GEP - Work-Life Balance Indicators

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San Francisco Gender Equality Principles (GEP)

Indicator Tool For Principle 2: Work-Life Balance and Career Development

Created September 2008

 

 

What is the Indicator Tool?

This tool was created to assist companies in developing and improving policies and best practices in the areas of work-life balance and career development. It is based on Principle 2 of the San Francisco Gender Equality Principles.

 

How is the Indicator Tool organized?

The tool is organized by the four key elements under Principle 2. After each key element is listed, a brief description and/or business case for promoting that key element is explained. The tables following each key element are broken down by the subcategories mentioned in the key elements. The indicators in the tables are useful policies and practices, including metrics as applicable, for each sub-category. The rating system includes a Notes section where company representatives can, for example, clarify ratings and distinguish between different parts of the company.

 

This is a self-assessment tool that companies can use to compare their progress from year to year and/or give themselves a total score to measure improvement. Companies do not receive a final grade or total score after filling out the Indicator Tool. The tool is a guide for companies to set goals and objectives on how to improve their culture, policies, and practices related to work life balance and career development.

 

How do I use the rating system?

Each indicator has a space next to it where you can rate your company's implementation of that element on a scale of 0-5. The rating categories are defined as follows:

 

Rating Categories

5

Full Implementation

Policy and implementation plan in place, widely accepted and utilized.

4

Moderate Implementation

Policy and implementation plan in place, but not yet widely accepted or utilized.

3

Beginning Implementation

Policy in developmental phase and/or minimal implementation.

2

Ad Hoc Arrangements

Ad hoc arrangements made for specific cases.

1

Square One

No policy or plan in place; need information to get started.

0

Not Applicable

Particular key element is not relevant to organization's operations.

 

You may give your company more than one rating for each indicator. This would be useful, for example, if you wanted to rate different divisions or programs separately.

 

Corporate Commitment and Accountability

Ensuring that a supportive culture exists for work-life balance and career development policies is an overarching theme for this Principle and cuts across all of the key elements. When implementing successful programs, it is important not only to have appropriate policies in place, but to ensure that the organizational culture is open and supportive to such programs. Offering a program without support discourages its use.

 

With this in mind, programs should be widely promoted and employees should be encouraged to openly discuss the need for flexibility and career development with their supervisors. Supervisors need to be trained and encouraged to be supportive of employees needing or desiring work-life balance and developmental opportunities and assist in finding solutions that work for both employees and the organization. It is useful to have a system in place so that all employees' requests for flexible work arrangements and developmental opportunities are considered through an equitable process. Also these opportunities need to be offered to all employees, including low wage workers on hourly shifts. Flexibility programs work best when supervisors are encouraged to assess employees' performance by what they accomplish and not just by face time. Taking advantage of flexibility policies should not impede job advancement. Neither should developmental opportunities for advancement be targeted exclusively at mid- and senior-level employees.

 

While establishing a corporate culture supportive of such programs is key to their success, it is equally important to measure participation in such programs and be transparent with the results. Companies need to develop metrics, inclusive of gender disaggregated data, to measure participation in various work-life and development programs and assess their effectiveness. The findings can be used to identify both achievements and challenges, and develop action plans, including establishment of measurable short- and long-term goals. Communication of performance results, goals, and objectives demonstrates an overall commitment to not only the offering, but also the success of the company's work-life balance and career development initiatives.

 

PRINCIPLE #2: WORK-LIFE BALANCE AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT

 

Corporations will take concrete steps to attain gender equality by adopting, implementing, and promoting policies and practices that enable work-life balance and support educational, career, and vocational development.

 

PRINCIPLE #2: WORK-LIFE BALANCE AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT

 

Corporations will take concrete steps to attain gender equality by adopting, implementing, and promoting policies and practices that enable work-life balance and support educational, career, and vocational development.

 

Key elements of this principle include:

 

a. Undertake concrete, verifiable actions to make professional and private life more balanced, by implementing and promoting flexible work options, family leave, wellness programs, and workforce exit and reentry opportunities.

 

b. Support access to dependent care, in particular childcare, either by providing dependent care services or by providing information and resources regarding dependent care services.

