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Investing in Women: More Than a Slogan, It's a Game-Changer for Business · Work It Like A Mum

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Hey, I'm Elizabeth Willits and I'm obsessed with helping as many women as possible achieve their boldest dreams after kids and helping you to navigate this messy and magical season of life.
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: I'm a working mum with over 17 years of recruitment experience and I'm the founder of the Investing in Women Job Board and Community.
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: In this show, I'm honored to be chatting with remarkable women redefining our working world across all areas of business.
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: They'll share their secrets on how they've achieved extraordinary success after children, set boundaries and balance, the challenges they've faced and how they've overcome them to define their own versions of success.
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: Shy away from the real talk?
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: No way.
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: Money struggles, growth, loss, boundaries and balance we cover it all.
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: Think of this as coffee with your mates the mixed with an inspiring TED talk sprinkled with the career advice you wish you'd really had at school.
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: So grab a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, make sure you cozy and get ready to get inspired and chase your boldest dreams, or just survive Mondays.
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: This is the Work it Like a Mum podcast.
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: This episode is brought to you by Investing in Women.
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: Investing in Women is a job board and recruitment agency helping you find your dream part-time or flexible job with the UK's most family-friendly and forward-thinking employers.
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: Their site can help you find a professional and rewarding job that works for you.
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: They're proud to partner with the UK's most family-friendly employers across a range of professional industries, ready to find your perfect job?
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: Search their website at investinginwomencouk to find your next part-time or flexible job opportunity.
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: Now back to the show.
• 1:54
  Speaker 1: Hello and welcome to this week's episode of the Work it Like a Mum podcast.
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: I'm your host, elizabeth Willits, and I'm the founder of Investing in Women.
• 2:04
  Speaker 1: Investing in Women is a job board and community that helps people find flexible, part-time and work-from-home jobs with brilliant employers throughout the UK.
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: A little bit of a background as to why I'm founded Investing in Women.
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: My background is in recruitment and I've been in recruitment since 2007.
• 2:22
  Speaker 1: I started my career in recruitment working for one of the world's largest recruitment agencies before moving in-house in 2015, where I worked at one of the big four and recruited their consultants.
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: Like a lot of people, I was made redundant during the height of the pandemic, and this was at the end of my second maternity leave.
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: I couldn't find another part-time job full of Normani.
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: Every time a recruiter approached me and I asked, will they consider part-time?
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: They said no straight away or ghosted me, and I looked back during my career in recruitment.
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: At that point it had been about 12, 13 years and I could not think of an instance where I had recruited someone on a part-time basis and I could just see what happened to so many of my friends where they'd had to exchange something well paid that they trained really hard for in exchange for that flexibility that so many people want, and I still believe it.
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: I believe that then.
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: I still believe it now that a lack of flexible work in well paid senior roles is one of the key drive reasons for the gender pay gap.
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: It forces particularly women, who statistically are still more likely to be employed in flexible, part-time work, out of the workforce into those lower paid jobs and then that pay gap then continues throughout their career and into the pension pay gap as well.
• 3:38
  Speaker 1: So I was determined to try and use my recruitment background to do something about this.
• 3:43
  Speaker 1: So I founded Investing Women.
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: It launched in June 2021 and since then we've helped thousands of people find it flexible and part-time work.
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: We also have a brilliant community around the job board.
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: We host weekly Facebook and LinkedIn lives where, in association with experts, on topics that are all aimed at empowering particularly women in the workplace, but obviously anyone is welcome.
• 4:05
  Speaker 1: We've done things with career coaches around CVs and interviews, employment lawyers so how to put in a good, flexible working request that's more likely to be accepted.
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: What to do if you think you're being experiencing discrimination at work.
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: Also things around returning to work and how to return to work well, fertility in the workplace a whole host of lives.
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: All the replays are now on our website.
• 4:29
  Speaker 1: I think we've got about 100 there now, so it's a real library of resources for people and we've been.
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: Also.
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: I'm recording this in September 2023.
• 4:37
  Speaker 1: We've had our podcast Work it Like A Month running as well, for nearly a year now.
• 4:41
  Speaker 1: It launched in October 2022 and during that podcast, I've spoke into some brilliant women that have risen through the ranks within their organisation, have mastered that juggle extraordinary well, and also some fabulous organisations that have really done amazing things trying to become more inclusive, caring, forward thinking, and I've just learned so much speaking to people.
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: So I can't wait to share some of the things I've learned with you in today's episode and also some of the reasoning why I'm about to launch the Investing in Women consultancy, which will be launching soon, and I want to introduce you to.
• 5:20
  Speaker 1: So you might be wondering why start a consultancy focused on gender diversity?
• 5:25
  Speaker 1: So I hope that a little bit of background about investing women has given you a bit of an idea.
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: It was always more than just a job order.
• 5:32
  Speaker 1: To me, it was a huge project, it was my mission and it's been something I have been completely immersed in now for nearly two and a half years, and I really feel that I'm now understood, just by speaking to people, the intricate dynamics of a workplace that either empower or hinder women from reaching their full potential.
