Diversity in business: 6 actions that really work

Above all, you should know that businesses are constrained, there is a legal framework in France, in particular the law, the Copé-Zimmermann, which was voted exactly ten years ago and which has borne fruit. And then, in recent years, there has also been the establishment of the gender diversity index, this also contributes., and at Talentis we see it in the companies we support. It also contributes to the implementation of actions in companies.

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Action #1: Include Top Management in the process

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The first action is really the essential foundation, otherwise it doesn't work. Management, the company's Top Management, must be genuinely convinced that diversity is essential, that it is rooted in the company's strategy.

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Action #2: Align all company actors on the meaning of this approach

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The logical consequence of this is for all actors within the company to be aligned with what is called the Diversity Business Case. What is the meaning we give to this action and to this diversity strategy? Why are we going there?

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Action #3: Set numerical goals

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Then, set gender goals, numerical goals with deadlines over time. You need instructors and instructors over time. For example, we supported a company that had achieved its goals about 6 years ago, they said it was good and that it was no longer necessary to continue the procedures. And then, 3 years later, they realized that they had lost 15 female points in the top 150 of the group. Setting global goals is not enough, it is also necessary to set goals by strategy, by hierarchical levels, by professions. Take for example luxury companies or banks where, overall, there are more women than men in the company, but if we then look at the management authorities, we realize that there is no longer too much diversity.

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Action #4: Raise awareness of stereotypes among all company actors

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Make everyone aware of these famous levers and obstacles as well, in particular the stereotypes and decision-making biases that lead to sexism, whether conscious or unconscious. And that concerns everyone in the company.

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Action #5: Adapting work practices to the reality of what women experience

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Today in France, women are even more in charge of family tasks than men, although it is a social issue, these women work, they have responsibilities. What the company can do to reconcile these realities is to implement flexibility and put an end to the rule of presenteeism by encouraging and especially by allowing remote work, which has been extremely accelerated in the last two years. By promoting the right to disconnect, by stopping meetings after 6 pm, these are the measures that can help a subject that, in the end, belongs to society as a whole. But businesses can contribute at this level.

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Action #6: Set up support programs

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Finally, support women at all levels of their career in business, whether through mentoring, coaching, leadership seminars... Give them the keys to accelerate their career, to increase their visibility, to work on their political sense, on the embodiment of authentic power... And then, above all, to encourage them to dare to project themselves in their career.

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Talentis has been supporting companies and organizations on these subjects for 15 years, whether in terms of raising the awareness of all employees, starting with Top Management. The establishment of mentoring programs, the training of mentors, the training of mentees, or even the individual coaching of female talents, of course. But a large part of our support is based on the establishment of leadership seminars for women in order to enable them to accelerate their careers and their trajectory.

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