ACTIONS: Increasing leader sponsorship

Leaders must be advocates within the organisation, acknowledging that there are rewards to be gained by striving for greater diversity and translating verbal commitments into meaningful action.

Where to find information:

• Workplace Gender Equity Agency: Women in leadership | WGEA

What immediate actions you can implement:

• Promote and raise awareness of the importance and benefits of gender equality as a business priority. This could include regular and consistent communications through:
  • Organisation wide emails
  • Team meetings
  • Posters
  • Communications to clients and stakeholders
  • Website
• Build awareness of the business’ intention to raise its female profile. Communication should focus on the impact and implications on different areas of the business and help to build shared ownership for the project.
• Convene a ‘Gender Awareness Committee’ to set the agenda and maintain momentum for improved female workforce participation.
• Involve all employees in regular and ongoing conversations about the goal to increase female participation to ensure there is alignment across the organisation and create shared ownership for solutions. This could include regular open discussions during the organisation-wide meetings, and be used to assess the impact of policies, practices and strategies.

What longer term actions you can implement:

• Monitor progress against clear metrics and gender composition and communicate this regularly to all employees. This data should be a recurrent agenda item at leadership meetings and be used to assess the impact of policies, practices and strategies.
• Engage managers in supporting the Executive and HR team to communicate the business case, strategy and key actions to all employees.
• Leaders participate in a workshop aimed at creating a compelling vision and action items to increase female participation in male dominated areas of the business.

Scenario:

PinnacleHPC (PHPC) was motivated to participate in the Career Revive initiative by a desire to create a diverse, equitable and inclusive workforce that will ensure ongoing sustainability of the practice. To ensure PHPC continues its momentum towards a diverse and inclusive workplace they have appointed a Male Champion of Change from among its Principal team.

The Male Champion of Change will be supported by a KPMG mentor to step up beside female leaders, advancing more diverse women in leadership and champion continued investment in diverse and inclusive workplaces.

Scenario:

The Career Revive initiative prompted Encompass Community Services to reassess its approaches to talent attraction and engagement, representing a significant shift in mindset for the organisation.

The Encompass CEO has engaged in regular mentoring sessions, focused on supports and structures that will help Encompass to meet and respond to growing demand for its services without compromising company culture and cohesion.