HR Managers: Women Don’t Need Help To Get Ahead

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Robert Half conducted a survey of UK HR managers and found out that 78 percent “did not believe women were at a disadvantage in their organisations” and therefore don’t need special programs for women.? HR is uniquely situated to see how the career progression of people throughout an organization.

For instance, for a few years, every single non-union promotion or reorganization within a 30,000 person company came across my desk.? I read the justification for almost all of them. (During year end when growth promotions were rampant, a good deal of that was delegated to my brilliant staff.)? Trust me, there was no one outside of HR that gets that broad of a view of how things operate.

But, interestingly enough, Friends Life just published a survey reporting that women, themselves, were much more pessimistic.

The report, entitled ‘Working Women’ and part of Friends Life’s Vision of Britain 2020 series, reveals that the majority of working women see no end to the obstacles hindering their advancement in the workplace. Some 55% of women believe there will still be a significant pay gap between men and women in 2020, while 53% think women will still be struggling much more than men to secure senior roles. In contrast, men expect more equality between the sexes by 2020. Less than a third (31%) of men think there will still be a significant pay gap, and only 30% believe women will be at a disadvantage when applying for the top jobs.

With women making up the majority of college students, college graduates, and PhD recipients, it seems like any gap will be because of life choices rather than an outside discriminatory force.? HR managers are looking at things as they really are–remember these are the people that see every promotion, not just the ones in your department.? A majority of women, however, are still looking at things as outside of their control.

It is so much easier to blame other people for your lack of success than it is to get your act together.? Right now the job situation is terrible for everyone, so finding a job or getting a promotion is difficult no matter what your gender is.? But, if you wait for that special program to help you get ahead, it may not be coming.? Instead, evaluate what you need to do to get the job you want in the future.? After looking at what the current job holders had to do to achieve that level of success you may decide you don’t want to make those sacrifices.? That’s just fine, but realize that’s a decision you’re making–not something that is thrust on you from above.