International Women’s Day is just around the corner, and the world is striving to #BreakTheBias within our communities. The goal is to identify bias, overcome it, and build a bias-free community. Women have been facing prejudice head on for countless years, however, it’s now time to create a diverse and inclusive environment in sports, business, workspace, and at home. Many organisations celebrate IWD to simply laud and applaud women to not just survive, but to thrive in this gender biassed society. Since most offices are still working remotely, commemorating womanhood of your organisation needs to be virtual.
Here are a few tips to observe International Women’s Day 2022 at your office.
Conduct a Session on Understanding Your Own Bias
Irrespective of how open-minded we think we are, we all inherently possess a bias. These biases are developed over a period of time as a result of our life experiences. Our unconscious biases can prevent the right people from growing and advancing to their well-deserved job roles. In fact, organisations too fail to identify the most talented employees and make the most of their skills. Hence, biases must be recognised and tackled in the workplace. This will help organisations to pick candidates based on their skills and not a set of biases. However, our implicit biases generally contradict the values we strive to instil within ourselves. Thus, it is often difficult to recognise your own biases. Companies can hold a workshop that helps you identify and address your biases the right way, making it a win-win situation for both your organisation and the women working in it.
Ask Your Team to Take the #BreakTheBias Photo Challenge
The organisers of the International Women’s Day have been encouraging companies to take part in the #BreakTheBias photo challenge. Your employees can click a photo with the IWD 2022 pose and share it on social media with hashtags: #IWD2022 and #BreakTheBias. All you need to do is stand in front of the camera with cross hands. You can also ask your team to submit their photos, and you can share these snaps through your Instagram and LinkedIn accounts.
Offer Compliment the Women of Your Team
As an organisation, you can ask the team leads to hold a meeting where you highlight the commitment, diligence, and uniqueness of each woman in the team. Every woman loves being appreciated, especially at work. So, use IWD as an opportunity to recognise their efforts.
Make a Donation to Organisations that Empower Women
A lot of organisations are working towards breaking the stereotypes and encouraging women to skill up. These NGOs challenge oppressive norms and conduct programmes that increase self-confidence. Such sessions can help women to cultivate leadership skills and soar high towards their dreams. As a corporate company, you can make donations to philanthropists that enable women to become self-sufficient.
Hold a Creative Workshop
We can all agree that women are superheroes. They somehow manage to take care of their families and build a robust career gracefully. However, amid this hardpressed lifestyle, women often fail to make time for themselves, their hobbies, and their mental health. As an organisation, you can conduct a workshop that allows them to explore their creative side. This will help them refresh their mind while also learning something new.
We’re halfway there, we’ve half more to go. A world where men and women are treated equally at home and work. Be it comedy, sports, or business, women won’t have to answer questions like, “How does it feel to be a lady comedian?” or “How do you manage working in a creative field and take care of your family as well?”. Women conquering a certain field won’t be unconventional.
At ExtraMile, we help companies hold fun activities and sessions to build team engagement and enhance employee satisfaction. Get in touch with us if you want to celebrate and honour the women in your organisation this International Women’s Day.