Are you, as an employer, making the most of the benefits a diverse workforce can offer? Is your workplace flexible enough to cater for the differing needs of various staff and their other responsibilities?
On July 22, Simon Palan wrote for ABC News that a large number of Australian businesses have revealed that they prefer to hire male employees without children or relationships, according to a survey by workplace management consultancy Kronos.
The survey found that 38 per cent of employers believe men make better employees than women, often due to lifestyle factors. In reality, flexible workplace agreements that allow mothers and parents to have more variable hours and conditions can often make offices more productive and financially successful.
What can you do in your workplace?
No matter what your current staff make-up is, it can be a good idea to use employee surveys to garner the general attitude and level of satisfaction among your staff.
Perhaps you could ask employees if they feel like there are equal opportunities within your workplace, or identify opportunities for greater equality.
You could also ask staff in an employee satisfaction survey whether they feel as though they are offered flexible enough working arrangements so that they are able to cater for their familial responsibilities.
The more accommodating – within reason, of course – a workplace is, the more likely staff are to feel appreciated and valued, and therefore work more productively and stay with the company for longer.
With all that working parents, mothers and those with various lifestyles can offer to a workplace, it seems a shame not to utilise their talents.
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