Companies often say they desire a more diverse workplace without really understanding how to achieve this goal. Katherine Zaleski, in Opinions for the New York Times highlights the fact that small changes in the interview process can make a huge difference. From making sure the panel includes one woman, to perks that are mentioned, such as maternal leave and child care subsidy.
According to a recent study from American University, women are prone to quit working and help with childcare when their children have babies. This is a trend that began to grow in 2008 and has increased since. The author appears to think this trend has a negative effect on the financial outlook for these families when the women retire “early.” But what about the health and happiness benefits of grandchildren or the fact that a few less years in a high stress job might add to your lifespan? Possibly we should all take a breath and remember that money isn’t everything.
Does your company have practices in place to examine the pay gaps between men and women? Do you have any idea if the man in the cubicle next to you makes more for the same work? Many companies are beginning to take a serious look at these inequalities using special programs that compare a list a variables. Some even offer their managers a salary calculator for use during hiring. The glass ceiling manifests in many ways and at different levels depending on the company. Kimberly-Clark, maker of Kotex and Huggies diapers, built an analytics team over the last few years, which includes regular pay equity reporting. But the team also identified points where women were hitting a glass ceiling…