 

c. Provide gender equitable opportunities for and access to literacy training, education, and certified vocational and information technology training.

 

d. Provide professional development opportunities that include formal or informal

networking, client development activities, and mentoring programs that include

women at all levels, including those women working in non-traditional fields

KEY ELEMENT (A):

 

Undertake concrete, verifiable actions to make professional and private life more balanced, by implementing and promoting flexible work options, family leave, wellness programs, and workforce exit and reentry opportunities.

 

Many companies experience disproportionately high turn-over of female employees due to the absence of flexible work arrangements. Not only do companies lose valuable talent in which they have invested, but companies further lose continuity in projects and client engagements, and incur extensive costs when replacing these employees. In contrast, flexible work policies have been shown to both attract and retain top talent, and thus should be viewed as an essential component of any employer's human resources toolkit.

SUBSECTION 1: METRICS FOR WORK LIFE BALANCE

Policies and Procedures

Rating

0-5

Notes

Assessment: Conduct assessment to determine the demographics (gender, race and other social characteristics) of employees taking advantage of flexible work options, promotion and attrition rates of this group compared to those who do not take advantage of the programs, when and in which parts of the company are women opting out of positions, who in management takes advantage of flexible work options, and other pertinent information.

 

 

Periodic Climate Survey: Conduct periodic climate surveys of employees to accurately assess corporate culture and employee needs. Could include conducting focus groups and employee resource groups to determine the viability of flexible programs, reasons for opting in or out of programs and certain job categories, differences between divisions in male and female employees, unwritten rules and cultural norms. Results should be broken out by gender and/or other identities.

 

 

SUBSECTION 2: FLEXIBLE WORK OPTIONS

The policies, practices, and programs in this subsection focus on four categories. The first is flexible work assessment which calls for a study of, for example, which jobs are suited for flexibility given the company context. The second is flexible work schedules, which are focused on time-based policies such as compressed or flex time and reduced work schedules. The third category is flexible work locations or telecommuting, which entails working from home or a satellite location. The final category relates to managerial support of programs in order to create a positive corporate culture for flexible work options.

Policies and Procedures

Rating

0-5

Notes

Compliance: Comply with local, state and federal law on this issue.

 

 

Flexible Work Assessment

 

 

Assessment: Conduct assessment to determine employee flexibility needs, which jobs are suited to flexibility and if there is the potential to reconfigure other jobs to make them suitable for flexible work arrangements. Also determine which technology, if any, is needed to support flexible work arrangements and if there is a willingness to invest in such technology This assessment could also study willingness of company culture to adopt flexibility programs and how to make changes as necessary.

 

 

Flexible Work Schedule Arrangements

 

 

Occasional Flex: Employee work hours are changed on a certain day of the week – the office opens an hour later on Fridays – or changed at a certain time of the year such as summer hours.

 

 

Variable Flex: Employees can take a break during the day and can make up the time on either end of the workday, or start or end early or late as needed.

 

 

Daily Flex: Employees may work nontraditional hours on a regular basis.

 

 

Core Hours: Employees must be in the office at a certain period, but can start or end early or late.

 

 

Compressed Work Week: Employees may work longer hours on certain days, such as 10 hours a day, four days a week.

 

 

Part-Time Schedules: Employees may work part time.

 

 

Job Sharing: Employees may job share, such as when two part-time employees share one full-time position.

 

 

Control Hours: Employees have some control/choice over which shifts they work, including the ability to control overtime hours.

 

 

Sabbaticals: Company supports paid or unpaid sabbaticals after which an employee can return to a comparable job.

 

 

Notice: Employees are provided with adequate notice of shifts so that they can make necessary family care arrangements.

 

 

Shift schedules: Employees may set their own schedules, bid for desired shifts, and/or shift swap without incurring points towards firing.

 

 

Overtime: Employees are given notice for overtime.

 

 

Overtime: Employees can refuse overtime for family issues.

 

 

Personnel Policies: Employees may use reasonable amounts of episodic flexibility and short leaves–personal time in hour increments, vacation time in days rather than weeks, sick leave banks, and access to unpaid personal leaves–without penalty.

