Legislation may be slow to change but there are lots of things employers can do to make things better for their staff right now
In today’s society, the working environment looks totally different to how it did 30 years ago. There are job titles we could never have dreamed of, industries that allow people to work remotely from far-flung locations while they see the world, and technology that means we can have weekly meetings with people on different time zones from the comfort of our couch.
However, the vast majority of us don’t work for ourselves. We have a manager, a boss, a CEO, or a company whose rules and guidelines we must follow if we are to progress in our careers or simply continue to pay our bills.
While good strides are being made to make workplaces somewhere that men and women are treated fairly with equity and respect, the fact remains that there is still a lot of room for improvement. Here are a few small initiatives that could make a huge difference to the lives of female employees in Ireland.
More flexible working hours
One of the most beneficial things a company can do for its female employees is give them flexible working hours. While the 9-5pm model might still suit a certain cohort of workers, as we get older, life becomes more complicated and the hours we once kept no longer fit our busier lifestyles.
Trying to arrange regular childcare is becoming more and more challenging as Ireland is officially Europe’s third most expensive country to raise a child, according to a new study by e-commerce platform Ubuy. Caring for an elderly parent or coping with a family with additional needs often falls to women and we need our employers to be as understanding and flexible as they can. Whether through remote working, flexible schedules or reduced hours, better conditions will lead to happier employees who can do their jobs with confidence and precision.
Introduce a mentor programme
Depending on the industry, it can be tough for women to move forward in their careers. Many of us have ambitions to rise to the top of our professions but worry about how it will look if we push too hard to gain the experience we need.
A female mentorship programme is a fantastic way of allowing women to explore the opportunities available to them in their company and giving them the support, honest advice, feedback and safe space they need to talk about it. Encouraging and retaining women in leadership roles should be a core value for any company and a women’s mentoring programme is a great way to promote the diversity, equity and inclusion that is so necessary across all industries.
Openly address the gender pay gap
For meaningful change to occur in the gender pay gap, it must be an open discussion with management and the people at the top. In some ways, it does seem like things are changing for the better. For example, in December, PwC Ireland published its 2024 Gender Pay Gap Report which stated that women continued to represent at least half of its workforce across all levels within the firm, that the mean pay gap had decreased from 1.6% last year to 1% this year, and that its bonus pay gap had also improved, decreasing from 6.4% to 3.3%. At Deloitte Ireland, the report showed that they were on track for achieving their 2025 goal of a 35% female partnership, as currently 33% of the partners are women.
However, it was also reported in January 2025 that men earned more, on average, than women at 16 of the 17 government departments that published details of their gender pay gaps before the end of last year.
Make sure men are part of the conversation
It’s not enough for women to talk among themselves about workplace inequality, the gender pay gap or unfair working conditions. Men must be part of the conversation too.
We must encourage our partners, husbands, brothers, sons and fathers to speak up for equity in the workplace and point it out if or when they see women being overlooked or passed over for promotion. If they’re not sure how to do it, show them these clips of Andy Murray being a legend and a feminist.
Compassionate health leave
At some point in her working life, a women may experience a miscarriage or even, multiple miscarriages. This is a time of great distress and grief and it is important to contact your manager or HR to see if there is an office policy on this issue. If there isn’t, you are still entitled to take sick leave as normal. Any leave you take after a miscarriage, ectopic or molar pregnancy should be recorded as ‘pregnancy-related leave’. However, employers can make things a lot easier for their female staff by ensuring that there is a firm policy in place, even if the miscarriage occurs before the pregnancy is common knowledge, and that anyone affected is treated with compassion and fairness.
Similarly, menopause leave has become a talking point in recent years with several Irish businesses implementing menopause supports for female staff members. Lidl Ireland, in particular, has developed policies to support women including menopause supports, compassionate leave for miscarriage and early pregnancy loss and support for those looking to start a family. Aldi Ireland has also been accredited as a Menopause-Friendly Workplace and shown a commitment to supporting its staff members at every stage in life. Bank of Ireland has introduced a menopause support policy offering leave to colleagues experiencing menopause-related sickness, with up to 10 days of paid leave available.
In 2023, Vodafone Ireland introduced employee support of ten days paid leave for carers to meet the likes of hospital appointments and therapy sessions without having to take unpaid leave or time away from work.
Equality vs equity
Equality is described as giving everyone the same status, rights and opportunities, regardless of need. For example, giving every person the same size box to stand on to look over a fence – regardless of their height. Equity is giving each person exactly what they need to succeed – ie. the box size they need to have the same view over the fence as everyone else.
What this really means is meeting people where they’re at and not applying a ‘one size fits all’ approach to how you manage your team. It’s about fairness and impartiality. It’s about making sure each individual has a voice at the table and more importantly, that each voice is heard. A recent report by Nasc revealed that migrant women are at a double disadvantage due to their status as both migrants and females, leading to more precarious residency conditions and employment restrictions compared to their EU counterparts. It also found that women living in rural areas can face additional barriers such as poor public transport, limited job opportunities, and reduced access to training programs.
Women don’t want to be treated as a ‘token or diversity’ hire – we want to work for a company that provides an environment in which we can thrive and reach our potential.
