Do Your Female Employees Feel Valued? Study Suggests They Don’t

Over the years, our society has made great strides toward gender equality, especially when it comes to the workplace. That doesn’t necessarily mean that everything is perfect, however; in fact, a recent study by Randstand, a staffing firm, discovered that many women feel undervalued in the workplace, much more so than men.

The study’s results showed this:

• 57% of women feel as if their salary is satisfactory and in line with their position and their workload. 65% percent of men said the same thing.
• Only 49% of women believed they would be receiving a raise at the end of the year. 54% of men believed they would be.
• 22 percent of women believe they can obtain the promotions and bonuses necessary to improve their career with the company they are in involved with at the moment. 27% of men feel the same way.

What Does This Mean and What Can You do?

As an employer, the first thought that comes to mind is probably increasing your female employee’s salaries. While women may not be as happy with their current paycheck as men, that doesn’t necessarily mean you should break the bank in an effort to make sure they are happy enough. There are other steps you can take to ensure they are receiving the same treatment and advantages as your male employees.

• Improve Your Reputation- In the survey, almost 90 percent of women said that they believed a good reputation to be an essential factor when choosing what company to work for. Be the company that women respect and want to work for.
• Develop Relationships- Don’t leave female employees out, and don’t avoid them when hiring through a temp employment agency. Treat them with respect, the same as you would a male employee. Invite them into conversations, meetings, and invest time in developing a professional relationship with them.
• Compensation- Don’t go overboard on compensation, but make sure you realize when things aren’t quite fair. If more male employees are receiving bonuses and promotions than female employees, find out where the problem lies. Maybe they aren’t receiving enough attention or aren’t invited to participate in the workplace by your managers. You, as the employer, have to be willing to step up and ensure these issues are taken care of.
• Understand Differences- While it would be nice, and much easier, if everyone could be lumped into certain categories and treated the same, that isn’t always the best. And it has nothing to do with gender roles. It has to do with the fact that men and women often think differently. Consider for instance, flexible time; the survey found that women were more likely to use flex time constructively, while men were less likely to be productive. Take these issues into consideration. Find out what works for each individual employee and do it.

Do you treat your female employees differently than the male ones? Take steps to fix this problem now.

At HH Staffing Services, we are an employer’s best friend. Our temp employment agency offers services to Bradenton, Orlando, Clearwater, Ft. Lauderdale, Sarasota, and Tampa Bay areas, providing you with educated and efficient employees who are ready to fill any open position within your company. For full time employment or temp staffing in Tampa Bay, Ft. Lauderdale, and ,St. Petersburg, we have 4 offices in Florida so please turn to us for all your staffing or hiring needs. Contact us today for more information. Visit our website for our great employer resource center. Our resource center provides a comprehensive selection of resources for you and your company featuring articles and advice on topics such as strategic staffing, increasing efficiency, driving team productivity and controlling hiring and turnover cost.