 

 

Breaks: Employees have some control over breaks, including making calls home if necessary during the day, without jeopardizing their employment.

 

 

Utilization: Utilization of alternative work schedules does not impede employee advancement.

 

 

Utilization: Utilization of alternative work schedules does not preclude participation in critical benefit programs such as health and disability insurance.

 

 

Flexible Work Locations

 

 

Working at Home Part-Time: Employees may work at home on a part-time or seasonal basis.

 

 

Working Offsite: Employees may work at an alternative location; this location could be provided by the employer.

 

 

Working at Home Full-Time: Employees may work at home on a full-time basis.

 

 

Management

 

 

Standardized Policy: Employees fill out standardized form to request flexible work options in order to ensure fairness throughout the company.

 

 

Support: Senior management verbally express their support for flexible work options.

 

 

Dialogue: Managers have an open dialogue with employees about work life balance policies and receive feedback on improvements in a team setting.

 

 

Modeling: Managers are open about their usage of flex time in order to set tone for their employees to discuss their own flex time needs.

 

 

Training: Current and new managers receive training on how to manage objectives versus people.

 

 

Training: Managers receive training on flexible work options, how to manage people who choose to have flexible schedules, how to judge talent and hard work in a flexible setting, and how to avoid explicit and/or hidden bias.

 

 

 

 

SUBSECTION 3: FAMILY LEAVE

 

Employers must be up-to-date, understand and follow legal standards for federal, state, county, and city family leave. The federal standard for paid family is the Family Medical Leave Act, while California has legally mandated paid family leave through the Paid Family Leave Act. Employers should also be familiar with other types of leave such as pregnancy disability and kincare laws. A generous leave policy above and beyond these legal requirements can help companies attract high-quality employees and improve office productivity and morale.

 

Policies and Procedures

Rating

0-5

Notes

Mandatory Leave: Legally mandated leave, including federal, state, county, and city, is well-publicized and enforced.

 

 

Paid Family Leave: Support 12 or more weeks for new parents, including mothers, fathers, domestic partners, adoptive parents and foster parents.

 

 

Paid Family Leave: Support 12 or more weeks for employees needing to care for seriously ill children, spouses, domestic partners, or other family members.

 

 

Shared Leave Program: Allow employees to donate personal/ vacation time to others facing emergency situations.

 

 

Adoption: Support policies for adoptive parents including adoption subsidy to assist with paying for adoption process, and time off for adoption related activities such as court appearances.

 

 

Extended Career Breaks: Allow time-off for caregiving or other family/ personal responsibilities.

 

 

Caregiver Status Non-Discrimination: Adopt a policy which explicitly prohibits discrimination based on caregiver status.

 

 

 

SUBSECTION 4: WELLNESS & EDUCATION PROGRAMS

Please note indicators for health insurance programs are included under Principle 3.

According to a study conducted by the AARP, employers are finding that wellness programs – programs designed to help employees deal with problems that may affect their work or personal life –are beneficial to both the employee and the company. Wellness programs keep workers healthy resulting in lower health care costs, fewer sick days, and increased productivity. They also help companies retain and recruit workers. Typically, companies hire outside vendors who partner with, or subcontract to, specialty providers. When offering wellness programs, it is important to offer programs focusing on both physical and mental health.

 

Policies and Procedures

Rating

0-5

Notes

Compliance: Comply with local, state and federal law on this issue with sufficient notice to employees.

 

 

Fitness Programs: Offer employees discounted or free fitness center memberships.

 

 

Ergonomics Program: Establish ergonomics programs providing employees with feedback on body mechanics and ergonomics.

 

 

Seminars and/or Webinars : Offer sessions on topics such as smoking cessation, weight management, stress reduction, financial planning, parenting, and elder care.

 

 

Lactation Support Services: Offer education, on-site mothers' room, storage site, and lactation consulting.

 

 

Alternative Healthcare: Health insurance plans cover alternative health care such as chiropractic, acupuncture, and massage.

