Companies taking advantage of the meeting management service provided by London Registrars may find the findings of a recent survey by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) to be of relevance to their own business’s operations.
The poll of 851 managers in the UK found that inappropriate comments and gender bias in hiring and promotion decisions, as well as gender inequality in pay and rewards, remained prevalent in many organisations.
“Inappropriate remarks”
Four in five of the survey respondents said they had witnessed some form of workplace gender bias or discrimination over the previous 12 months.
When asked what specific behaviours they had witnessed, 50% of respondents claimed to have seen gender bias in recruitment and promotion decisions, while 42% pointed to inequality in pay and rewards.
69% – more than two-thirds – of managers stated that they had seen women struggling to make their views heard in meetings, and 81% cited inappropriate remarks, such as comments with sexualised overtones masquerading as ‘banter’.
Equality “everyone’s business”
The research also found that men were less likely than women to notice gender discriminatory behaviour, although there were also firm indications of progress and a wider will to change.
Caroline Dinenage, Minister for Women, Equalities and Early Years, commented: “Gender discrimination is completely unacceptable – women should never be held back just because of their gender.
“Shining a light on this issue is absolutely key to achieving equality in the workplace, which is why we are introducing requirements on all large employers to publish their gender pay and bonus data from April.
“But equality is everyone’s business – and it benefits both men and women alike. Men have an important role to play in championing gender equality and this initiative will encourage even more men to actively drive this issue so that all employees can reach their full potential.”
Strong backing from men for gender equality
The poll found strong support for gender equality among men, with 84% in favour of a gender balanced workplace. The survey also showed that three-quarters believed men in senior leadership positions had a particular responsibility to assist talented women in the development of their careers.
CMI CEO Ann Francke stated: “It’s amazing that four in five managers have witnessed some form of gender-biased behaviour at work in the past year. Achieving a better gender balance is essential to boosting the UK’s productivity, which lags far behind our G7 competitors.
“If we’re to meet this ambitious target, then managers at all levels must call out behaviour that discriminates against women and encourage equality within their workplace.”
Enquire now to London Registrars about how our meeting management service could help your business to reduce costs while optimising the effectiveness of its board.
April, 2017