Covid-19’s impact on the workplace has presented new challenges for working women. Long-standing trends, such as disproportionate home care responsibilities, greater representation in low-wage employment, and long-standing gender inequalities in corporate leadership, have been exacerbated and contributed to this unprecedented regression.
The business world must act now to keep women in the workforce and prevent the pandemic from undoing years of progress. This necessitates a commitment from the top in order to achieve measurable results. Here are five strategies for reintroducing women to the workplace.
Consider the period of absence as a pandemic leave
Companies and employers can begin by providing a 12- to 18-month pandemic leave of absence. The goal is to cover the benefits, which may or may not be paid. Companies must guarantee employment at the same level and salary at the end of the leave, if not necessarily the same job.
This will benefit both employers and employees. Employers will not have to look for new employees to fill job openings, and employees will return to the same location. The workers’ experience will eventually benefit the company, and their level of performance will improve. As a result, employees will feel more trusting and loyal to the company, and they will stay with it for a long time.
Don’t mind the pandemic gap year
Employers should be less concerned about the gap year when hiring a woman. During the pandemic, many women lost their jobs and many others stopped working for a variety of reasons. This specific ground should not be used to discriminate between men and women, or between women with and without a gap year.
Instead of counting gap years, organisations should consider eligibility as a criterion for selection. Women should be motivated and encouraged to find work without regard for gender.
Make ‘return to work’ a new normal
Women who want to return to work after a break should be able to find firms that are looking for such employees. Accepting and normalising breaks says a lot about an organization’s willingness to accommodate different types of employees. People at all stages of their careers should be allowed to participate.
Different groups of people bring with them varying levels of productivity, experience, cognition, and perception. A workplace should be made up of people from various backgrounds. Employees’ career breaks can also be beneficial to organisations. Returnship programmes for women are extremely important, especially in the aftermath of the pandemic. Policies and practises must be implemented to facilitate the re-entry of women who have been out of the workforce for several years.
Trainings and skill development programs
Training is required for both managers and employees to evolve in accordance with the new workplace standards. Line managers must be trained so that they do not dismiss women seeking a return. Women should participate in skill-upgrading programmes to ensure that they are ready for new job requirements. If we expect women to be skilled and experienced during recruitment, we must also expect them to be so afterward.
Building appropriate training modules will provide long-term benefits to organisations and individuals seeking an enriching experience during the skill-upgradation programme. We can make a significant difference by providing women with the necessary skills to make them qualified for a variety of jobs.
Fair treatment
Women should be treated fairly after being hired for a job. It is necessary to create a workplace that is unbiased and devoid of any form of discrimination. A certain level of performance-based transparency in the system should be maintained in order to analyse the timely growth of all employees, not just women. Favoritism and prejudiced behaviour must be avoided. Women should be given opportunities to participate in projects regardless of family or career breaks.
Focus keyword- women workforce
Gmeta keyphrase- covid- 19, pandemic, workplace, strategies, new normal
Meta description- Covid-19’s impact on the workplace has presented new challenges for working women. Here are five strategies for reintroducing women to the workplace.