 

 

On-site Medical Assistance Services: Support services including volunteer immunization clinics, nutritional counseling, health screenings, mental-health counseling, reproductive health/pregnancy programs, and/or on-site nurse.

 

 

On-site Fitness Programs: Support fitness programs at the worksite.

 

 

Routine Adult Wellness Allowance: Financially support routine adult preventative services, including physician office visits, which may not be covered elsewhere.

 

 

 

 

SUBSECTION 5: WORKFORCE EXIT AND RE-ENTRY PROGRAMS

 

Research shows that many women and some men take breaks during their careers (known as off-ramping ) often for parenting or elder care responsibilities. Many find it difficult to return to the workplace afterwards. At the same time, due to demographic shifts and increased global competition, many employers face a talent shortage. In order to successfully compete in this tug-of-war for human capital, companies must develop more creative hiring and retention practices. To this end, on-ramping programs – which seek to tap into previously underutilized sources of employee talent, such as parents who temporarily left the workforce to raise children -- have become an essential tool in the kit of any employer seeking to maintain its competitive advantage.

 

Policies and Procedures

Rating

0-5

Notes

Educational programs: Offer educational programs geared towards employees who are exiting or re-entering the workforce.

 

 

Reentry Plan: Conduct outreach to women before they leave the workplace to create a reentry plan.

 

 

Recruitment Staff: Train staff to discount resume gaps due to off-ramping , and recognize the value of returning employees.

 

 

Tap Broader Talent Pool: Foster relationships with non-profits and affinity group associations that help companies tap a broader talent pool.

 

 

Flexible Work Programs: Support programs such as alternative, flexible, and/or customized work schedules to ease reentry.

 

 

Mentoring: Support formal and informal mentoring opportunities for on-ramping employees.

 

 

Connections to the Workplace: Offer voluntary programs geared towards helping employees stay connected with the workplace during their absence, ranging from continued e-mail correspondence about work-related professional and social opportunities to paid consultancy opportunities.

 

 

Ramp-Down Programs: Establish programs to provide part-time, high impact work for employees who need to ramp down.

 

 

Recruitment: Establish programs to identify, recruit, and hire off-ramped employees.

 

 

Structured Ramp-Up Programs: Offer programs for returning employees similar to those in place for relocating or expatriate employees, which can include educational and training programs and networking opportunities geared towards bridging any gaps created while they were away.

 

 

 

 

 

 

KEY ELEMENT (B): DEPENDENT CARE

 

a. Support access to dependent care, in particular childcare, either by providing dependent care services or by providing information and resources regarding dependent care services.

 

This section covers dependent care, including child care, elder care, and care of ill and/or disabled family members. Studies indicate that the average parent loses 8 days of work every year because of child care problems. Those providing caregiving regularly report missing work to attend to adult care responsibilities as well. Lost days add up to lost productivity. Dependent care programs have been linked to decreased absences, lower turnover, increased employee loyalty, and improved morale, stronger recruitment, and an improved public image, all of which leads to an improved bottom line. It is important to note that, though the issues are combined here, elder care and child care may impact employees differently as elder care is often much more crisis children and unpredictable.

 

Policies and Procedures

Rating

0-5

Notes

Compliance: Comply with local, state and federal law on this issue.

 

 

Assessment: Assess employees' dependent care needs.

 

 

Dependent Care Resource and Referral Services: Offer assistance through resources and referrals, including information on local dependent care services, backup dependent care options, non-traditional hours dependent care, and resources on vacation time activities and other options.

 

 

Dependent Care Assistance Plans (DCAPs): Offer employees programs that allow dependent care payments with pretax dollars.

 

 

Informational Programs: Support programs on specific dependent care issues such as parenting teenagers, caring for people with disabilities, and grandparents raising grandchildren.

 

 

Block Dependent Care: Negotiate a reduced rate for a "block" of dependent care slots at a nearby dependent care centers.

 

 

Dependent Care Subsidies: Offer financial support for dependent care with vouchers or other subsidies.

 

 

Dependent Care Reimbursement: Offer reimbursement of dependent care costs when employees travel for business or have to work late.

 

 

Short-Term Dependent Care: Offer interim dependent care options, such as afterschool care or care for school age children on vacation.

