Women outnumber men in the U.S. paid workforce for just the second time in history. This growth has been fueled by the increased job opportunities in education and health care over the course of the past year, as well as the tight job market.
According to data from the Labor Department, of the 145,000 jobs employers offered to candidates in December 2019, women secured 139,000 of them.
Since 2018, women have been joining the workforce more rapidly than men. Economists attribute this to the fact that women have been pursuing college degrees in larger numbers than men, impacting the job market as they secure higher positions in the workplace.
Industries that have attracted a greater number of women, such as health care and education, are growing much faster than industries dominated by men, like construction and manufacturing. This demonstrates the importance of creating a diverse organization to drive business growth. Implement these practices to foster a diverse workplace culture:
1. Leverage technology. Advancements in technology have made it possible for colleagues to stay connected remotely. Parents of young children are able to work without being in the office or easily incorporate their work into their busy schedules. Additionally, companies that use the latest technologies attract Millennial and Generation Z talent. In research on what motivates these generations at work conducted by Forbes, almost a third of Gen Z employees said slow or poor technology was the most frustrating thing about their workplace.
2. Ensure your hiring process is diversity-friendly. Assess the current level of diversity in your company. Comparing it to industry and regional or national figures will help you to determine where your organization is and make progress. Focus on hiring individuals from a diverse array of backgrounds. Experience and qualifications shouldn’t be the sole things you hire based on. Look for traits like creativity, enthusiasm, and adaptability in EHS job candidates that can help drive your company forward. Candidates with these types of qualities are able to learn quickly and bring a positive attitude to work.
3. Provide flexible working opportunities when possible. Allowing employees to choose their work hours within reason or telecommute a couple of days a week will attract a broader range of people to your company. Providing these opportunities helps working parents and all employees improve their work-life balance.
When you embrace diversity in your workplace, you open your organization up to more innovation and improved business performance. Research from Glassdoor found that two-thirds of employees say that the level of diversity is an important factor when evaluating whether to accept a job offer, so cultivating a diverse workforce also allows you to attract top EHS talent. Make it a priority to practice these strategies to create a diverse workplace culture for your business.
Resources:
How to Create a Diverse Workplace Culture, Jason Downes, Forbes.
Women outnumber men in the American workforce for only the second time, Rachel Siegel, The Washington Post.