Is Your Practice Female Friendly?
According to a 2016 study, women are less likely to be promoted, less likely to be a CEO and more likely to hear negative feedback about their negotiation tactics. With an ever-growing number of women in medicine, it is important that your practice is keeping up. Much like you may be tempted to change your office policies to attract top talent, we recommend you look at your current protocols to assess if they are female friendly.
Time and time again it has been shown that toxic masculinity in the office isn’t healthy for anybody. Male-dominated workplaces have been shown to harbor a shame-based, hypercompetitive atmosphere. This leads to stress and feelings of insecurity for all employees, regardless of gender.
Below are our top tips for what to look for to ensure your practice is on track.
- Openness. The ability to be open with one’s colleagues, such as when conflicts arise in the workplace, is important. Your employees should feel heard and supported in the workplace. Using emotional intelligence, evaluate how you can best support your employees in times of frustration or stress.
- Shared leadership. Workplaces that have female leadership, such as Berlin-based company Clue, distribute authority. This means that decisions are made after discussions with others who have differing ideas, rather than being made by a single leader. Teams are also more autonomous, reducing the bottleneck effect that slows down many workplaces.
- Healthy work-life balance. While professionalism is certainly important to maintain, it’s crucial to remember that your colleagues are people. As such, sometimes the best way to interact isn’t to put on a fake, friendly smile and move on. Instead, take the time to get to know your employees as individuals and meet their needs.
How does your practice measure up? Share your strategies for creating a female-friendly workplace in the comments below.