Why helping women march forward starts with creating workplaces where they can thrive

Flexible conditions and a supportive environment are beneficial for both women and business.

'I don't know how she does it'. It's a sentiment that often comes to mind when I observe women in my team juggling the regularly competing demands of work and family.

They do so capably and with effortless composure, ensuring they're giving their all to the assorted parties making demands on their time and energy.

While making the difficult look easy – or manageable, at the very least! – may be their super-power, I'm perpetually conscious of the importance of not making their lives more stressful and challenging than they already are.

For that reason, I've long been an outspoken advocate for work-life balance, and for flexible conditions that enable employees whose duties and responsibilities permit it, to split their working week between home and the office. 

At Ricoh, many of our customer care specialists were benefitting from such arrangements, well before the Covid pandemic rendered them unremarkable. In the age of hybrid work, flexible arrangements offer advantages to both men and women. While women often bear most caregiving responsibilities, these flexible options also empower men to take on caregiving roles, fostering more balanced family dynamics. As part of our commitment to supporting employees in achieving this balance, Ricoh offer a gender-neutral parental leave policy, encouraging men to share in caregiving duties that have traditionally been seen as women's roles.

Creating a win-win for women and business

What's good for female employees can be very good for business too. Being treated as an individual with unique needs – someone whose priorities and responsibilities aren't confined to the 9 to 5 workday week – is empowering and motivating in equal measure. 

Employees who feel seen and heard in this way are more likely to become high achievers who are focused on getting amazing results for the businesses they serve, than those who believe themselves to be mere cogs in the system.

They're more likely to stick around long term too. At Ricoh, where I've worked in progressively senior customer service roles since 2017, I'm proud of the fact that 60 per cent of our primarily female team has been with the company for more than six years.

That's far from the norm in the contact centre and customer service sector. In our line of work, the hours can be unsociable and the work stressful and thankless. Agent burnout is a common phenomenon and, consequently, staff churn rates in excess of 100 per cent are common in some segments of the market.

Organisations in the latter cohort typically struggle to deliver standout customer experiences because they're trapped in revolving door recruitment mode; perpetually sourcing and upskilling new staff, only to see them move on in a matter of months.

Flexible working conditions aren't the whole answer to this problem but, in my experience, they can go a long way towards creating a more enjoyable – and sustainable – employee experience, for female and male workers alike.

Fostering a supportive space where women can thrive

So can offering support in the form of an Employee Assistance Program and – just as importantly – encouraging staff to use it when they're experiencing professional and life challenges. 

During the time I've been in the workforce I've seen businesses and organisations make great gains in this regard. Mental health issues have been systematically and significantly de-stigmatised over the past decade and formerly taboo subjects, such as domestic violence, brought into the open.

At Ricoh, I'm proud of the fact that we have a company and a team culture in which individuals have no issue with disclosing, for example, that they're having anxiety issues and may need to take some time off for self-care.

As a leader, I see it as my responsibility to advise my team members that resources are available to help them navigate this and other major issues. And I strive to make whatever accommodations are possible to support them on their journeys – to create a safe space in every sense of the word.

Knowing their employer has their back and will repay their support and loyalty in kind is enormously reassuring for high performing female employees, especially those previously accustomed to working for organisations where the boundaries between personal and professional were defined stringently.

As we celebrate the progress we've made towards equity and inclusion here in Australia, it's worth remembering that one of the best ways businesses can help us continue to advance is by putting practices in place that help us survive and thrive through all sorts of times.