 

 

Backup or Emergency Dependent Care: Offer dependent care options for employees when they have problems with their regular dependent care arrangements (center-based and/or in-home care).

 

 

Develop Dependent Care Centers: Work with local transportation and dependent care management agencies to develop dependent care centers, where needed, with hours that coordinate with company's work shifts.

 

 

On-Site Dependent Care: Explore the creation of on-site dependent care, at or near the employment site.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

KEY ELEMENT (C): TRAINING, EDUCATIONAL, AND VOCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

Please note indicators for recruitment are included under Principle 1.

 

Provide gender equitable opportunities for and access to literacy training, education, and certified vocational and information technology training.

 

Lack of training and educational opportunities hinder many women's abilities to maximize their potential and contribute fully to their workplaces. Women are still underrepresented in traditionally male dominated occupations. For example in the skilled trades, women constitute less than 3% of the workforce. Even at the apprenticeship level, women represent only 7% of the workforce. Even where trainings are provided, they are often not adequately tailored to women's needs; ignore women altogether; focus on executive-level women only; or track women into traditionally female jobs. Skills-training in information technology – so vital in today's economy – is vital for women, particularly as the field tends to be dominated by men. Training and vocational opportunities for men should also broaden to enable men to pursue skills development and advancement in non-traditional positions.

 

TRAINING, EDUCATIONAL, AND VOCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

 

Policies and Procedures

Rating

0-5

Notes

Assessment: Determine demographics of which employees attend which trainings, find underserved employee groups, determine employee needs and interests, and track post training data to see impact of trainings (bottom line, career advancement of participants, etc.).

 

 

Disaggregated Data: Maintain gender-disaggregated data on training and vocational programs, including who is being recruited for programs, who takes them, and who passes them.

 

 

Information: Provide employees access to frequently updated information about educational and vocational opportunities offered by the company and local institutions.

 

 

System: Support a system for determining whether employees need literacy or numeracy skills-building, with provisions that recognize the sensitivity and confidentiality required and reward rather than dis-incentivize participation in courses.

 

 

Support: Support educational efforts by all employees via means such as flexible work arrangements, tuition subsidies, and incentives for degree completion.

 

 

Training for Non-traditional Fields: Pay special attention to encouraging women to gain vocational certificates or degrees in non-traditional fields, and to recruiting men for training and vocational programs traditionally dominated by women.

 

 

English-Language Courses: Consider offering English language courses for speakers of other languages.

 

 

Work with Colleges: Approach colleges with occupational education programs in their communities or/and internship programs to offer to employees.

 

 

Extend Training and Vocational Opportunities: Extend opportunities to women who work in other businesses (e.g. contract factories) that produce your company's products or are otherwise part of your supply chain.

 

 

Various Training Formats: Ensure that training and vocational courses are offered in various formats, in order to facilitate participation by women and others minority groups, such as offering courses during work hours, via distance-learning, via mentoring or tutoring arrangements, or having a job-shadowing program.

 

 

Internships: Create internship programs, preferably paid, to encourage career exploration.

 

 

Time Off: Allow time off for education/training to improve skills.

 

 

Apprenticeship: Create apprentice programs with an emphasis on traditionally underrepresented groups.

 

 

Monitor: Monitor on an ongoing basis the progress of the organization in preparing the workplace for women.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

KEY ELEMENT (D): PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES

 

Provide professional development opportunities that include formal or informal networking, client development activities, and mentoring programs that include women at all levels, including those women working in non-traditional fields.

 

Professional development opportunities, such as networking, client development activities, and mentoring programs, offer employees the opportunity to gain leadership skills, build networks, and contribute strategically to company efforts in areas such as recruitment, marketing, and product and business development. Lack of access to such programs can hinder employees, particularly those from traditionally underrepresented groups, in their quest for advancement, whereas participation in these programs often breaks down barriers in ways that allow women and minorities to develop and hone the skills needed to move up the pipeline. Companies themselves benefit from such initiatives in a number of ways, including early identification of leaders, creative marketing, product, and business development ideas, outreach to broader markets, and an overall reinforcement of the company's commitment to diversity and inclusion. With the business case for executive and board-level diversity continuing to unfold, advancing women and minorities throughout a company's ranks gains even more importance, as these positions provide opportunities to develop the expertise and networks needed for future executive and board-level appointments.

