Gender friendly policies: a necessity?!

Abstract

More and more companies are interested in diversity related and gender friendly measures. This rising interest in work related issues is rooted in a number of fundamental social and industrial changes. Nowadays, companies must maintain or enhance productivity with fewer workers, who differ from their predecessors and from each other in terms of values, work ethic, expectations and motives. This must be accomplished at a time when the skills demands of many jobs are increasing, the structure of organisations and the manner in which work is done is undergoing remarkable change, and international competition for workers with the new skills is intensifying (Olgiati & Shapiro, 2002). In a study financed by the European Social Fund and Toyota Motor Europe, SEIN documents the business case for diversity and evaluates the policies that can be used by organizations to attract, retain and promote women (and men). In this article, we explore the business case for diversity.