International Women’s Day is fast approaching, and it’s a good time to celebrate. Perhaps your business plans to hold an event or share support for this year’s theme, #embraceequity, on social media.  

However, it’s also a good opportunity to re-examine your business and see what you could be doing more long-term to improve gender (and other types) equality. 

We spoke to a couple of workplace equality consultants for some tips, and the good news is there is plenty that small businesses can implement without blowing the budget. 

“Small businesses have an advantage in that they can do a lot to build a great culture without spending a huge amount of money. It’s not always about a $50,000 fancy women’s development program,” said Katriina Tahka, managing director and founder of Cultivate Sponsorship. 

Talk and listen 

Smaller businesses have an advantage over larger corporations because it’s easier to talk directly to their people about what they want, said Ms Tahka. 

“Talk and listen. Ask them what you can do better. That way, you can work out what changes to implement,” she said. 

“An amazing culture is one where people feel heard, can speak up, feel they belong and that they can be themselves – that’s what will make people want to stay working for you.” 

Examples of where she’s seen this work include implementing provisions to accommodate religious holidays like Ramadan and understanding employees’ flexibility needs, such as 4pm finish times to beat the traffic.  

You can also conduct a workplace survey if your staff are more comfortable speaking up anonymously. 

While talking to employees, it’s also worth asking them about their career paths, Ms Tahka added.  

“Lack of career direction is one of the main reasons people leave jobs, even more than salary. If you can make them feel you’re invested in their career development, then that’s very powerful,” she said. 

While career development might include formal training, it can also encompass areas like allowing them to shadow another person, try a different role or have a mentor or sponsor within the business. 

Think about your hiring 

Dr Katie Spearritt, chief executive officer of Diversity Partners, recommends looking at who you’re hiring in your business. A good place to start is by examining data. For example, your management structure should ideally be about 40% women and 40% men, with the rest open and flexible. 

“It’s also good to look at areas like hiring those with different cultural backgrounds and people with disabilities. Also, other measures like whether your management structure is reflective of your customer base,” she said. You can also look at pay data from the Workplace Gender Equality Agency to see how you stack up in your industry. 

It’s also helpful to examine unconscious biases, she added, and see whether you are hiring people fairly and objectively or relying on deep-seated notions you might not be aware of.  

“Do you always hire the same type of person? How different have your last few hires been from each other?” she said. 

Try taking Harvard University’s Implicit Assessment Test if you’re still not sure.   

If you do identify inequalities, then have a look at how you’re finding and promoting people. Are you always putting an ad on Seek, or going to the same networks of people? Can you rewrite your job ads to mention things like flexibility to attract a wider pool of candidates?  

“A small business needs to have diversity of thinking – it’s what allows them to innovate, to do what challenges them,” Dr Spearritt said. 

Include men  

And finally, it’s about making sure that men are also part of discussions and included in provisions such as flexibility.  

“International Women’s Day needs to involve men as well. I speak to a lot of men who think they don’t have a place in participating, but that misses the point. We all need to come together and have conversations around solving the problem,” Ms Tahka said. 

So, do enjoy your IWD events – but make sure the good work continues once the party’s over. If you need any help, have a look at MyBusiness Workplace for easy-to-follow guides and checklists around managing your people.