By EloInsights
- This report is dedicated to good practices for attracting and retaining women in operational positions.
- The gender gap in organizations is even more serious in operational companies.
- This report provides best practices, actionable tips and success stories from organizations that have been able to implement successful diversity programs.
EloGroup is launching the Women in Operations report, dedicated entirely to a topic of urgent importance in organizations: the need for greater gender diversity, especially in those companies that are operationally intensive, involved in the production of physical goods or that revolve around essential services.
According to the World Bank, in 2021 women would make up only 43% of Brazil’s workforce, despite being more than half of the country’s population, according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE).
And when it comes to operational companies, in which women face more barriers to access, the data is worse. They occupy only 1/4 of the workforce in industry, and 29% of leadership positions. This is due to several factors, including the predominance of a macho culture, a lack of suitable equipment and a gap in training and education for women in technical areas.
At the same time, studies show that companies with greater diversity tend to perform better, with superior innovation, productivity and even financial results.
In this context, EloGroup’s Women in Operations report aims to help improve this situation. The report is the result of an analysis of companies through benchmarks and desk research, bringing together best practices aimed at fostering more diverse and equitable working environments.
A total of 18 companies were analyzed, with 10 direct benchmarks and 8 indirect benchmarks, in addition to gathering information from investor reports, articles, awards and other documents.
The sectors analyzed include:
- Automotive;
- Logistics and Transportation;
- Pulp and Paper;
- Energy;
- Mining; and
- Steel.
Although the report is focused on operational companies, the guidelines found in it can be applied to organizations of any nature and sector.
The document is divided into axes that seek to explore the stages of a woman’s journey in an organization, but also the fundamentals of DE&I, such as the importance of structuring effective governance, and its consequences:
- Attraction and recruitment;
- Retention;
- Organizational change; and
- Acting in communities.
In the Attraction and recruitment section, for example, the report provides tips that range from initiatives aimed at attracting women during the selection process, such as affirmative action and specific strategies for advertising vacancies, to practices focused on their development and progression within the company, including specialized technical training.
Some examples of actions listed by the report at this stage:
- Specific attraction and recruitment programs for women;
- Delimiting vacancies within selection processes specifically aimed at women;
- Partnerships with universities to encourage young students to pursue careers in operations.
One of the cases brought up to illustrate the type of action that makes a difference and has an impact was that of Votorantim Cimentos, with its Women in Mining program, which provides technical training in relevant areas, such as panel operators and truck drivers. This has made it possible to hire more women for these positions.
Among the main results obtained by the company, there was a 221% increase in the hiring of women in the first half of 2021 compared to the same period last year.
This is just one of the many success stories explored throughout the report.
“Women in Operations” concludes with a warning. Although there have been important advances in relation to the DE&I agenda, with an increase in female representation, there are still deep and important issues that must be addressed if equal opportunities and development for women are to be achieved. Even with progress, there is still a predominance of male hires, despite the growing importance of gender equality.
Through this study, EloGroup hopes to contribute to a scenario of greater equity and diversity in organizations, especially operational ones, where the gaps are more significant.
