Female Employees - Family Factors and Work-Life Balance, Cultural Factors, and Gender Stereotypes - Literature review Example

FEMALE EMPLOYEES Name Institution Professor Course Date Introduction Human resource development and human resource planning are key HRM functions. While HR planning ensures attraction and retention of the right number and the right kind of employees, at the right place and time, HRD focuses on the training and development of employees. The increasing thought of HRD put people at the centre of progression because advancement is not only by persons, but also for people. Contemporary HRD practices promote individual growth besides conquering organisational and national progress. As a result, organisations should implement equal development opportunities. Equity within an organisation promotes the success of an organisation. Although the status and presence of female employees in paid employment has improved, the advancement of women has been slow. Despite the recognition of equal opportunity for all, female employees encounter constraints while seeking equal development opportunities in their work place. These limitations include cultural factors and gender stereotypes, organisational factors such work environment and masculine leadership constructs, family factors and work-life-balance issues and glass ceiling effects. Family Factors and Work-life Balance Issues In the past fifty years, the role of women has greatly changed in both developing and developed economies. Women in the contemporary world are working outside and at the same time assuming principal responsibilities at home and childcare. According to Roy (2016), women have to balance amid multiple roles of their lives in order to attain a meaningful life. However, it becomes a greater challenge in nations where women are viewed as caregivers, mothers and are expected to take care of the household activities. Socio-culturally, women are viewed as the inferior gender. Although the accessibility of education has increased the number of women in the employment sector, women are required to take care of their families while at the same time taking their roles and responsibilities in their work place. As a result, work-life balance issues are a major limitation to attainment of equal development opportunities for female employees in an organisation. Striking a balance between family and work is a predictor obstacle to women’s development opportunities in the workplace. Absence of work-life balance programs is a major obstacle to the attainment of equal development opportunities for female employees in organisations. Roy (2016) defines work-life balance as the good functioning and satisfaction at home and at work with the least role conflict. Work-life balance entails the perception of enriching integrity in work sphere, family care and personal time. Roy (2016) asserts that work-life balance is a major factor for a person’s social and psychological well-being. A study carried out by Kakkar and Bhandari (2016) indicated that work-life balance issues are major obstacles that hinder equal development prospects for female employees in organisations. According to Kakkar and Bhandari (2016), an increase in the number of women in the labour force has instigated work-life balance issues. Women encounter challenges in their career and personal development because they try to justify numerous roles at the same time all of which calls for great deal of effort, commitment, energy and time. Female employees devote more of their hours to household chores and family compared to male employees thereby increasing development opportunities for male employees. Kakkar and Bhandari (2016) pointed out that female employees display increased rates of work-life conflict compared to men. The researchers also found out that women experience higher degrees of work-life imbalance compared to men that in turn hinder them from attaining equal development prospects in the workplace. According to Clasen (2011), three German corporations, two in the financial sector and one in the manufacturing industry had issues with female employees who voiced their displeasure over lack of work-life balance programs. The female employees demanded for more family-friendly policies because women felt left behind in career advancement. The female employees felt restricted in their career development opportunities because of lack of work-life balance programs. A research carried out by Mee, Peng, Yin-Fah (2013) indicated that women usually find themselves in intricate situations when they have to choose between their career development and family responsibilities. Because women tend to dedicate more hours to family life, their prospects for career development are limited compared to those of men. Gale and Davidson (2006) confirm that work-life balance for employees promotes a diverse and satisfied workforce besides facilitating equal employee development opportunities for all employs that in turn instigates innovation and successful organisations. Suitable work-life balance is advantageous to female employees as it allows them to develop their careers. Cultural factors and Gender Stereotypes Women face implicit cultural barriers to illustrate their authentic value and develop their career. Women encounter multiple cultural dilemmas when they aspire to succeed in their careers and attain equal development opportunities in their workplace (Khalaf, Nakhalaleh and Sara 2015). The workplace is dominated by restraining epitome that puts female employees in a cultural context. Due to cultural factors and gender stereotypes, few women are in a position to navigate their workplace life. Female employees are subjective to extreme scrutiny that transcends performance. They are judged based on the appearance with highly talented women sidelined and denied leadership positions and development opportunities based on the discernment of poor cultural fit. Many constraints to attainment of equal development opportunities are based on stereotypical roles of gender. These trends and perceptions toward women makes women to doubt their own abilities. They became uncertain and less confident of their expertise thereby discouraging them from attaining equal development opportunities (Khalaf, Nakhalaleh and Sara 2015). As a result, women become susceptible to the marginality an aspect that hinders them to seek equal development prospects. Despite the improvements in the recent years, gender stereotyping remains evident in many organisations. Gender stereotypes and occupational segregation continue to be key barriers to equal treatment of women in the workplace. In addition, gender stereotyping hinders equal development opportunities for women in the workplace. According to Jansson (2014), women are extensively perceived as fragile and are kept away from managerial and laborious work. As a result, very few women gains access to development opportunities in the workplace. Because of the gender stereotyping, most