Canadian HR Reporter

June 2021 CAN

Canadian HR Reporter is the national journal of human resource management. It features the latest workplace news, HR best practices, employment law commentary and tools and tips for employers to get the most out of their workforce.

Issue link: https://digital.hrreporter.com/i/1375114

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 11 of 31

N E W S 12 www.hrreporter.com Is the advancement of women at work tumbling as a priority? While the battle against racism in the workplace ramped up in 2020 with many companies touting their newfound diversity and inclusion efforts, women are in danger of being left behind, says John Dujay killing of George Floyd; in light of the racism that we are seeing with respect to the Asian community; in light of the global pandemic. "That being said, it doesn't mean that we cannot focus on gender. It's really important to highlight that these are not mutually exclusive," says Juneja. In fairness, the last year in particular has been extremely challenging for exec- utives, decision-makers and boards, says Andrea Plotnick, senior vice president of board and executive solutions at lead- ership development consultants LHH in Toronto. "It's an overarching fatigue being an executive through a pandemic," she to 20 per cent from 25 per cent, while senior female vice presidents have gone to 13 per cent from 19 per cent. The study heard from 2,687 profes- sionals across 10 industries and 11 global regions between November and January. "Over the years, obviously myself, being an executive and female, I really thought we had turned the corner a couple [of ] years ago; I really felt that it hit the headlines and organizations were really committed," says Campbell. "To see that we've taken a step back with this is really discouraging." Pandemic leads to fatigue For organizations, there might be a variety of reasons for the lack of focus, and one of the biggest and most pressing concerns remains COVID-19. "[The pandemic] is really taking precedence for many leaders and also, possibly, a lack of resources; they might not have the financial or management or leadership bandwidth in place right now to be focusing on beyond the recovery," says Vandana Juneja, executive director of Catalyst Canada, a non-profit organi- zation that focuses on advancing women in the workplace in Toronto. "Anecdotally, we've also seen a shift in some organizations from their sole focus or a very high priority on gender equity, and shifting to focusing on other aspects of identity," she says. "For example, a focus on anti-black racism in light of the events of last summer with the says. "A lot of the focus has become on keeping the lights on, looking at different business models to get you through the next year." Fatigue and lack of effectiveness are possible factors, as 62 per cent of women and 60 per cent of men reported they expected their organiza- tions to improve gender equity, down nine and seven percentage points, respectively, from 2019, found IBM. Plus, many companies may be having difficulty figuring out exactly what to do, says Plotnick. "[For] many organizations… it's almost like they're taking a jigsaw approach, where they're looking for the piece that fits in whatever criteria it is [and] it's not having the desired impact. I feel like a broken record, but it's not about diver- sity per se, it's about inclusion, at the end of the day," says Plotnick. "Based on all the societal factors at play right now — which is that there's a broader diversity play at play, which is not a bad thing — but if you're focusing just on the gender component, it gets diluted." Benefits to women leaders For those companies IBM calls "first movers" — which prioritized advancing women, consider gender equity as a RISING AMBIVALENCE AMONG GLOBAL EMPLOYERS IN 2021 45% Percentage requiring every job succession plan include women candidates (compared to 54% in 2019) 48% Percentage ensuring high- performing women receive promotions as often as high- performing men (compared to 63% in 2019) 49% Percentage openly challenging gender-biased behaviours and language (compared to 66% in 2019) 62% Percentage of women who think their employer will significantly improve gender parity in 5 years (compared to 71% in 2019) "SHOCKING; disappointing, especially in this day and age." So says Joanne Campbell, senior vice presi- dent and CHRO at Apotex in Toronto, in response to a recent IBM study that found advancing female employees is not considered a top priority for a stag- gering 70 per cent of organizations. Only one in four companies said advancing women is a top-10 priority item. Also sobering? Fewer women hold the titles of senior vice president, vice pres- ident, director and manager in 2021 compared to 2019, according to Women, Leadership, and Missed Opportunities. Senior female managers have fallen "I really thought we had turned the corner a couple [of ] years ago; I really felt that organizations were really committed." Joanne Campbell, Apotex Source: IBM

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of Canadian HR Reporter - June 2021 CAN