Is your company fair ?
One of the big feedback young people give about workplaces is the concept of fairness and equity. Is everyone treated fairly and equally or are there strong preferences and biases ? Very often people leave organisations not because they are not rewarded or recognized but because they see their firm as being unfair and treating people differently.
Here are the 5 fairness tests you can apply and check
- Are men and women paid fairly ? – Check at different work levels and experience levels, are the pay grades and earning levels similar or do you see any differences ? The gender pay gap is the first and most key thing to address and ensure this blind spot is removed.
- Does everyone get a chance to progress ? – Are the careers of everyone discussed formally, documented and agreed between the leaders. Does one function say sales have more of a track record of promotions than another function, say finance. If there is a process gap in evaluating people or some team members careers’ are not being well planned, time to put a standard process for everyone.
- Are Travel and Perks fair for all ?- Does everyone in the organisation have the same rights for basics like travel, meals, allowances etc or are there any stark differences that need to be addressed. For instance do senior leaders have any trappings of their position – a different flight class or hotel, a cabin for themselves or something else. How can we remove all such signs and ensure that everyone has a fair set of perks and benefits that are consistent
- Does everyone feel heard ? – How often do you seek feedback from your teams ? On whats working and whats not. On whats bothering them. Are there forums where everyone can voice their view and be heard. Do you encourage different views and seek them out ?
- Do we take care of those need to be cared for ? How do we deal with those who are differently abled, those expecting babies, those who may have lost a loved one, those underdoing a tough time ? Do we give them any special care and attention and do we have any policies to support them ?
Apply these fairness tests and start taking action. Millenial and Gen X employees seek fairness to remain motivated.