Sam & Jade: gendered experiences at work
Sam & Jade get treated differently as young apprentices. Jade is excluded due to her gender.
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Young people are happier and more productive at work when they feel part of the team. Nurturing a healthy social culture at the workplace can be good for productivity and lower staff turnover
Fewer than two percent of construction, automotive and electrical tradespeople in Australia today are women.
Source: Charles Sturt University (PDF)
Employees in an inclusive organisation are 3 times less likely to leave their current employer
Source: Diversity Council Australia (PDF)
Why is Sam & Jade's
story important?
Women in the workplace still often experience, and are impacted by Unconscious Bias.
Unconscious Bias is a common workplace problem. It can manifest itself in different ways, from having a preference for people who are similar to us, overlooking people who are different to us, or systematically preferencing one gender or age group over another.
We all have unconscious biases. Making a decision based on an unconscious bias may not be deliberate nor malicious, yet the outcome can still lead to discrimination.
Excluding someone on the basis of gender in the workplace is discrimination.
It is also not good business sense because you aren't making the most of their talent
Work is changing. There are people of diverse backgrounds and genders entering traditionally-male industries, and it is the responsibility of management to make sure the workplace culture is reflecting these changes.
Behaviour from your team online, through written communication and social media is still part of their conduct at work.
Training and expectations must be consistent for everyone in the team.
What can you do?
Have a structured plan in place for all new employees to ensure that they all receive the training they need and are provided with equal opportunities to progress.
- Writing Great Job Descriptions (PDF)
- Job-Description (template)
- Supervision Meeting (template)
As the Manager you need to lead a change of culture. You are the champion, and it comes from the top. Raise awareness about issues effecting your workplace; in this example unconscious bias, and behaviour that excludes people.
Use policies such as OH&S, Code of Conduct and Social Media policy to establish rules for how people communicate and what is appropriate at work.
Ensure supervisors and team leaders are including all employees, no matter the gender, in invitations to take part in regular social gatherings. Be careful not to push too hard if they say no, because that is their choice.
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