A “gender
audit” is a baseline assessment for companies that want to develop an
understanding of where they stand on a range of gender-related issues.
Depending on the company’s objectives, these indicators can include:
·
Gender
diversity among staff
·
Potential
for men and women to be promoted
·
Retention
of both male and female staff
·
Suitability
of the physical work environment for men and women
·
Extent
to which gender diversity is a demonstrated priority in recruitment
·
Extent
to which men and women are equitably consulted in community engagement
Gender audits
are highly customizable, meaning that all companies can use this audit tool to
establish a baseline, identify gaps, and suggest potential measures for
improvement on gender diversity and inclusiveness. Gender audits can be
conducted for a whole organization or for particular business units. They are
essential for starting or improving on gender diversification. For companies
developing an initial gender baseline, a gender audit of the whole company is
recommended. It can be repeated periodically, with more frequent repetition in
specific business units as necessary.
In an effort
to answer the question “where do I begin”, a gender gap audit is a good place
to start.
Baseline
assessments and monitoring of actions implemented are useful for a number of
reasons:
·
It will quickly
identify the areas that require attention
·
The gaps
identified form the basis of a gender strategy
·
Monitoring the implementation
of the strategy is key to a sustainable shift in the workplace
·
Allows for a
benchmark for employee surveys to determine what level of change has taken
place since a gender strategy was enacted. Surveys can help employees feel
engaged in the corporate change process and be a great litmus test for an
organization to see employee satisfaction on actions undertaken.
How do I get started?
Step
1: Get Senior Executive Buy-In
– Obtaining a
commitment from senior management is the first key step to moving toward a
workplace that has gender equity. It will require financial and human resources
to conduct a gender audit and subsequent gender strategy that will address the
gaps identified in the audit. Providing the C-suite with a business plan that
is tailored to your particular organization will help secure the resources
needed to conduct this work.
Step
2: Conduct an Organizational Assessment on Current Practices – Through a combination of employee
surveys, interviews with various levels of employees in the organization
including senior management, and focus group discussions, the gender auditors
will assess the current situation. This baseline data collection process will
provide concrete information for both the gender auditors and the C-suite to
show progress made over time toward a gender balanced workplace.
Step
3: Gender Audit to Gender Strategy
– The gender audit will identify gaps in the policies, practices, and organizational
culture that when addressed, will lead to a gender balanced workplace. A gender
auditor can help your organization move from the gender audit results to a
fulsome gender strategy that will engage both your internal and external
stakeholders along toward a gender balanced organization. |