SUBSECTION 1: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN GENERAL

Policies and Procedures

Rating

0-5

Notes

Commitment from the Top: Give priority, visible support, and adequate resources to women's leadership training programs.

 

 

Mission and Brand: Make realization of the potential of diverse talent part of the company's mission and brand.

 

 

Leadership Training: Identify committed champions from across business units or divisions to spearhead women's network and leadership training initiative.

 

 

Survey Teachable Skills: Examine skills women in positions of power within the company have, determine which of these skills are teachable, and figure out how to teach the skills through professional development courses.

 

 

Focus on Business: Position women's leadership training as a vehicle to improve the overall company.

 

 

Skills Development: Help women conduct self-assessments of their professional development gaps and skills and competencies that require further refinement. Assist them in the development of future strategies and training plans.

 

 

Exposure to Role Models: Create forums for women employees to hear from senior women executives on leadership and career advancement.

 

 

Training at All Levels: Gender specific professional development is focused on developing women over time at each tenure level.

 

 

Training Time: Ensure trainings are offered both during the workday and after work for greater participation of all employees.

 

 

Training Evaluation: In training evaluations examine impact of training on women's versus men's performance and promotion, especially if training is on intrinsic skills.

 

 

Leadership Programs: Both men and women participate in leadership training program for top performers within the company.

 

 

On-The-Job Learning: Emphasize on-the-job learning through rotations and project work.

 

 

Cross Functional Career Moves: Through career counseling, encourage female employees to think about cross functional career moves to broaden their skills portfolio and accelerate their progress.

 

 

 

 

 

SUBSECTION 2: FORMAL OR INFORMAL NETWORKING

This category focuses on informal or formal networking opportunities for women at all levels of the company.

Policies and Procedures

Rating

0-5

Notes

External groups: Support employee membership in professional external groups, such as industry associations or women's business networks. This is even more critical in industries or sectors where there is generally a low percentage of female representation.

 

 

Access: Ensure networking/employee resource groups (ERGs) are available to all interested employees.

 

 

Framework: Ensure ERGs have defined goals and objectives, and provide on-going programmatic support.

 

 

Budget: Provide ERGs with dedicated budgets.

 

 

Access: Provide ERGs with regular access to executives through executive sponsorship.

 

 

Purpose: Utilize ERGs as strategic resources, with participating employees contributing to marketing, product, and business development ideas.

 

 

Access: Provide ERGs with access to the CEO.

 

 

Disclosure: Disclose performance results, goals, and objectives. Communicate achievements and plans to address challenges/gaps.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SUBSECTION 3: CLIENT DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES

 

This category focuses on opportunities and access to clients and/or potential sales or contacts.

 

Policies and Procedures

Rating

0-5

Notes

Resources: Provide women with equal resources (mailing lists, phone numbers) to access clients.

 

 

Marketing: Market female employees equally to potential clients and develop safeguards to prevent discriminatory client preferences from impeding female career advancement.

`

 

Referrals: Provide business referrals equally to female employees

 

 

Client events: Consider additional security precautions that could facilitate female attendance, such as valet parking, or safety escorts.

 

 

Client events: Be mindful of certain timings that may prevent women from attending.

 

 

Assignments/Opportunities: Provide equality of assignments and opportunities, being mindful of quality, visibility, and priority.

 

 

Metrics: Measure client development event participation to ensure equality of opportunity. Measure assignments to ensure they are being equally distributed. Use findings to identify both achievements and challenges/gaps. Develop action plan, including establishment of measurable short- and long-term goals.

 

 

Disclosure: Disclose performance results, goals, and objectives. Communicate achievements and plans to address challenges/gaps.

 

 

 


SUBSECTION 4: MENTORING PROGRAMS

This category focuses on mentoring programs for women at all levels of the company.

