If you aren't already aware, the theme for this year's International Women’s Day is #BeBoldForChange, and it challenges us all to help forge a better, more gender inclusive working world.
Obviously we're totally in love with the theme here at InHerSight. For years we've been asking women to do something rather bold -- rate their companies. More than 175,000 women have already taken that step (thank you!), and the number keeps growing as more and more women come to understand the importance of working for gender inclusive companies.
Those ratings have helped us see which companies are really doing the most when it comes to supporting their female employees, so for this International Women's Day we wanted to share some of the bold things companies are doing to create better workplaces for everyone!
Foot-behind-your-head flexibility
From great paid time off to flexible work hours to the ability to telecommute, pretty much everyone wants to work for a company that offers flexibility to their workers. In fact, paid time off is the number one thing women on InHerSight are looking for from their employers. Let's get flexible!
In 2016, California-based construction management software company Procore Technologies announced Procore Values Time Off, their unlimited paid time off program. The bold policy is a recognition that for their employees to give their best and live a well-balanced life, they need to take time off for rest and relaxation. Procore trusts employees to take off the time they need, while still accomplishing their objectives. This trust also extends to allowing most employees to schedule their own working hours. Is it any wonder that Procore has a perfect 5-star rating for paid time off on InHerSight?
Another standout in the flexibility category is Dell. Dell's highest rating on InHerSight is for the ability to telecommute, and that's easy to understand when you learn that the company has a bold goal of getting 50% of its workforce telecommuting by 2020. Currently, the average Dell employee works remotely 10 times a month, saving employees (and the earth) $12 million in fuel costs and 136 million miles of travel per year. At Dell, flexibility is not limited to a project or initiative but expands to a culture that enables team members to be successful whenever and wherever best fits their work-life needs.
Enterprise software juggernaut Salesforce gets high marks on InHerSight for its paid time off policies overall, but the company also offers time off specifically for volunteer work. All Salesforce employees receive seven days of paid time off each year to spend giving back to nonprofit causes that are meaningful to them. Employees can choose to give back in their own ways, but often teams will set up monthly volunteering activities with local community organizations, meaning that VTO becomes both a team-building and a philanthropic exercise.
Show me the (same) money
In a recent InHerSight poll on which workplace issues company executives should prioritize, correcting gender pay gaps was the #1 response.
More than 100 companies have signed the White House Equal Pay pledge to conduct annual, company-wide gender pay analysis and close any gender pay gaps, including many of the top companies on InHerSight (CEB and Salesforce, for example). Here are a few other bold ways companies are addressing pay equity.
HR tech company Greenhouse Software says that in general, they don’t negotiate on salaries. Greenhouse believes that negotiating only benefits a strong negotiator, so the outcome of negotiation doesn’t necessarily end up reflecting the value an individual will bring to an organization (unless of course they're going for Chief Negotiation Officer). The company looked at many reports that showed negotiation often promotes the wage gap between men and women, so instead of letting salaries be determined by negotiation, they use market data to lead with a strong offer that they think is fair. The company reports that candidates and internal employees are really excited about this approach and their score of 4.5 stars (out of 5) for salary satisfaction on InHerSight certainly supports that finding.
New York City based CA Technologies strives to be on the forefront of change when it comes to eliminating bias from the workforce. Pay equity is and always has been important to the company. As a part of this commitment, CA does not request current or historical compensation information from candidates in the United States, Canada and Latin America. This simple and important change allows them to eliminate any historical bias and to focus on the areas that matter in determining a competitive compensation package: experience, knowledge, skill, abilities and competitive pay market position.
Tapping the power of women leaders
You’ve no doubt run across facts and figures from the likes of McKinsey, Gallup, Catalyst...the list goes on...showing that companies with more female employees, particularly in management roles, just do better (read: see stronger organizational and financial performance).
For best practice insights and technology company CEB, knowing this kind of thing is a part of their job, and the company’s commitment to women in leadership comes from years of studying the data on the positive benefits of a diverse workforce. The company offers manager training and leadership development opportunities through their CEB University program, and they've got the great InHerSight ratings for management opportunities and equal opportunities to match!
This bold focus is driven by a robust CEB canon of data and insight supporting the value of gender diversity in the workplace and a highly engaged community of male and female leaders committed to diversity, along with strong board, executive-level, and CEO support.
How are you #BeingBoldForChange?
These are just 6 of the thousands and thousands of companies working to create inclusive, diverse environments. At InHerSight, our goal is to help women find these kinds of companies...and avoid the others. That's where you come in!
This International Women's Day, take two minutes to do something bold and rate your company on InHerSight. It's totally anonymous, and your insights will help working women make better, more informed decisions about their careers. If you've already rated your company, thank you! Together we can "help forge a better, more gender inclusive working world."
