The NHS is mainly about women. The largest group of people employed in the NHS... women. Usually, it is women who are carers and women (because they live longer than blokes) the biggest users of services. And, of course, maternity services.
Is the NHS a women friendly place and employer? What would 'woman friendly mean'? There is another question; why is it, most photographs of NHS bosses are greying, middle-aged blokes. Does it matter?
I had a look at the Catalyst's study of 353 Fortune 500 companies. They found companies with the most women in senior management resulted in over a third higher return on equities. ROI and return to shareholders goes up by as much as 34%.
I know, equity return and ROI are not measures for the NHS... but, it must say something to us? This is not just a human resource issue, it is a matter of social justice and organisational success.
In the UK the Chartered Management Institute looked ahead to 2018 they predict women will move rapidly up the chain of command, and; '... their emotional-intelligence skills may become ever more essential'. 2018 is only three years away... Mmmm.
The more you delve into the socio-dynamics of this, the more interesting it becomes; 83% of all consumer purchases, including consumer electronics, health care and cars are made by women. Forget China, India and the internet; economic recovery will be driven by women.
'...women enter the workforce in their 20's with the same or higher level of ambition as men but at mid-career men's ambitions and confidence stay the same, while those of women drop dramatically.'
In the US, the top female friendly organisations were; Meridian Healthcare, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and the lawyers Perkins Cole. In the UK on the list; Lloyd's TSB, American Express, the Met Police, The Ministry of Justice and BT.
I've tried to Sherlock a common theme among them, but I can't!
The management school at Cranfield tell us FTSE 100 companies have increased the number of women on the board from 12.5% in 2011 to 20% today.
In her book America's Competitive Secret, Judy Rosner says:
'... women's strengths; link workers, favour collaboration, sharers of information, see redistribution of power as a victory, value technical skills, accept ambiguity and appreciate cultural diversity.'
... skills that are particularly effective in today's organisations.
What to make of this? Identifying female talent early, making it visible, tackling unconscious bias, having a gender-blind approach to talent management and development, reviewing the diversity of the talent pool, asking, are we 'gender proofed... all that would help in the management ranks. What about the frontline?
Businesses can measure the percentage of female applications for jobs and take that as a proxy of how attractive they are to female talent.
The NHS is heavily dependent on the nursing and allied professions, predominantly female, so the same measure doesn't work. Indeed, because of the need for professional development, many don't have a huge choice of employer. The field is NHS dominated.
It is the dominant role that the NHS can either exploit by doing nothing or leverage off, doing some good stuff. Do we know what a mostly female work force wants from an NHS employer? Nurses, for example, pretty well have to work at the nearest hospital. Would they really do that from choice?
Here's a management secret; people leave managers, not organisations. How many stay under sufferance, because they have to?
Should we pursue 'mummy policies'? If that means flexible working, remote working, dipping in and out of full and part time... it might sound good to some daddies, too.
I find it strange that a hospital, heavily depended on a workforce composed of family aged staff, wouldn't have a cr�che. Wouldn't do a deal with a holiday travel company, or have a discount arrangement with the local stores.
Is longer maternity leave better than more generous child care allowances? Should we ask?
For shift workers, locked into a local employer, with little choice, employers can get away without thinking about:
... flexi-working and shift-scheduling; canteen opening times; secure, well lit carparks; commitment to training and development; access to the shops and the internet; a click and drop collection point for internet shopping; family emergency leave; carers days; a garage deal that means your car is picked up and serviced whilst you are on night shift; mentoring and pairing; and a return to work scheme with no strings or costs...
The list can go on and on and the more I think about it the more I conclude they are all things a man might want, too.
The ideal seems to be; become a uniformly superior employer.
But what do I know, I'm a bloke.
