Women in Banking and Finance (WIBF) today released the findings of its survey where it asked participants which diversity issues they felt were the highest priority this year for companies in the financial markets to address. This survey is part of WiBF member driven approach to ensure that the events and professional development opportunities provided meet the changing needs of the WiBF membership. The survey was informally conducted after the WIBF Business Series Lunch in March, which was sponsored by NAB with Andrew Thorburn, who spoke about Leadership and unlocking potential in the workforce. WIBF surveyed the 400 attendees of both men and women, who were mostly (middle to senior managers in the banking industry). In the survey, respondents were asked able to name the key critical issues that they felt companies should address:
- 46% highlighted the lack of women in C-suite, boards and in senior roles
- 40% asked for more flexibility in the workplace
- 27% mentioned ethnicity diversity being a challenge
- 4.5% mentioned equal pay as an issue
Amanda Dobbie, CEO of WIBF, said, ‘This survey was particularly important because we know companies in this sector are trying to address these issues. WiBF is in the process of developing our Business Leaders program designed to increase the number of talented females in senior and executive roles, and we feel that this program will be the next step in ensuring breakthrough success in this area. WiBF is also working on partnerships with members to address issues such as equal pay and ethnicity diversity. We are committed to demonstrating tangible change in these areas.’
‘It is also interesting to see that a significant number of respondents both male and female, mentioned flexibility as being key – presumably because after having children, parents need to creatively work out their time spent in the office and the best way to fulfil their work obligations. What we’d like to see is women being able to use their vast work experience they have accrued over the course of their career and to be able to work after having families. This is something WIBF is currently working on with our members. We would also like to see men enabled to participate in family commitments for extended periods. Organisations have a lot of work ahead of them to create the cultures that provide this flexibility for men.’