organisations do not allow women to train in male-dominated professions and are restrained to gender-segregated jobs. Brannon (2015) affirms that gender discrimination and stereotyping contribute to gender gap in career development and wages. The disparities in men’s and women’s career development schedules differ because women are required to take time off to attend to family needs as required by most cultures. The gender stereotypes and cultural factors pull women off the tract to advancement and slow their development. The image of working mothers functions as a bias against female employees in organisations. The society has excluded women from advancing their careers through restricting their ambitions because of traditions. The Glass Ceiling Effect There are innumerable obstacles that women face when trying to progress their careers and climb the corporate ladder. The metaphor used to describe the criticism and scrutiny that women face when seeking equal development opportunities is known as the Glass Ceiling. The glass ceiling entails artificial or invisible obstacles that prevent women from advancing past a given level (Chamaru 2013). According to Leonard and Trusty (2015), female employees should be provided with equal access to training and development activities. This is essential with regard to upgrading women to managerial and supervisory positions. Notwithstanding the entry of women into low-level management and supervisory positions, the upward mobility for women in firms has been slow (Leonard &Trusty 2015). One of the obstacles to the upward progression of female employees in the workplace is the glass ceiling. In Japan, for instance, the glass ceiling in the progression of women has remained in place notwithstanding the passage of the 1986 Equal Employment Opportunity Law (Leonard &Trusty 2015). Although the labour involvement of women in Japan by 1991 was 51 Percent, one percent of all the paid workers were female managers compared to the seven percent of men (Leonard &Trusty 2015). Female workers encounter less development opportunities and remain stuck in positions that offer low wages because of the glass ceiling effect. Findings from a study carried out by Kolade and Kehinde (2013) indicate that despite women possessing the needed competencies, skills, experiences and knowledge to work efficiently and effectively in organisations, they encounter career development obstacles. For instance, Nigerian female employees constitute of a small percentage of the top management in the banking, telecommunication, construction, oil and gas, manufacturing, mining and aviation industries to mention but a few. Kolade and Kehinde (2013) assert that glass ceiling is a constraint that prevents women’s development in the workforce. The authors define glass ceiling as an invisible barrier that women face when they try to attain promotion to higher organisational levels (Lolade & Kehinde 2013). Glass ceiling is a barrier to career development and impedes attainment of equal development opportunities for female employees. . Organisational Factors Work environment and organisational structure and policies are some of the major constraints that women encounter when striving to attain equal development opportunities. According to Khalaf, Nakhaleh and Sara (2014), internal organisational factors that influence employee behaviour and choices can limit the attainment of equal development opportunities for women. Some organisations are male dominated and due to discrimination against women, women cannot attain equal development opportunities. According to Torre (2014), occupational segregation remains high in male-dominated organisations. Acceptance and integration of women in male-dominated occupations hinders female employees from attaining equal development prospects. Grana (2010) asserts that women who break into male-dominated workplaces experience hostile work environment that do not support their presence and development opportunities. A work environment that discriminates women or a firm that does not embrace equity and diversity management practices cannot support or give women an opportunity to progress in their career. More so, work environment that gives women limited access to mentoring programs prevents them from attaining equal development prospects. The culture, structure and leadership of a firm influences attainment of equal development opportunities for female employees. HRP and HRD Concepts and Methods that Promotes Equal Development Opportunities Human resource planning entails getting the right number of employees into the right jobs and at the right time. Human resource planning focuses on determining and obtaining the correct number of employees with suitable skills, motivate them and establish links amid resource planning actions and business objectives. Armstrong (2008) defines HR planning as the process of ensuring that the HR requirements of a firm are identified and plans made for satisfying the requirements. HR planning focuses on matching resources to business requirements in the longer term. It also looks at wider issues pertaining to the manner in which people are employed and developed to enhance organisational effectiveness. HR planning and development work hand in hand. HR development entails the process of augmenting knowledge, skills and capacities of all employees in an organisation (Holton and Swanson 2011). HRD entails a set of planned and systematic actions designed to offer employees the prospect to learn required skills to attain future and current job demands. HR planning and development focuses on attainment of both personal and organisational goals. For firms to attain equal development opportunities, they must show commitment to inclusion and diversity initiatives within their strategic business plans. To empower women and help them attain equal development prospects, firms need to implement mentoring programs. The mentoring programs should involve both female and males mentors and advisers. In addition, equal-opportunity-based leadership management program can help in lowering the differences amid female and male employees. Particularly, diversity management presents explicit steps and phases that facilitate planning, directing and managing strategic organisational development and acts as a developmental model for diversity-linked change (Leonard &Trusty 2015). To ensure equal development opportunities companies such as IBM put in place work-life balance programs and other policies that eliminate gender discrimination and stereotyping and support career, vocational and educational development. With regard to HR planning techniques, organisations can employ trend analysis to promote equal development opportunities for female employees. Trend analysis is a quantitative approach to HR planning that forecast employment needs and projects the demands of HR. Trend analysis helps in making changes needed in an organisation. Work-study techniques can also be used to calculate the