Keeping Female Employees Safe At Work: What Business Owners Should Keep In Mind
Women in the workplace often feel unsafe. It doesn't matter what kind of business you run, whether you’re happily staffing a full female construction team or you’re running a marketing agency with equal amounts of men and women on the payroll. When there are women in the team, their workplace safety worries need to be understood and accounted for.
As a business owner, when you can provide a safe and inclusive workplace, you’re much more likely to attract and retain top talent. So, with all that in mind, here’s what you should think about when putting together workplace policies that serve women, too.
Women Should Be Involved in Workplace Policy Making
If you want to create a diverse and inclusive workplace, that same effort needs to go into your policy-making. And if women aren’t involved at every step, your policies will never be as inclusive as you believe.
You need to hear female voices at all stages, to make sure you’re considering risks, dangers, and workplace scenarios that may have never occurred to you. And never forget that if you only highlight white women’s voices, you won’t be considering the needs of women of color either.
Women’s PPE Needs Can Be Different
If PPE is required in your business, for any reason, you can’t just buy the same equipment for any and all staff. Women are going to need PPE that fits them, so they can work comfortably, safely, and as efficiently as they’d like to.
And remember, when PPE doesn’t fit, it isn’t actually protective. Not only does that risk the health of the women on your team, but it’s also a complete waste of money.
If this could be a problem in your workplace, get feedback on work equipment from your female employees, and then take a look at your PPE ordering system. After all, you need to check if you’re even working with a PPE supplier that sells PPE for women, as not all of them do.
Even Commuting Back and Forth From Work Can Have Risks
What time are your employees expected to come into work, and then leave once the day is done? If either of these times coincides with darker or later hours, there could be members of your team who feel unsafe when they have to come in and leave work.
You also need to consider factors like average commute time and how remote your business’s location is. If any team member has to travel for longer, this longer period of time could also be unsafe for them.
Similarly, you should consider if safe, reliable transport is available. If it isn’t, you may need to invest in ensuring your team members can come and go safely.
When you have female members of staff, you need to take their safety and security into account. Whether they’re at work, coming or leaving, dealing with customers or other staff, highlight the potential safety concerns from the get go.
