Gender equality
Whilst legislation relating to sex discrimination has been around for over 45 years, nearly three quarters of female workers surveyed by Randstad reported that they had either experienced or witnessed inappropriate behaviour or comments from male colleagues.
Randstad has published a report on gender equality in the workplace based upon survey responses from 6,000 workers within the construction, education, healthcare and technology sectors. Whilst legislation relating to sex discrimination has been around for over 45 years, nearly three quarters of female workers surveyed reported that they had either experienced or witnessed inappropriate behaviour or comments from male colleagues.
Just shy of a third of those surveyed were looking to change jobs within the next three months – a previous Randstad survey of around 10,000 UK working adults placed work-life balance above all other considerations (including salary) when choosing a new job for the second year in a row.
Although there were differences between the sectors surveyed, there were a number of common themes in the responses received including greater work-life balance; help with childcare costs; pay parity; equal opportunities for career progression; support during menopause; and more female role models and mentors.
Retention will continue to be a key issue for employers, particularly with changing priorities following the pandemic. Diversity, equality and inclusion – not just gender equality - are key pillars within an organisation’s culture. The survey results suggest that many employers are still not embedding these principles consistently and, without improvements, are likely to continue to face recruitment and retention challenges ahead.
A link to the full report can be found here.
Contact
Mark Hickson
Head of Business Development
onlineteaminbox@brownejacobson.com
+44 (0)370 270 6000
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