Glass ceiling

What is the glass ceiling?

The glass ceiling is a metaphorical term used to describe an invisible barrier that prevents women and minorities from advancing to higher positions in the workplace, particularly in leadership roles. It refers to the obstacles and biases that prevent individuals from reaching their full potential in their careers, even if they possess the necessary skills and qualifications.

The term was originally coined in the 1980s to describe the discriminatory practices that kept women from advancing beyond a certain level in the corporate world. The glass ceiling can take many forms, including gender and racial stereotypes, lack of mentorship and networking opportunities, and systemic discrimination in hiring and promotion processes.

What effect does the glass ceiling have on businesses?

The glass ceiling phenomenon can cause several negative effects on businesses. As such it is a disruptive factor that can affect companies working in any industry, and should be avoided at all costs. Some of the most notable effects include:

1. Loss of talent: The glass ceiling prevents women and minorities from reaching their full potential and advancing to leadership positions. As a result, businesses may lose out on talented employees who may leave to pursue better opportunities elsewhere.
2. Lack of diversity: When women and minorities are not represented in leadership positions, businesses may lack diversity of thought and perspective, which can limit innovation and creativity.
3. Decreased morale and productivity: The perception that there are limits to career advancement based on gender or race can lead to decreased morale and productivity among employees.
4. Legal and reputational risks: Businesses that are perceived as discriminatory may face legal and reputational risks, including lawsuits and damage to their brand reputation.
5. Missed opportunities: By not tapping into the full potential of their employees, businesses may miss out on opportunities to improve their bottom line, innovate, and compete in the marketplace.

How can HR professionals break the glass ceiling?

Given how many negative effects the glass ceiling entails it’s crucial for HR professionals to work towards shattering it completely. The following steps will enable you to do so:

1. Establishing clear diversity and inclusion policies: HR companies can create policies that promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace. These policies should address issues such as hiring practices, promotion opportunities, and bias in performance evaluations.
2. Conducting regular diversity training: HR companies can conduct regular diversity training sessions for all employees to raise awareness of unconscious biases and promote understanding of different perspectives.
3. Promoting mentorship and sponsorship programs: HR companies can create mentorship and sponsorship programs to help women and minorities advance in their careers. These programs can provide guidance, support, and networking opportunities.
4. Reviewing hiring and promotion practices: HR companies can review their hiring and promotion practices to ensure that they are fair and unbiased. This may involve analyzing data on diversity and inclusion, creating diverse candidate slates, and implementing objective performance evaluations.
5. Creating a culture of accountability: HR companies can create a culture of accountability where everyone is responsible for promoting diversity and inclusion. This may involve setting goals for diversity and inclusion and measuring progress toward those goals.

One of the best ways you can work on reducing the impact of the glass ceiling at your workplace is by adopting a tool like PeopleForce. This will allow you to monitor the performance of your employees without regard to their gender or background, to ensure oversight is focused entirely on data-driven reports. Request a free demo today to find out more.