ET Bureau The most important factor for developing talent in companies is skill agility and learnability, according to Mara Swan, executive vice-president for global strategy and talent at ManpowerGroup, a global talent solutions firm. In an exclusive interview with ET, Swan said “People should be assessed very early in their career on what they are or aren't good at. That's critical for leadership succession planning". Edited excerpts:
How can companies get more women in leadership positions?
The business case to get more women into leadership roles has been proven. Now it's time for businesses to get practical. There has been a great deal of talk, but not enough action. That’s why in 2015, ManpowerGroup commissioned research to understand the barriers to parity in opportunity for women in leadership roles, and importantly, to identify the practical steps organisations can take to change this. The research identifies an entrenched male culture as the most significant barrier to gender parity.
Overcoming unconscious bias, stereotyping and an entrenched male leadership culture is not easy for women on the way up, nor once do they have a seat at the table. Change must be led by CEOs, especially males, to demonstrate commitment to getting women into leadership. We need to look beyond the percentages of women in the workforce and understand where they are and what they're doing. Appointing more women into P&L roles, for example, will be critical.
Is gender pay gap a big issue for companies?
With highest drop in representation of women at the workforce, many companies are concerned with the issue. Corporates are losing out on such talented pool of their workforce and this gap is only compounding. There is not only a huge gender gap in terms of employment in the labour force, but also in the kind of work women are engaged in.
Preference for male employees, preference for promotion of male employees to supervisory positions (the glass ceiling), career breaks of women due to parenthood duties, and other socio-cultural factors stand as hurdles in the developing economy – which takes away a considerable share of women’s possible working hours and contributes significantly to widen the gaps in labour participation.
Is there a way to expedite plugging of the gap?
Moving to a culture where flexibility is the norm and employees are judged on outcomes rather than presenteeism, offers a tremendous opportunity to tackle the gender pay gap. Gender sensitisation at workplace and taking steps to act as an equal opportunity employer and be transparent about their compensation practices-can help companies tackle the pay gap.
Are female millennials any different from earlier generations? What should companies do to groom leaders from this generation of women?
Today, women millennials are driven by a very different set of needs and desires than earlier generations. To make full use of their skills, it is important for a company to be more cognizant of what they want. They like to stay ahead of the curve and they believe a changing work profile or tasks beyond their profile contribute to their growth as professionals.
Millennial women are more focused on their career graph than simply their next job or just a higher salary. They are looking at prospective employers in a very different way. Openness and transparency in all decisions is needed to motivate them. It is necessary to promote a work ethic that encourages everyone to operate as owners and creates accountability with responsibility.
How can companies get more women in leadership positions?
The business case to get more women into leadership roles has been proven. Now it's time for businesses to get practical. There has been a great deal of talk, but not enough action. That’s why in 2015, ManpowerGroup commissioned research to understand the barriers to parity in opportunity for women in leadership roles, and importantly, to identify the practical steps organisations can take to change this. The research identifies an entrenched male culture as the most significant barrier to gender parity.
Overcoming unconscious bias, stereotyping and an entrenched male leadership culture is not easy for women on the way up, nor once do they have a seat at the table. Change must be led by CEOs, especially males, to demonstrate commitment to getting women into leadership. We need to look beyond the percentages of women in the workforce and understand where they are and what they're doing. Appointing more women into P&L roles, for example, will be critical.
Is gender pay gap a big issue for companies?
With highest drop in representation of women at the workforce, many companies are concerned with the issue. Corporates are losing out on such talented pool of their workforce and this gap is only compounding. There is not only a huge gender gap in terms of employment in the labour force, but also in the kind of work women are engaged in.
Preference for male employees, preference for promotion of male employees to supervisory positions (the glass ceiling), career breaks of women due to parenthood duties, and other socio-cultural factors stand as hurdles in the developing economy – which takes away a considerable share of women’s possible working hours and contributes significantly to widen the gaps in labour participation.
Is there a way to expedite plugging of the gap?
Moving to a culture where flexibility is the norm and employees are judged on outcomes rather than presenteeism, offers a tremendous opportunity to tackle the gender pay gap. Gender sensitisation at workplace and taking steps to act as an equal opportunity employer and be transparent about their compensation practices-can help companies tackle the pay gap.
Are female millennials any different from earlier generations? What should companies do to groom leaders from this generation of women?
Today, women millennials are driven by a very different set of needs and desires than earlier generations. To make full use of their skills, it is important for a company to be more cognizant of what they want. They like to stay ahead of the curve and they believe a changing work profile or tasks beyond their profile contribute to their growth as professionals.
Millennial women are more focused on their career graph than simply their next job or just a higher salary. They are looking at prospective employers in a very different way. Openness and transparency in all decisions is needed to motivate them. It is necessary to promote a work ethic that encourages everyone to operate as owners and creates accountability with responsibility.
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