When women rise, men rise too

By Digital News Asia March 9, 2018

“Getting to Equal 2018” report identifies 40 key factors that help all people thrive
If women are to advance, gender equality must be a strategic priority for the C-suite

When women rise, men rise too

NEW research from Accenture has identified 40 workplace factors that create a culture of equality — including 14 factors that matter the most. The research, published in the company’s “Getting to Equal 2018” report, details the most-effective actions that business leaders can take to accelerate advancement and help close the gender pay gap.

The research is based on a survey of more than 22,000 working men and women in 34 countries — over 700 in Malaysia — to measure their perception of factors that contribute to their workplace cultures. The survey was supplemented with in-depth interviews and a detailed analysis of published data on a range of workforce issues.

When women rise, men rise too “Our research shows that in companies with cultures that include the workplace factors that help women advance, men thrive too, and we all advance together,” said Nicole Lee (pic, right), Technology Delivery lead, associate director, Accenture – Malaysia.

“We see this research as a powerful reminder that building a culture of equality is essential to achieving gender equality because people, not programmes, are what make a company inclusive and diverse.”

Accenture’s research found that in companies where the 40 factors are most common, everyone benefits:

98% of employees are satisfied with their career progression.
99% of employees aspire to get promoted.
100% aspire to become senior leaders in their organisations.

And, everyone has a better opportunity to advance:

Women are 36% more likely to advance to manager or above.
Men are 30% more likely to advance to manager or above.

When women rise, men rise too

While both women and men advance in companies in which the 40 factors are common, women have the most to gain. If all working environments in Malaysia were like those in which the 40 factors are most common:

For every 100 male managers, there could be as many as 73 female managers, up from the current ratio of 100 to 26.
Women’s annual pay could potentially increase by 48%, or up to an additional U$9,842 per year.
Women could earn US$79 for every US$100 a man earns, helping to close the pay gap and lifting women’s total earnings by US$4.9 billion nationwide.

When women rise, men rise too

Setting clear diversity targets, the research found, is a crucial step for leaders who want to strengthen their cultures.

“Culture is set from the top, so if women are to advance, gender equality must be a strategic priority for the C-suite,” said Ellyn Shook, Accenture’s chief leadership and human resources officer.

“It’s critical that companies create a truly human environment where people can be successful both professionally and personally – where they can be who they are and feel they belong, every day.”

The report, which builds on Accenture’s 2017 research on how digital fluency and technology can close the gender gap in the workplace, grouped the 14 core factors proven to influence advancement into three categories of bold leadership, comprehensive action and an empowering environment. Key Malaysia findings in the three categories include:

Bold leadership: Up to 71% of fast track women work for organisations that have set diversity targets.
Comprehensive action: Involvement in a women’s network corresponds to women’s advancement, but up to 34% of the women surveyed work for organisations without such a network. In companies that do have a women’s network, six in 10 women (62%) participate, with half (50%) of those women being in a women’s network that also includes men.
An empowering environment: Among the factors linked to advancement are not asking employees to conform to a dress or appearance code, and giving employees the responsibility and freedom to be innovative and creative.

Read the global report here: Getting to Equal 2018.