Glass ceiling: breaking through barriers and reaching for equal opportunities

While it might seem like a widely acknowledged mindset that everyone deserves equal opportunities, issues like the glass ceiling remain relevant these days. Not only are diversity, equity, and inclusion crucial for creativity and social justice, but ensuring your company's dedication to embracing these will also have a direct and positive impact on your business performance. You may wonder how you can effectively and efficiently approach challenges such as the glass ceiling? Unconscious bias, exclusive leadership, stereotyping, and discrimination, are just a few of the prevailing issues that must be addressed to guarantee equal opportunities in the corporate industry. 

Reflecting lack of equal opportunities

The term glass ceiling refers to the metaphorical and invisible barrier that certain minority groups are facing in the corporate industry. Such barriers prevent these individuals from being promoted to high-profile positions and upper-level workforce opportunities. Guaranteeing equal opportunities at your workplace is pivotal to exploring and maximising your company's potential. 

Reflecting the lack of equal opportunities in the workplace, the phrase glass ceiling was first time used in 1978 during a panel discussion about women’s aspirations. It emphasised how women were unable to climb the career ladder beyond middle management positions. Despite the fact that the corporate industry has drastically changed since then, little progress has been made in the way gender equality operates in the workplace. 

Realise, implement, improve

To effectively address diversity, equity, and inclusion, and ensure that all of your team members are given equal opportunities, you need to begin by recognising the reality. Our world is diverse, and so should be your company. To enable all voices to be heard, you need to create an environment that allows for open discussion and understanding. If you want your teams to work successfully together, effective diversity management must be implemented into your business strategy. Such practices will enable your team to develop and expand their potential. As in the end, you will be able to see a significant improvement across your company's performance. 

Equal opportunities are the key

Ensuring that everyone is given an equal opportunity regardless of their gender, age, or ethnicity, will significantly expand your brand target audience. Having a diverse team is a phenomenal way to develop services and products that can be presented to various customer markets. When you introduce people into your teams with diverse social, ethnical, and cultural backgrounds, you immediately receive a new knowledge base for potential new markets. If you aspire to expand your business globally, then having a diverse team will give you the core skills and insights you need to push your business forward. 

Providing equal opportunities for all of your team members will allow your company to improve your employees' satisfaction, mental well-being, and keep them motivated. It’s easy to find examples of the ways that inconsiderate gaffes and actions on the part of executives and top managers have become a lightning rod for criticism. Our 6-12 month courses can show you how to impactfully practice inclusive leadership and become a leader of an organisation that is stronger for its diversity. 

Through integrating our methods into your workplace, you will learn how to effectively reduce the risk of harassment, lack of equal opportunities, discrimination, and other related issues that can lead to internal reports and even ligation. Taking the most out of diversity, equity, and inclusion, you can escalate your chances of employing the finest industry minds. 

If you are dedicated to providing equal opportunities for all candidates to be promoted into senior roles, it will directly have a visible impact on those reviewing your company before applying for a job. Essentially, you will attract a greater and more diverse pool of talents. 

It’s about time to secure equal opportunities for all

With society becoming more inclusive, it’s about time to integrate such values into your company structure. People want to work for companies that reflect their values, becoming aware of such industry demand is a key element to remain a relevant and innovative brand. 

Through working closely with our team, we can show you how to ensure that your company provides equal opportunities across all sectors and for every member of your organisation. We provide tailored to your company needs lectures and training on a wide variety of topics, including why diversity and inclusion are so important for management and senior roles, to allow women to thrive in their professional careers. If you are eager to improve your company's performance, creativity, and secure equal opportunities for everyone, our innovative strategies will support your business to successfully achieve these.

Ikigai Authentic has been promoting women’s power and confidence and striving to achieve gender diversity both in society and in business. On the 24th March 2022, FocusCore & Ikigai Authentic will be holding an online seminar: 

“Now is the Time to Accelerate Towards Gender Equality: The Need for Allyship in Corporation in Japan” 

Gender equality is a worldwide topic and is included in the 17 SDGs. In Japan, 5 years have passed since the Act on the Promotion of Female Participation and Career Advancement in the Workplace was passed and numerous companies are now discussing their action plans for 2025 and 2030. 

To register your interest to attend the online seminar, please follow this link - https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/7916466383271/WN_D4X20iOYS_OWejRS1WUwMQ