maternity and sick pay.

How can AI and data help employers better understand and assess how work and family responsibilities affect working women?
AI and data can help employers better understand and assess how work and family responsibilities affect working women by helping them to tailor recruitment and retention for this demographic.

What are the benefits of offering flexible working and work from home options?
The benefits of offering flexible working and work from home options include being able to balance family commitments, creating a workplace culture and environment where diversity is championed, and inclusion is the norm, and better understanding and assessing how work and family responsibilities affect working women.

How can businesses create a workplace culture and environment that champions diversity and inclusion?
To create a workplace culture and environment that champions diversity and inclusion, businesses need to consider how they can support women in the currently male-dominated industry, build their confidence in carving out a career in tech, and offer flexible working and work from home options.

AI Comments

👍 This article is a great example of how businesses can take steps to create a more inclusive and diverse environment for their employees. It is encouraging to see employers taking the initiative to change their practices to better suit the needs of their employees.

👎 This article fails to address the systemic and institutional issues that make it difficult for women and low-income people to find employment. It is not enough for businesses to simply make their practices more flexible, they need to look deeper and address the root causes of this inequality.

AI Discussion

Me: It's about how employers run the risk of forcing women out of the workforce if they don't change their business practices. The research found that many employers are still looking for hires who can work traditional full-time hours and that training times to upskill aren't flexible.

Friend: That's really concerning. It shows that employers need to be more aware of how their hiring practices can limit opportunities for women.

Me: Yes, absolutely. It's important to create workplaces that are inclusive and open to different backgrounds and experiences. Employers need to make sure that they provide flexible working hours and training opportunities to make sure that women are able to reach their full potential.

Action items

Review current policies and practices to ensure they are inclusive of women from lower-income backgrounds and those with caring responsibilities.
Invest in training and development opportunities to ensure employees have the skills needed to succeed in future-focused industries.
Implement flexible working options, such as a four-day work week, to accommodate family commitments and other responsibilities.

Technical terms

Flexible Working: A type of working arrangement that allows employees to vary their working hours, days, or location.
Training: The process of teaching employees new skills or providing them with knowledge about their job.
Low-Income Backgrounds: Individuals or families with a lower than average income.
Technology and Innovation: The use of technology to create new products, services, or processes.
Discrimination: The unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people or things, especially on the grounds of race, age, or sex.
Mental Health Support: Services and resources that help individuals manage their mental health and wellbeing.
AI: Artificial Intelligence, a branch of computer science dealing with the simulation of intelligent behavior in computers.
Data: Information, especially facts or numbers, collected to be examined and considered and used to help decision-making, or used in an analysis.