SELF-ASSESSMENT QUESTION

• Do public sector workforce development and career promotion actions reflect gender equality policies and objectives?
• Do organisations’ succession plans promote gender equality action by embedding specific targets for all levels and occupational groups?

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

Workforce development and talent management can be used to disseminate organisational knowledge about gender equality objectives and policies, and share ideas about their implementation. Comprehensive learning programmes and culture change activities can promote a culture of diversity and inclusion, and enhance civil service values and principles.

Workforce development and talent management programmes help employees develop career plans, acquire leadership skills and succeed in increasingly challenging assignments. The most effective ways to support career progression, for both women and men, include leadership development programmes, coaching, sponsorship and mentoring, and increased visibility and exposure to senior leaders.

Making the best use of available talent in the economy in general and in the public sector in particular is important for ahieving inclusive growth and boosting competitiveness and resilience. Proactive talent management requires identifying high-potential and high-performing men and women and supporting them in their career paths.

Succession planning (i.e., aligning current talent development with future leadership needs) can play a critical role in breaking the “glass ceiling”. Specific actions, such as target setting, can also foster career aspirations for underrepresented and disadvantaged groups, such as women with disabilities or members of ethnic or racial minorities.

ACTIONS TO CONSIDER

• Developing and review talent management initiatives and succession planning from gender balance perspectives (e.g., focusing on improving the environment in which women work rather than only focusing women; addressing various barriers to women's access to leadership);
• Promoting gender balanced selection and participation in leadership and management development programmes;
• Designing policies and leadership development programmes based on evidence and recent research to avoid biases and stereotypes;
• Establishing mentoring programmes for women in leadership pipeline;
• Fostering senior leaders’ commitment to gender balanced workforce development and promotions;
• Defining accountability for gender equality in talent management and succession planning.

PITFALLS TO AVOID

• Limited recognition of the existence of unconscious biases and the resultant stereotypes about gender and leadership;
• Insufficient communication on the importance of gender balance in leadership positions;
• Excluding employees working part-time or on other flexible arrangements from promotion and career planning.