FOCUS ON DIVERSITY
that such behaviour can exclude women from opportunities . It is often in these informal settings where new projects are discussed , someone agrees to make an introduction to a valuable contact or tips on getting a promotion are shared . Include women in those ‘ clubs ’.
Why is it important to take concrete action ? measures and tailored training initiatives . There will be traits identified that apply to men too , which gives an opportunity to upskill all members of your team .
4 . Ask women to apply for promotions . It is commonly accepted that women tend to wait until they are 100 % ready for a promotion , whereas men are willing to give it a go before they are hitting all the performance standards . Therefore , you need to pro-actively encourage women to apply for promotions . Tell them that they ’ re ready , go the extra mile to communicate what the job will involve to alleviate any concerns they may have and ask what barriers there are to applying . Women can be more risk averse than men and may need more information to take decisions . If you can , be transparent on the salary associated with promotion so that they can assess whether it ’ s worth the extra work .
5 . Build women into your succession planning . The age profile of leadership teams in the manufacturing sector often gives rise to succession challenges . Identify promising women and align them to leaders who are coming to the end of their careers . It is no good hoping that a woman will be in the right position to apply for a top job at the time it becomes available . You need to allow between two and ten years to give a female colleague time to build up the portfolio of skills and experience required to ensure that she is the best placed candidate for that job when it becomes vacant .
6 . Be a ‘ Rock Star Sponsor ’. Senior men and women can play an invaluable role as mentor and sponsor for junior female colleagues . As well as sharing guidance and offering them access to opportunities , a Rock Star Sponsor will talk up a female mentee to the leadership team , raise her visibility and lobby for her promotion when appropriate . This catalyst for female career advancement cannot be underestimated .
7 . Build diversity into candidate pools . We have recently adopted the ‘ Mansfield Rule ’ at Womble Bond Dickinson , which is a scheme for law firms requiring that
candidate pools for senior roles must be at least 30 % diverse . There is no obligation to select a female candidate for the job , but by simply ensuring that your candidate pools include women , you challenge yourselves to start with the best pool of talent and , in turn , help expose women to opportunities and help build their internal profile and CV .
8 . Beware the part-time penalty . More women than men work part-time , and this is one of the major factors which limits the number of women aspiring to top jobs . Many women simply assume that senior roles are not open to part-time workers . Be explicit that part-time applicants are encouraged to apply for all roles . Support those who work part-time – for example don ’ t use pejorative language about part-time working ( e . g . “ she only works part time ”) and don ’ t count part-time workers out of opportunities on the assumption that they will not want to take on extra responsibilities .
9 . Level the playing field . By supporting men to adopt working practices which are typically associated with women , you can help to remove stigma and create a more equal workplace in which women will feel supported . For example , if you have men taking shared parental leave and working part time , seek their permission to make this widely known in your organisation . If men are prepared to say “ I can ’ t do a meeting at 5.30pm because it ’ s my turn to pick the kids up ”, then that does all other carers a huge favour .
10 . Avoid any perception of a ‘ boys club ’. If the senior management of an organisation is predominantly male , be conscious of where and when decisionmaking and influencing takes place . Most management teams would be horrified to think that they were inadvertently leaving senior women out of important discussions . However , if soft power is wielded in the pub , over a water cooler chat about football or in any other informal forum which tends to be more male dominated , then be conscious of the fact
Research by McKinsey found that in the United Kingdom , for every 10 per cent increase in gender diversity on senior-executive teams , EBIT ( earnings before interest and taxes ) rose by 3.5 per cent . Women make up only around a quarter of the UK manufacturing workforce . This obviously makes it difficult to find women to promote into senior roles , which makes it even more important to retain the women you have and attract new female recruits by making your business the best environment for women to achieve their potential .
Hope is not a strategy ; it ’ s time to do things differently . In doing so , you are likely to give your business a competitive advantage and create a more robust and effective working culture .
Get in touch if you ’ re like to discuss these tips or share examples of best practice that we could use in our organisation . Email
pressoffice @ wbd-uk . com
EDITOR ’ S NOTE Lucy Pringle is a Partner in the manufacturing sector group at international law firm , Womble Bond Dickinson . Based in the firm ’ s London office , she specialises in commercial law and has a wealth of international trade experience , advising businesses of all sizes on supply chain contracts and global routes to market .
WBD has a strong focus on innovation and has consistently ranked in the Top 30 most innovative law firms in Europe by the Financial Times . It is heavily involved in a comprehensive responsible business programme and recognises the importance of supporting projects in its local communities . As a gold status member of the Law Society Diversity & Inclusion Charter and holders of the Investors in People Silver standard , the firm is actively engaged in the promotion of a more diverse legal profession .
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