Gender Balance
Gender balance and diversity as a whole has to start somewhere, it’s a flag that we all have to raise and carry whenever possible and promote gender balance and diversity in the workplace. Equality in the workplace does not happen by accident because of unconscious bias, so we have to make it a reality, make it an acceptable norm.
We’ve had two Women Prime Minister in the UK, Baroness Margaret Thatcher back in 1979 – 1990, Theresa May in 2016. The US nearly had a Women President in 2016 (Hilary Clinton) but has now gained a Vice President elect in Kamala Harris 2020 (2021).
Currently in 2020 we have 20 Women as Heads of State, including the New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Germany’s Angel Merkel, Belgium, Croatia, Estonia, Slovakia, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Iceland, Georgia, Serbia, Nepal, Greece, Lithuania, Namibia, Taiwan, Ethiopia, Mauritius and even the Marshall Islands all have female, Heads of State.
These are major changes in a short space of time, it has become acceptable and expected on the world stage, but is it being reflected in the boardroom?
Back in 2011 a review board set targets in place that at least one third (33%) of all FT 100 boards should be made up of Women by 2020.
Companies with more than 40% female board membership include Standard Life Aberdeen, Schroders and Royal Bank of Scotland, companies that should be praised for their foresight. While those with 25% or fewer women on the board include National Grid and Rio Tinto. Some companies still adopt the ‘one and done’ policy, which is totally acceptable.
Currently in the UK we have just 5 CEO’s of the FT 100 companies.
- Emma Walmsley: GlaxoSmithKline 2017
- Liv Garfield: Severn Trent 2014
- Carolyn McCall: ITV 2018
- Alison Brittain: Whitbread 2016
- Alison Rose: Royal Bank of Scotland Group 2019
That’s just 5% of the top slots (CEO’s) – the target for the FTSE 100 executive-level appointments 33% for female representation across boards, this goal was actually met in February 2020 achieving 34%. However at the current rate of growth, it will take more than 80 years for the number of female FTSE 100 CEOs to reach 50%, something must change, let’s work to get rid of gender bias. Gender equality companies produce more profit than those with gender bias.
Globally female CEO’s are on the rise however in 2020 – BOSE appointed Lila Snyder as CEO, Citigroup appointed Jane Fraser as CEO (Full list of Fortune 500 Female CEO’s) a further 35 but that’s still only 7.5%.
Functional areas- on the board vs leadership
So, women are finally getting on the board but not getting the leadership roles, leading the teams in the functional disciplines. Women in leadership roles in the UK, have traditionally occupied the same functional areas, most in HR 63% but with only 7% in leadership team positions. Those in general management accounts for 42% of women but only 10% are women in a team leadership roles, while in Accounting which accounts for 19% of women, 11% hold the top roles, Legal has 39% women but with 17% in team leadership roles.
So, what is missing? Why are they getting on the boards but not getting the top leadership positions, is it our failure to train them, give them the experience, provide the skills or is it still bias?
The numbers are climbing and we are starting to get an increasingly healthier population of women in the functions but they are not getting the top jobs, why is that?
With female representation across FT 100 in 2020 achieving 34%, only 21% are actually in Team Leadership roles. So, are women being denied promotions that lead to top roles?
What can we do?
Many companies and industries promote women with ‘Women in Business’ programs but is this real or just ‘doffing the cap’ to appease the sceptics and keep them quiet. As a country we need to be looking at developing national programs to promote and train women into these top jobs.
We need to start looking at programs to schedule ‘succession planning’ moving and promoting women through fast track program, giving them the exposure, experience, skills and discipline needed to take control and lead these teams.
About the Author
Howard Longstaff has over 25 years of experience delivering people within the talent acquisition arena.
He has worked extensively across the UK, Europe, USA, Canada as well as in South America, Australia, and New Zealand.
Over the last 20 years he has specialised in two fundamental areas, although he often covers a wider remit due to his thirst and understanding of technology. The first area which he has a real passion for, building ‘Sales Teams’, pulling together the very best ‘A Players’ and creating something incredibly special for his clients.
To do that, he needs to have a clear understanding of what his client wants, so establishing clear communication with the client is paramount, understanding the nuances of what they are looking for and documenting this. Understanding the technology, the opportunity, and the growth potential all help to find the ‘right fit, first time’. He is one of the few head-hunters that is willing to guarantee his work, offering 12 months free replacement.
The second area he loves getting involved in, is the leadership team, the C-Suite, helping to get the balance right, cover the gaps in knowledge, skills and experience, working on the assumption that ‘No one is perfect but a team can be’?
Howard is someone who thinks outside the box, has an eye for detail, but is perceptive, looking beyond the surface of just skills and experience. He wants to know and understand the candidate behaviour as well as the emotional intelligence, the motives that drive the candidates he interviews. He is looking for the best fit for his client but also looking to ensure it is a fit for the candidate as well.
In the last 25 years he has also built his own companies and opened offices in New Zealand, Los Angeles, New York and most recently several companies in London. Specialising in technology companies, he has delivered permanent resources across practically every department. This has predominantly been for technology start-ups (Enterprise Software Co’s) but also for many leading management consulting and enterprise clients.
Howard is someone that uses technology to enhance the hiring process, to save time, money and effort and take the pain out of the process, but to find those ‘Exceptional People, who are so hard to find’. He operates a ‘Private Client Video Portal’ keeping everything together, the video, as well as psychrometric behavioural assessments on candidates and interviewing on an emotional intelligence level. He has repeatedly built teams across three continents, so has a good breadth of knowledge across the talent acquisition arena.