• 5:51
  Speaker 1: Like I said, I've spoken to countless incredible women from various industries about why they have either stayed in their workplace or left, and I think that's really important, because there are certain things that do seem quite common why people feel pushed out, why they feel underappreciated and why people then also, on the other token, feel appreciated and feel that they are well cared for, that their employer really wants to keep them, and there are certain things that attract or repel particularly women from businesses.
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: And, on the other side of the coin, I've obviously spoken to brilliant organisations as well about some of the fantastic things they have done to try and attract more diverse talent to their businesses and again, it's been quite a common theme.
• 6:38
  Speaker 1: Things that have worked really well for certain organisations are definitely transferable into other organisations as well.
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: And it's very interesting speaking to businesses.
• 6:47
  Speaker 1: A lot of businesses do want to do the right thing.
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: They do want to hire more diverse talent.
• 6:51
  Speaker 1: They definitely want to retain that talent and they want to promote that talent, but sometimes they just don't know how.
• 6:56
  Speaker 1: And it's also about how the communicating the benefit of having a diverse workforce as well to senior stakeholders as well.
• 7:04
  Speaker 1: One of the win-wins for organisations is that companies with a diverse workforce are more innovative, they're more adaptable and even more profitable.
• 7:12
  Speaker 1: So it's definitely a win-win for not just businesses, but obviously for society as well.
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: But the path to a more equal society and more diverse workforces is often unclear.
• 7:23
  Speaker 1: There's a lot of unconscious bias, as we well know.
• 7:26
  Speaker 1: There's systematic barriers and there's outdated practices, all of which feed into that unequal society, unequal workplaces, the gender pay gap, the pension pay gap, things that we all see and witness.
• 7:39
  Speaker 1: So that's why I feel that now is the time.
• 7:41
  Speaker 1: The job board, you know, brilliant, I love it and it's definitely not going away.
• 7:45
  Speaker 1: So please, please.
• 7:46
  Speaker 1: If you're looking for work, then don't think this is the end of the job board.
• 7:49
  Speaker 1: It's just the beginning.
• 7:50
  Speaker 1: We've now got a brilliant recruiter that works with me as well, but I feel that now is the time to take everything I've learned, insights I've gathered, and channel them into something really actionable and just take investing in women to the next stage.
• 8:04
  Speaker 1: I often get a lot of companies that come to me that want to work with us, but they're just not ready.
• 8:09
  Speaker 1: Their jobs aren't flexible.
• 8:11
  Speaker 1: They know that they've got that work to do to get to that point, but they just don't know how to get to that point.
• 8:16
  Speaker 1: So I'm hoping this consultancy will be something that is able to create real and lasting change.
• 8:22
  Speaker 1: We're here to be the solution, to provide a roadmap for organizations that are committed but perhaps a bit confused, willing but wary, there and know if it's going to work for them and how.
• 8:32
  Speaker 1: We're here to make gender diversity more than just a buzzword.
• 8:35
  Speaker 1: We want to turn it into action, into policy and into culture and ultimately into more profitable organizations, because when they can see the difference having a diverse workforce makes to their bottom line, they're going to invest in it and really buy into it even more.
• 8:49
  Speaker 1: So let's talk numbers now, because companies with more women in leadership roles.
• 8:54
  Speaker 1: They have a 34% higher return on investment, which is incredible.
• 8:58
  Speaker 1: They're also 45% more likely to improve their market share.
• 9:03
  Speaker 1: So it isn't about just doing the right thing, it's about doing the smart thing for your business.
• 9:08
  Speaker 1: If you want to grow a business, if you want a profitable business, then investing in gender diversity, in attracting more diverse talent, in retaining that talent.
• 9:19
  Speaker 1: You know how expensive it is.
• 9:20
  Speaker 1: I know how expensive it is to hire new people.
• 9:23
  Speaker 1: You've got, obviously, recruitment fees, job advert fees, training fees, that time where that person isn't effective while they're just getting up to feed.
• 9:32
  Speaker 1: It's a huge cost to businesses when people leave.
• 9:35
  Speaker 1: So we definitely don't.
• 9:36
  Speaker 1: We want to retain as many people as we can and obviously promote those people as well.
• 9:41
  Speaker 1: So then you know, we are starting to see those more gender diverse boards and C-suite members of staff as well.
• 9:48
  Speaker 1: So our consultancy goes beyond mere numbers.
• 9:51
  Speaker 1: So we're going to be offering a deep dive, diversity audit, twin earth annuances of your organization's gender dynamics, tailored action plans as well, which is obviously every business is unique, every business is different, and some things will work for one type of business and won't work for others.
• 10:07
  Speaker 1: So it's all about strategies that are born from real world insights, that are practical, that are going to work for your business.
• 10:13
  Speaker 1: Exclusive one day workshops to ignite the change.
• 10:16
  Speaker 1: These are interactive workshops where we'll get your senior stakeholders involved and your employees then get the opportunity to have a real say in how the business is run and what policies and initiatives are going to work for that, for your particular business, because they will know your business better than anybody.