 

Policies and Procedures

Rating

0-5

Notes

Metrics: Measure the impact of formal mentoring programs on employees by demographics (gender, race and other social characteristics), including promotion rates of mentees and mentors. Use findings to identify both achievements and challenges/gaps. Develop action plan, including establishment of measurable short and long-term goals.

 

Access: Ensure mentoring programs are available to all interested employees at all levels of the company.

 

 

Framework: Ensure mentoring programs have defined goals and objectives. Create customized action plans for mentees and mentors that clearly address objectives and expectations.

 

 

Resources: Provide training/coaching, resources, and on-going programmatic support.

 

 

Recognition: Employees get recognition and are rewarded for mentoring others.

 

 

Community mentoring: Provide opportunities for employees to gain leadership skills through mentoring of community members, such as youth or members of traditionally underrepresented groups

 

 

Classroom mentoring: Offer classroom-focused programs, including classes on various leadership and development skills. Role-playing or simulation training sessions are a critical part of this type of program.

 

 

Peer mentoring: Offer peer-based program that matches a more seasoned employee with a newer hire, focusing on company culture and overall working environment.

 

 

Executive mentoring: Offer executive-level program that matches a senior-level executive to a non-executive employee, focusing on broadening network, increasing visibility, and further developing leadership skills.

 

 

Rotational mentoring: Offer structured program that provides opportunities for employees to rotate job assignments for a predetermined timeframe. Allows participants opportunities to broaden network, access high profile projects, and develop additional areas of expertise.

 

 

 

Disclosure: Disclose performance results, goals, and objectives. Communicate achievements and plans to address challenges/gaps.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Acknowledgments

The City and County of San Francisco Department on the Status of Women would like to thank all of the individuals and companies who assisted in the development of the indicators for Gender Equality Principle 2: Work-Life Balance and Career Development.

 

Gender Equality Principles Initiative Company Participants

· Bay Area Council

· Business for Social Responsibility

· Deloitte & Touche

· McKesson

· Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

· San Francisco Foundation

· Sunset Scavenger

· Symantec

· Westfield

· Williams-Sonoma

 

Gender Equality Principles Initiative Partners

City and County of San Francisco, Department on the Status of Women

· Ann Lehman, Senior Policy Analyst

· Anu Menon, CEDAW Policy Analyst

· Emily M. Murase, Executive Director

 

Calvert Group, Ltd.

· Amy Augustine

Manager-Diversity and International Labor Relations

· Emma Fofanah

Social Research Analyst

· Aditi Vora

Social Research Analyst

· E. Diane White

Senior Diversity Advisor

 

Verité

· Shawn MacDonald

Senior Advisor

 

Expert Advisors

Amy Ackerman

Former San Francisco Deputy City Attorney

 

Bonita Banducci

GenderWorks

 

Deborah Campbell

Catalyst

 

Susie Cranston

McKinsey & Company

 

Netsy Firestein

Executive Director

Labor Project for Working Families

 

Ruth Gaube

Symantec

 

Judy Goddess
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI)

 

Francine Gordon, Ph.D.

F. Gordon Group

 

Lindsay Harris

West Coast Workplace Investigations

 

Cecily Joseph

Director, Corporate Responsibility

Symantec

 

Martha Kim

Director of Workplace Programs & Research

Level Playing Field Institute

 

Michelle Leighton

Director, Human Rights Programs

University of San Francisco School of Law

 

Danica MacAvoy

Advisory Services

Business for Social Responsibility

 

Latika Malkani

Attorney

Siegel & Lewitter

 

Linda Marks

Director of Training and Consulting

Hastings' Center for Work Life Law

 

Mary Ann Mason

Professor and Co-Director

Center on Health, Economic and Family Security

UC Berkeley School of Law

 

Ann O'Leary

Executive Director

Center on Health, Economic and Family Security

UC Berkeley School of Law

 

Jacqueline Switzer

Workplace Programs Associate

Level Playing Field Institute

 

Julianne Cartwright Traylor

Associate Director for Administration of International Programs

University of San Francisco School of Law

 

Hillary Weingast

Symantec

 

Joan Williams

Director

Hastings' Center for Work Life Law