International Women’s Day 2023 - #EmbraceEquity: what is equity and how can we foster it at work?

News

‘Imagine a gender equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination. A world that's diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated. Together we can forge women's equality. Collectively we can all #EmbraceEquity.’

These powerful words from the organisers of International Women’s Day include an important term which IWFM fully endorses in its commitment to ensuring all people within the workplace and facilities management profession feel included, valued, supported, and that they belong.

That term is ‘equity’ and it’s relatively underused, especially when compared to the more familiar ‘equality’.

What is ‘equity’ and how is it different to ‘equality’?

Equity and equality are closely related but there is an important difference which explains why IWFM focuses on ‘equity’ instead of ‘equality’ for our EDI (equity, diversity and inclusion) project which aims to drive change in the sector.

• Equality means everyone receives the same support and opportunities.
• Equity means individuals are provided with the level of support they require, based on their specific needs, to ensure fair treatment and equal opportunity.

Therefore, a society that aims for equality instead of equity cannot achieve true equality because it would fail to address barriers and challenges which are unique to certain people.

For example, a person who identifies as a woman may have an equal opportunity to apply for a job, but how equal is it if, for example, the employer believes a male is better suited for the role, is wary of the candidate potentially taking maternity leave, or doesn’t have policies to accommodate common challenges like the menopause?

And that’s without considering potential intersectional issues (that is, when barriers and challenges are multiplied by other personal characteristics), such as age, class, disability, gender reassignment, ethnicity, relationship status, religion belief, and sexual orientation.
 

How can we foster equity in the workplace?

This is the burning question which causes much debate, but in essence it should involve developing policies and processes which are mindful of accessibility and inclusivity, remove barriers, mitigate bias and prejudice, and ensure fairness at every stage.

In his recent article to mark Race Equality Week, Matt Chapman (CEO of SB-FM and a member of the IWFM EDI Focus Group) discussed using technology to improve equity in the workplace:

‘A potential answer lies in data and metrics such as performance, reviews and people’s holistic feedback, but not as the be-all and end-all. Technology will support us on this journey […] We need a system that both values individuals but builds in an impartial and balanced playing field when it comes to recruitment and performance.’

Building on this, an example of fostering equity in practice could be helping to remove barriers in recruitment by ensuring: job descriptions are inclusive and advertised on a variety of channels; the application process is accessible and excludes all identifying information; interviews are conducted and scored by a panel made up of diverse characteristics; and the final decision is driven by data.

Some may feel this would be a step too far, but for others it wouldn’t go far enough. For instance, many people argue for quotas or exclusive hiring practices which target particular characteristics, while detractors believe these practices perpetuate discrimination and unfairness instead of helping to reduce them.

Next steps and getting involved

As well as celebrating women today, we are pleased to announce our collaboration with the editors of our award-winning Facilitate magazine to investigate progress in gender pay equity and board representation within FM. Once our work is complete, we will share where progress has been made, where more focus is needed, and how organisations are driving progress.

What do you think is the best way to foster equity in the workplace? Let us know by emailing [email protected] with ‘Equity ideas’ in the subject line and join the conversation. All voices are welcome.

You can find out more about the IWFM EDI project and our volunteer EDI Focus Group which drives its work by visiting our About Us page.

If you’re an IWFM member, you can also join the IWFM Women in FM SIG which strives to encourage inclusivity for all, as well as focusing on CPD and networking.