Flexibility, pay transparency and menopause policies rank high for women employees

When it comes to what women need in the workplace to thrive, the data is clear that flexible working, pay transparency, menopause policies and removing the gender pay gap are key priorities.

But a new What Women Want report has revealed that demand for these wants and needs are growing increasingly louder as women get more frustrated with slow progress from employers. The latest survey findings come from Work180.

Flexible working is, by far, the most in-demand benefit for women, with three-quarters of the 769 respondents priositing it over a “top of market” salary.

“Companies wishing to build and benefit from a diverse workforce should beware of ignoring such insights this year,” said CEOs and co-founders of Work180, Gemma Lloyd and Valeria Ignatieva.

“While the wants and needs of women shared in this report are much the same as previous years, there’s a sense that the voices are louder. Women are frustrated with empty public promises and angry at workplaces’ lack of progress.”

Predominantly women, the survey respondents in Australia who voiced their workplace priorities ranged in age from 26 to 46 years old.

Among the generation Z respondents (those born 1997-2012), the demand for transparency was loudest – a significant finding as this is the generation set to represent roughly a quarter of all employees by 2025.

Coming in as the second and third most important policies to respondents overall, however, are those working to prevent sexual harassment and promoting pay transparency. Sixty-nine percent of respondents said a hidden or vague salary would put them off applying or proceeding with an application.

A menopause policy also emerged as a top priority for respondents for the first time. Considering that approximately 25% of the working population is impacted by menopause symptoms at any given time, Work180 says that “How to implement menopause leave” was the most downloaded resource by employers in their job platform in 2023.

Eighty-six percent of respondents want to know what employers are doing to remove and/or maintain a zero-gender pay gap. But 55% said they would still apply to a workplace with a poor gender pay gap if they could prove a commitment to closing it.

Earlier this year, employers with 100 or more employees became required to publish their gender pay gap data publicly. Nevertheless, Lloyd says that even those employers who’ve had to reveal their poor gaps “can take comfort” in this latest survey data as it shows that women will still apply for positions if the company can prove their commitment to closing the pay gap.

Almost two-thirds (62%) of women said they are open to opportunities with a new employer, with 23% actively looking.

However, workplace discrimination continues to prohibit women’s full participation, with 46% feeling unable to be their true selves in their current workplace.

The report notes that this disappointing number rises for those facing discrimination against multiple facets of their identity, such as 51% for those with a hidden disability, 52% for women of colour and 72% for those over 56.

“Our findings from our survey and hands-on support of employers through the last 12 months, prove the positive impact of an ongoing commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion,” said Lloyd.