This is not the John Vorster era!
In this day and age in South Africa, any employer worth his salt should be able to know that male and female employees are different, and by that virtue have different needs. Whereas men would stop at nothing to get to the top of the corporate ladder, it has been established that, comparatively, female employees are calculated. Women long for a position that affords them a measure of freedom and flexibility, while men where they would show ‘Who’s the baas’ by throwing their weight around (no pun intended).
Thus, it is high time employees realised that can no longer apply obsolete methods that were relevant when the workplace was testosterone-dominated in the 1980s to make women more productive. The trick lies in understanding their needs. Thus, without delay, start acting on the points below:
- Why not try creating opportunities for female employees to advance? Tools like free courses, certificate programmes, which we have aplenty in the country, and incentives for attaining high qualification would do the trick. Through this you will achieve two things: ensuring loyalty of your female employees as well as upgrading skills of your workforce
- Don’t think the principle of recognition, rewards and competition is archaic. You can use it to motivate your female employees effectively.
- If you want to sow seed of stress, run your office haphazardly. This would drive staff nuts, but women would be hit harder. Most of them would be grumpy, discontented and unproductive. To forestall this, create an office that is well run and effectively maintained. Why should the whole office run out of A4 paper, with mondi rotatrim rim still affordable?
- Create an atmosphere that is more family friendly. Have flexible schedules in place to accommodate the needs of women. Be humane when they ask for a day off to tend to family matters like a taking Sipho to the clinic or attending an urgent Parents Teachers Association (PTA) meeting in Soweto.
Take time to develop them. But you better start now. Remember: Nkandla was not built in a day.