Empowering Women: A Catalyst for Change

Recruiting, Retaining, and Developing Female Talent
Creating a welcoming path for female professionals is analogous to planting seeds; the care and resources given in the initial stages dictate the strength of growth.
The roars for change have echoed, saying it’s time to not just make space for women but to offer hands in lifting them up. This year’s International Women’s Day holds an unmatched urgency as we strive to empower women across the globe. The focus? It’s on more than just creating opportunities; it’s about ensuring those opportunities lead to notable advancements, equity, and a platform where their voices can truly be heard.
Real change begins at the roots of workplace culture. Companies committed to diversity need recruitment strategies that are not just non-discriminatory but actively inclusive.
“We have always been focused on diversity across our business – be this gender, ethnicity, or age. I am a strong believer that variations in backgrounds, opinions and experiences drives innovation, and allows businesses like Safety Champion to punch well above our weight. Over our entire journey, we’ve typically seen an equal male/female split in both workforce and management positions. This is not novel or accidental. It has been intentional.”
Craig Salter, General Manager – Safety Champion Software
Equitable hiring, however, is just the beginning. Retaining female talent necessitates a nurturing environment. Mentorship, tailored development programs, and networks that support career advancement are the nutrients that any budding professional needs. Providing parents, mothers, and fathers alike with parental leave policies and flexible work arrangements ensures work-life harmony and leads to satisfied and loyal team members.
Supporting Women and Girls in Leadership and Decision-Making
Leadership should know no gender, yet women continue to be underrepresented at the highest levels of management. It’s more than a glass ceiling we’re striving to shatter; it’s a pattern of exclusion that’s up for renovation.
For a variety of reasons, women often have a harder time envisioning themselves as leaders. Active efforts to show them not only their potential but the guidance to achieve it are essential. Providing women with mentors can help them see past the barriers and show them that their voice carries weight. Additionally, special leadership development programmes not only enhance skills but also provide visibility and recognition.
Encouraging a Path to STEM
STEM fields, like Safety and Software development, have previously been challenging for women to enter. This starts at an early age, with girls dissuaded from subjects deemed ‘too difficult’ or ‘not for them’. Encouragement, exposure, and role models can reverse these misconceptions. By promoting STEM education and careers to girls, we pave the way for the next generation of female innovators.
We’re proud to say that at Safety Champion, 41% of our team are women (above the 31% industry standard), with 50:50 representation in leadership positions. We understand the importance of diversity in perspectives and ideas, which is why we actively encourage and support women to pursue careers in traditionally male-dominated fields.
Forging Women’s Economic Empowerment
Economic empowerment for women is not only a matter of justice but a driver for global development and stability. Pay disparities based on gender are obstacles to economic empowerment. Ensuring women receive equal pay for equal work is fundamental. This International Women’s Day, it’s crucial to push collective action to close the pay gap, lifting individual women and society as a whole.
At Safety Champion, we pride ourselves on paying equal wages for equal work. However, for us, support for women’s empowerment goes beyond just pay equality. Our culturally embedded People Programs make work and economic participation easier for everyone – including women. Programs like, WFH, Hybrid and remote working policies; Flexible Hours; Profit Sharing; Healthy Lifestyle Allowance; Active Mentorship, the list goes on.
The movement for women’s empowerment is a multifaceted, global mission. Cultural, economic, and social nuances shape the challenges faced and the solutions required. In this interconnected world, sharing successful strategies and supporting initiatives that promote women’s economic inclusion is vital for collective progress.
The advancements on this International Women’s Day lay the groundwork for the year ahead, one where we implement and grow these strategies. Empowerment is not a one-size-fits-all equation, and diversity of approach is as important as diversity of the workforce. It’s not a matter of if but when the fruits of our labour will be seen – in a world where every day is International Women’s Day.