Glen Callum Associates champions women in the automotive aftermarket

International women’s day is an ideal opportunity for companies to continue to move forward with equality and inclusion and encourage the changes needed to embrace the positive value of gender diversity within a workforce.

50% of the GCA team is made up of women and we’re sharing how we believe companies can benefit from an equal gender mix, alongside some advice on how to encourage women into your business.

So, are businesses who don’t have a gender diverse workforce missing out?

A dynamic and innovative business is usually evolved from a dynamic and innovative workforce. Broadly speaking, men and women are shaped by different life experiences. In turn these different experiences give them different perspectives, which furthermore encourages different ideas.

Studies and a survey by Indeed have shown that greater collaboration and an inclusive culture boosts morale leading to more innovation and lower rates of staff turnover.
According to stats complied by the 30% club, a company that has women on their board is more profitable than a company with men only on the board.

So yes, if businesses fail to embrace the benefits of a gender balanced workforce they are missing out on innovative ideas, lower staff turnover and profitability.
So let’s hear from some female employees from GCA on their perspective of women in an automotive aftermarket recruitment business and how their own achievements has positively affected the team.

So, from a recruitment perspective how can we encourage women to apply for jobs within the automotive aftermarket?

Kerrie Richards, director, says: “Women are more likely to apply for roles if they see themselves represented. As more potential employees are increasingly checking out social channels and website pages before applying for a job, companies need to ensure these channels promote diversity and show the achievements of all genders within the business.

“Advertise your salary. A study by Linkedin revealed that women are more likely to submit a job application if the salary is advertised. The transparency suggests the company is committed to paying employees equally and fairly, regardless of gender.

“Another interesting study published in the Harvard Business Review highlights how keeping your job adverts concise and only including the ‘must haves’ while marketing your role could also encourage more applicants.

“Interestingly, ‘78% of women’s reasons for not applying, have to do with believing that the job qualifications are real requirements, and seeing the hiring process as more by-the-book and true to the on-paper guidelines than it really is.’

“If your company structure allows, and if employees are delivering results, then why not introduce a performance based and flexible culture instead of a strict office based 9-5 and ensure your adverts promote this.

“Also, as the labour market is tight why not consider women (and men) who have been out of the workplace for a time but who may have valuable and transferrable skills and are looking to return to work?

“In brief: Show female representation throughout your social channels, include salary in your adverts, keep your adverts concise and finally allow for job flexibility.”

How can we ensure our interview process is also aligned to allow women to showcase themselves?

Kayleigh Bradley, senior recruitment consultant comments: “It’s been proven in studies that women are less likely to promote their abilities during an interview than men, as basically they don’t generally “sell themselves” as well. Therefore, an interview situation that encourages examples, and proof of skills and attributes, should help to break down these interview barriers.

“We also suggest having a diverse interview panel to help alleviate unconscious bias. Studies also show that working from a standardised interview structure with predefined questions can also be useful in ensuring your interviews are fair.”

Diversity, equality and inclusion is a constant and evolving process, and this is why celebrating and encouraging a workforce to embrace differences and to see the positives of gender balance is very important in any business.

So yes, lets celebrate International Women’s Day and use the opportunity to promote ongoing diversity within your business.

To celebrate International Women’s Day, three female members of GCA recently sat down to discuss the benefits of gender diversity – you can watch the video below.