There has been a concerted effort to promote the business case for increased gender diversity in the workplace, and companies across the globe have been vocal about being committed to it. However, there is still much to be done to promote and entrench, as demonstrated by global data as well as the Pearl Initiative and NAMA Women Advancement Establishment’s research on diversity across the Private Sector.

There are a number of solutions which can be implemented to improve a company’s diversity and inclusion, but they all require the buy-in of organisational leadership. How can business leaders get management and shareholders to understand the business case for diversity, and begin to actively implement policies that enable it?

This webinar will aim to:

• Discuss the findings of the Pearl Initiative and NAMA’s original research on the nature and extent of women’s experiences in the Gulf’s Private Sector,
• Examine the best ways to bring a company’s leadership on board with promoting diversity at work,
• How senior management can take responsibility for D&I implementation and outcomes, and
• How other companies can use customised approaches to convincing internal stakeholders to actively value diversity.

In this webinar, we learned:

• Institutions have yet to become truly equitable because active collaboration is still required among the relevant individuals, particularly those at the helm of institutions, to embrace diversity across all levels. This is a long-term process but we are already seeing tremendous progress in getting to true equity.
• It is comparatively easy for women to be brought into organisations at the recruitment stage, but the challenge then becomes making sure they stay and do not drop out (in what is known as the “leaky pipeline effect”). In male-dominated institutions, women struggle to rise to the top for multiple reasons. The onus is on the institution to create an inclusive and rewarding environment for all minorities.
• It is a conscious decision and act to include more women and be more inclusive of minorities. It is also a conscious decision to hear from stakeholders such as customers about how they see themselves in the companies they interact with, and how diversity could improve the overall service delivery.
• Organisational cultures and structures have to be examined and often restructured to be inclusive and diverse with a long-term view of normalising D&I as a part of best business practices. This includes unpacking conscious and unconscious biases, not just in employees, but also organisational structures and rules.
• To entrench diversity, men need to be active advocates, particularly in senior management, otherwise women find themselves unable to break the glass ceiling. There is also a difference between buying in to the business case for diversity and being truly committed to D&I – institutions need to consider both, and make sure their employees are practicing both as well.