VICDOC Autumn 2023 - Magazine - Page 69
WHAT CAN INDIVIDUAL LEADERS DO?
PROMOTIONS AND CAREER OPPORTUNITIES:
A helpful starting point is to collect data
in your context. What does your specific
workforce look like? What is the gender
breakdown of your department or area by
level, role, FTE or fractional appointment
or leadership status? Take a gender lens to
who takes on additional work or unpaid
work, who has caring duties inside and
outside the workplace, and who is asked
to collaborate on research, conference
presentations, committees and panels?
There are ‘points’ along the career
path or progression where women tend
to be overlooked, under recognised and
promoted, and underpaid for their work:
Inequity increases across time, with women
being less likely to earn promotions, and
progress in their careers as men do. Pay
close attention to how work is recognised
and rewarded in your area. Informally
allocated opportunities such as inclusion
in research, conferences, presentations, and
panels can lead into promotions and other
critical opportunities.
RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION:
When attracting and recruiting your
doctors, be mindful of using and relying
on personal networks. Carefully design
and structure your selection process, have a
diverse selection panel and use a standard
process and set of measures to evaluate the
skills of the candidates.
NETWORKS AND NETWORKING:
Set strong expectations around the
importance of building strong professional
relationships and networks. Support new
hires to integrate and consider mentors and
cross-gender professional relationships.
PERFORMANCE REVIEWS AND FEEDBACK:
Ensure everyone can engage in regular
professional conversations with leaders
about work and their performance,
regardless of their fractional appointments,
or on versus off-site arrangement. Ensure
that your feedback is regular and is specific
regarding any areas for improvement.
WORK IN ADDITIONAL TASKS, COMMITTEES,
AND OTHER UNPAID WORK:
Extra tasks and commitments that take up
valuable time and do not tend to lead to
promotions and advancement are a trap
for women.
Choose a small number of areas to work
on, based on data, that you think would
make a difference to gender equity in your
workplace. Set goals and create an action
plan specifying how to work toward these
goals. Consider realistic timelines for small
changes and improvements.
While it is important to build your own
personal and business case for equity in
your context, understanding your own
relationship to the issue can also be helpful.
For example, as we talk about systemic
bias and barriers – what are your own
experiences of these? It doesn’t matter what
they are – there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ –
rather the point is that it is helpful to know
your own experience of your career journey
and progression, and acknowledge that
you speak from this experience as well as
to your values. There is strength in owning
your own experience and asking others
about theirs.
This is slow and important work.
Addressing deeply entrenched systemic
issues takes a long time so prepare yourself
for the journey. International Women’s Day
is a reminder that addressing gender equity
is not just an annual morning tea, it must
be part of our everyday leadership work.
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