• 10:34
  Speaker 1: And then, obviously, continuous support and evaluation, because change is you know, it's a journey.
• 10:40
  Speaker 1: It's not a destination.
• 10:41
  Speaker 1: Things are always evolving.
• 10:43
  Speaker 1: It's good to you know, keep evaluating what you're doing.
• 10:46
  Speaker 1: There are obviously some objections and some concerns that organizations may have as to why it's important to invest in gender diversity, so I'll talk through some of those now.
• 10:56
  Speaker 1: Some organizations may feel that they don't have a gender problem.
• 10:59
  Speaker 1: They may look at the top line of their employee lists and see that they have a 50-50 split, and obviously this is amazing and it is a great start.
• 11:07
  Speaker 1: But it's important then just to look behind those statistics.
• 11:10
  Speaker 1: Where are these women in your organization?
• 11:13
  Speaker 1: 50-50 split is great, but is it a 50-50 split at all levels of your staff hierarchy?
• 11:19
  Speaker 1: Is it a 50-50 split in all departments Are like we do see in a lot of organizations are women concentrated in more lower paid, lower skilled roles and actually, as you get further up the hierarchy, it becomes more and more male dominated.
• 11:31
  Speaker 1: Some teams might say we're not bothered about hiring more women.
• 11:34
  Speaker 1: Our male dominated teams are doing just fine.
• 11:37
  Speaker 1: You might be doing just fine and that's obviously fine, but imagine what you could achieve with a more diverse team.
• 11:45
  Speaker 1: Studies show that gender diverse companies are 15% more likely to outperform their peers, and the most successful companies are those that are diverse, are inclusive, that people want to work for because they know that and they've built that brilliant employee a brand around it as well.
• 12:01
  Speaker 1: We've tried to hire more women in the past, but it just didn't work, and that is something and that is a common objective.
• 12:06
  Speaker 1: I see you know when I'm speaking to clients now.
• 12:08
  Speaker 1: If that's the case, then it's crucial to understand why are women not attracted to your organization?
• 12:15
  Speaker 1: So we're going to be looking at that really, not just thinking about what, but why, and then offering actionable solutions.
• 12:22
  Speaker 1: I think a lot of companies.
• 12:24
  Speaker 1: They come to me and they think if they just slap an advert on my site without any serious thought about how to make their job advert, attractive, job proposition, you know, appealing.
• 12:35
  Speaker 1: Then, regardless of whether you post it on a female friendly site like mine or not, you're not going to attract the female talent that you're looking for.
• 12:42
  Speaker 1: It's understanding.
• 12:43
  Speaker 1: Why do people want to work for you?
• 12:45
  Speaker 1: Why don't they?
• 12:46
  Speaker 1: And then, actually thinking about some of the changes you can make, next question why will what you suggest work for my organization?
• 12:53
  Speaker 1: So all our approach is going to be tailored to fit your unique challenges and opportunities.
• 12:58
  Speaker 1: We're not just offering a one size fits all solution, but it's going to be customizable and it's going to be a strategy just tailored exactly to your organization.
• 13:05
  Speaker 1: Like I said, some things will work for sometimes organizations and not for others.
• 13:09
  Speaker 1: So it's important to take in the whole nuance of your whole organization and what is going to work for you.
• 13:15
  Speaker 1: Obviously, this is a real concern for a lot of people that they don't just want to hire token women just for the sake of it, and I agree.
• 13:21
  Speaker 1: You shouldn't have to just hire token women or any characteristic just for the sake of it.
• 13:27
  Speaker 1: So what I advocate for is creating an environment where women can be hired and thrived based on their skills, talents and contributions, and you see the benefits of having that more diverse team and it doesn't just feel like tokenism to you.
• 13:42
  Speaker 1: So are you ready to embrace gender diversity and inclusion?
• 13:46
  Speaker 1: So, if you are investing in women and consultancy is launching soon we're going to be launching in November 2020.
• 13:51
  Speaker 1: And we're here to guide your business every step of the way.
• 13:54
  Speaker 1: We're going to be working together to create a more inclusive future.
• 13:58
  Speaker 1: If you want to learn more, please do get in touch.
• 14:00
  Speaker 1: You can visit our website, investinginwomencouk, or drop us an email.
• 14:04
  Speaker 1: Also, feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn, which is where I spend a lot of time far too much time.
• 14:09
  Speaker 1: I'm Elizabeth Willis on LinkedIn.
• 14:10
  Speaker 1: I can't wait to embark on this transformative journey with you, thank you.
• 14:16
  Speaker 1: Thank you for listening to another episode of the Work it Like a Mom podcast.
• 14:24
  Speaker 1: If you enjoyed this episode, please rate, review and subscribe, and don't forget to share the link with a friend.
• 14:31
  Speaker 1: If you're on LinkedIn, please send me a connection request at Elizabeth Willis and let me know your thoughts on this week's episode.
• 14:38
  Speaker 1: You can also follow my recruitment site, investing in women on LinkedIn, facebook and Instagram.
• 14:43
  Speaker 1: Until next time, keep on chasing your biggest dream.