Breaking down barriers.

In the evolving business landscape, the significance of a diverse workforce is now widely acknowledged, and gender diversity goals have been set. However, businesses continue to encounter the persistent challenge of retaining and attracting talented women, despite their best efforts.

In Pakistan, where women comprise less than a fifth of the formal workforce, it is important to address the barriers to entry into the formal workplace. To tackle this issue, businesses must take a comprehensive approach that identifies and addresses the barriers hindering women's entry into the workplace.

Developing a well-conceived gender strategy that is seamlessly integrated into every aspect of the workplace is one crucial way of overcoming these barriers and promoting genuine gender equality. By doing so, businesses can create an inclusive and progressive work environment that values and respects the contributions of all employees.

A well-thought-out gender strategy is proactive and involves a comprehensive plan for promoting gender equality in all aspects of an organisation, including hiring, promotion, compensation, and training. The global best practice identifies a change management approach that can be used to develop an effective gender strategy - a four-step process: analyse, design, implement and review.

Developing a well-conceived gender strategy that is seamlessly integrated into every aspect of the workplace is crucial for promoting genuine gender equality

According to Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA), an Australian government agency responsible for promoting and improving gender equality in Australian workplaces, the starting point for developing a gender strategy is to undertake a gender assessment.

The diagnostic reviews HR policies, feedback through employee surveys, focus group discussions, exit interviews, and the external environment. This and benchmarking with peer companies can help companies identify the gaps in their current HR approach. An internal assessment can identify the bottlenecks which exist in the processes. For example, policies in organisations are often generic and may need to be relooked at with a gender lens to understand the gaps.

Furthermore, a review of employee feedback can identify how the organisation's culture may set a precedent for team biases. Finally, the organisation can analyse the current scenario by identifying the existing trends.

The external environment in Pakistan brings specific social and...