This month People Made hosted an inspiring panel event in London, delving into how workplaces can be reimagined to create environments for women to flourish alongside men. The culture session follows the launch of our Time to Redesign report, which outlines practical steps businesses can take to better support women and create a more inclusive workplace for all.

Three brilliant panellists, each with a wealth of experience spanning culture and brand, joined Elle Davidson, Deputy Head of Strategy at People Made, for a thought-provoking discussion:

The role of a leader has transformed in recent years to encompassa broader range of responsibilities, including employee wellbeing, mental health, and sustainability, with an expectation for more democratic decision making and openness. Assessing men and women who possess qualities like active listening, empathy, pragmatism and commercial acumen andspending time on succession planning and pathways gets those people into the right roles. Leaders who possess both EQ and IQ are creating the workplaces of the future. 

As younger generations enter the workforce, they increasingly prioritise working for organisations that align with their purpose and values. When women can’t see themselves represented at the leadership level or lack pathways to advance, they are less likely to want to join or stay at such organisations. To attract and retain top talent, organisations will need to shift to create more equitable workplaces.

Our panellists recommend: Avoid gendering EQ and IQ skills, instead encourage all leaders to display a balance of both. Using empathy intentionally to understand your people, and what matters to them most, can deepen connections and nurture inclusion.

Many women have stories of female bosses being blockers to their progression, particularly in male dominated industries where they may have been perceived as potential threats. For our panellists, encouraging a culture where women support other women is crucial. Intentionally building networks to champion and support one another and hold each other accountable – approaching these connections with generosity and patience.

For women in leadership, this means setting the example – advocating for women who deserve greater visibility and investing time outside of work to nurture these connections. Equipping the women in these networks to excel helps to raise the bar, boost confidence, open doors to new opportunities and drive collective success.

Our panellists recommend: Taking simple yet impactful steps, such as ensuring every colleague has an opportunity to contribute during meetings to make sure all voices are heard, as well as encouraging women within your networks to ‘show up and shine’ by bringing their best selves, can help to set new standards.

Inclusivity and shared responsibility are key to accelerating change. The panel highlighted the importance of HR working closely with employees to ensure people feel empowered to embrace workplace schemes. Normalising initiatives like equitable parental leave, benefits everyone in the long term, helping to build more balanced and supportive work environments.

However, simply offering initiatives and events aimed at supporting women doesn’t always guarantee the desired engagement. This is why it’s important to find paths to reach women in the spaces they feel comfortable and confident operating in, building a foundation from which participation and impact can grow. 

Our panellists recommend: To maximise engagement with workplace schemes and initiatives, partner with employees to identify blockers and develop a tailored approach. This could involve implementing targeted interventions, bypassing managers to ensure employees are aware of policies and benefits, or finding places where women feel comfortable sharing and bringing those opportunities directly to them.

A collective response is key for businesses to bring everyone on the journey. This can look like holding bad behaviour to account, no matter how big or small, and holding all leaders to the same standards – empowering and changing the narrative for women in the workplace.

Our panellists recommend: Embody the behaviours you want to inspire. From calling out problematic behaviour to empowering and creating space for the women around you to thrive. Businesses can also look outwards to see what is being done well, using this as inspiration to keep improving.

Now, more than ever, evolving is essential. Redesigning workplaces to better support women is key to attracting and retaining top talent and standing out as an employer. 

Some quotes from our attendees:

“As well as identifying challenges, it was great to see some truly practical ideas for how businesses can change. Being intentional and deliberate.” – Sally Jones, Director of Corporate Communications at The Weir Group PLC

“The panel was brilliant. The choice of leadership was great – really diverse industries. Importantly, tonight was a safe space to share our varying challenges and gain an outside perspective.” – Auralia Edwards, Senior Enterprise Architect at Workday

“The optimistic thing is that while there were lots of different businesses, this report outlines a list of practical actions any business can take to create change. Businesses can have all the goodwill in the world, but until you actually do something – take action – nothing changes. This report has some great first steps.” – Mandeep Dhatt, Chief People & Culture Leader, Executive Director HR

Download the full report here 

If you’d like to learn more, or you’d like to discuss how to create a more equitable workplace, please get in touch at [email protected]