length of operation and the labour needed to accomplish work roles. Work-study method examines human work in its entire context regardless of gender, and promotes exploration into the factors that affect productivity of employees. Companies such IBM use work-study analysis to estimate their future manpower needs. More so, Delphi technique can be used to forecasts the personnel needs. HR planners should assess labour market conditions and trends pertinent to categories of workers besides balancing the supply and demand of work force. More importantly, job analysis is crucial in trying to attain equal development opportunities. According to Mello (2014), job analysis comprises of a careful assessment of job roles, skills, abilities and personal traits needed for success in a given position. Job analysis promotes training and development of employees and workforce planning. Moreover, job analysis promotes performance evaluation that in turn facilitates employees’ development with regard to the definite needs of their job title. Mello (2014) asserts that job analysis is a systematic way to analyse and gather information about the content of job. It promotes employees’ involvement in the performance appraisal and development process. According to Booyens (1998), essential information comes from job analysis and allows counselling of individuals regarding their career paths and developmental needs and potential. More importantly, job analysis determines the training and development needs of all employees. With respect to HRD, companies require HRD to establish conducive work environment for all employees, establish system-wide changes and development competencies. No organisation can prosper without competent, knowledgeable and skilful employees. HRD promotes work force empowerment and pays particular attention to special categories of workers such as women, physically handicapped and other marginalised people. HRD promote flexible work time and flexible work leave that helps female employees to balance their family demands and job demands. It promotes diversity in the workforce, career development. Firms can employ person-centred approach and reciprocal approach to promote equal development opportunities for all employees. The person-centred approach considers employees development as the main responsibility of HRD managers while the reciprocal approach focuses on the interests of organisations along with issues such as polices linked to role development, human considerations, appraisal systems, job design and training (Kaufum 2014). Firms can use HRD techniques such group discussions, role-playing, behaviour modelling, lectures, coaching and mentoring to promote equal development opportunities. Building an Equal Opportunity Workforce: The Case of IBM IBM promotes equal opportunities for all its employees. The firm is committed to establishing an equitable workplace. IBM has upheld a powerful culture of inclusion and diversity. According to Alsop (2010), IBM focuses on establishing a cordial environment for all its workers, notwithstanding their sexual orientation, ethnic background, colour or gender. The firm’s has benefitted from its commitment to diversity that it has practiced for many decades. The firm was a pioneer in promoting women with its first female vice president selected in 1943. In 1935, IBM hired twenty-five female workers and throughout the years, the number of female workers and executives in the company has increased steadily. Currently, female employees comprises of the 29% of IBM workforce and twenty-five percent of the firm management in the world (Alsop 2010). In 2010, IBM was ranked among the top ten firms that promote employees development by NAFE ( The National Association for Female Executives). IBM offers, compressed schedules, part-time telecommuting options and flexitime without penalising workers who choose these benefits in terms of the promotion and career development opportunities. As a result, IBM adopts a person-centred approach that offers real prospects for human resource development in the firm. Flexible work schedules and work-life balance creates room for personal development for all employees regardless of their gender. The firm’s managers focus on integrating the employees’ needs to organisational goals. This is enhanced through work-study analysis where management obtain the optimum utilisation of material and human resources in the firm. According to Carmichael (2005), work-study analysis tries to establish questioning state of mind in a way that employees consider their future and current work practices. IBM basis its training and development needs on job analysis. Effective HR planning depends on job requirements and capabilities of employees identified by job analysis. Job analysis is also used in identification of training and development needs of employees. Conclusion The organisational aspect that is likely to offer competitive advantage for a firm is human resources and how these resources are managed. The most successful firms find distinct ways to attract, retain and motivate workers. Increased productivity in an organisation is realised from managing people effectively, offering them a safe work environment, providing them with best prospects and paths to development. While human resource planning allows for flexibility in the human resource management, human resource development allows for learning that surpasses the today’s job because it holds a more long-term focus. However, development opportunities for female employees are slow and not equitable. This is because female employees face numerous constraints such as work-life balance issues, cultural issues, organisational issues and the glass ceiling effects when seeking equal development opportunities. Organisations that seek equal development opportunities for female employees should adapt effective HR planning and development techniques such as job analysis, mentoring and diversity management. Firms like IBM have attained equal development opportunities due to its ability to embrace and manage diversity, promote flexible work time and focus on integrating employees needs to the firm’s goals. . Reference List Alsop, R 2010, The 18 immunutable law of corporate reputation: Creating, protecting and repairing your most value, AU, Simon and Schuster. Armstrong, M 2006, A handbook of human resource management practice, UK, Kogan Page Publishers. Booyens, S.W 1998, Dimensions of nursing management, UK, Juta and Company Ltd. Brannon, L 2015. Gender: Psychological perspectives, Sixth edition, USA, Psychology Press. Clasen, J 2011, Converging worlds of welfare: British and German Social policy in the 21st century, UK: Oxford. Gale, A & Davidson, M 2011, Managing diversity and equality in construction: Initiatives and practice. UK: Routledge. Garmichae, D.G 2005, Project management framework, UK, CRC Press. Grana, S 2010 Women and justice, UK, Rowman and Littlefield. 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