Tuesday 8th March is International Women’s Day 2022.

The theme this year is #BreakTheBias, acknowledging that whether deliberate or unconscious, bias makes it difficult for women to thrive.

To mark the occasion, we asked Paula Croeser, Client Solutions Director for RPO, to reflect on the challenges she has faced, the advice she would offer to women entering the world of work and the role organisations must play in order to #BreakTheBias.

Q: Tell us about your career journey so far

A: When I left school, I had no idea what I wanted to do.

Well actually, I did. I wanted to be a vet, but I used to faint at the sight of blood, so I concluded very quickly that I would make a terrible vet!

Instead, I fell into the corporate world and started my career as an entry level customer service agent.

I absolutely loved it. I spent my days talking to clients, providing great service and helping them solve their challenges. This would prove to be the start of a long and extremely fulfilling career in which I would gather skills from a range of interesting (and often challenging) roles. Although the companies and job titles may have changed, I have always been drawn to opportunities that have allowed me to support customers and offer creative solutions to the problems they face.

From very early on, my aspirations were to climb the ladder and become a leader in an organisation. To realise these ambitions, I pushed myself frequently, doing things completely out of my comfort zone. It was tricky as I am not a natural extrovert, but I found that people connected with me as I had excellent listening skills, showed empathy and could see their point of view – valuable skills gained through my time in customer service.

Despite working in what was then a male-dominated environment, through hard work and determination I achieved my goals and have been working in senior leadership roles in the outsourcing business for the last 10 years.

These days, I spend my time as a Client Solutions Director. I lead the growth across Australia and New Zealand for our Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) service, providing clients with tailored solution for all, or parts of their permanent recruitment process. I’m fortunate that I enjoy all aspects of my role, but I’m particularly drawn to the people leadership elements, as I love seeing individuals grow, develop and become the best version of themselves.

Q: What progress have you seen on gender equality during your career?

A: Personally, I think there has been some notable progress made. While the statistics vary between regions, we are seeing an increasing number of women stepping into mid and senior level management roles. Research indicates that the percentage of women holding senior leadership positions in mid-market businesses globally has hit 31%.

Although promising, this is just the beginning. The progress that follows must be quicker and more disruptive, or it will take another 100 years to achieve gender equality, according to the Global Gender Gap Report.

Indeed, there is still an enormous – and worrying - gap evident in the C-Suite. In Canada, men continue to hold over 90% of C-Suite level executive roles. Across Europe, women account for just 8% of CEOs among the largest publicly listed companies.

We desperately need a greater number of women across all job roles and in all industries. Special attention, however, must be paid to increasing the number of women who sit on boards and in other executive positions to ensure equity is driven down into organisations.

There are obvious benefits for businesses too. I’ve lost count of the number of research papers that have shown the relationship between diversity on executive teams and the likelihood of financial outperformance.

Q: How can we encourage more women to pursue management roles?

A: We all need to share our stories and be more open about our fears or the challenges we face, creating a culture in which vulnerability is an accepted, and even favourable, trait amongst leaders.

For those who fear failure, or doubt their abilities, the impact of this vulnerability cannot be understated. I hope that by admitting that I make mistakes, or that I may not always have the answer, more women will have the courage to pursue their goals, comforted by the fact that success does not (and in fact, rarely) equal perfection.

Female leaders also have an important role to play.

While some of us may have climbed – or even built – the ladder to the top, largely without support or guidance, we become better leaders by taking the time to reach back and pull others up, so that they can also enjoy the view. The lessons we have learnt over the years will provide valuable direction for those looking to pursue management roles.

We need to champion other women at every opportunity, supporting not just from the sidelines but also lending time to mentoring and coaching programmes, helping to actively remove obstacles that others may face along the way.

Q: What steps should organisations be taking in order to #BreakTheBias?

A: Organisations must do more than simply pay lip-service to gender equity – although making your commitment public is a useful first step.

When sourcing top talent, remove names and gendered language from CVs to ensure decisions are based on skill, rather than assumption. Similarly, check job advertisements for any biased language that could deter female candidates from applying.

As you are creating your shortlist for interview, strive for a balance of candidates and build diverse interview panels.

Conduct unconscious bias training for every single member of your organisation – and do it often to reinforce key learns. Ensure your succession and promotion processes are transparent – and actively encourage candidates from all backgrounds to advance their career.

And while the pandemic may have ‘swept away’ many of the misconceptions surrounding flexible working or remote teams, it also prompted huge numbers of women to leave the workforce – over 3 million in the US alone. Organisations must dismantle the ‘Flexibility Stigma’, that is, the idea that even when adaptable work options are available, there is a concealed shame in using them.

Advocate and accommodate, offering truly flexible work policies, part-time roles and sabbaticals to help individuals balance their commitments. After all, those that can bring their full self to work will also bring creativity, innovation and loyalty through the door.

Q: What advice would you give to women entering the world of work?

A: My advice to women entering the world of work and striving for success is to set yourself ambitious goals and work tirelessly, day-in and day-out at achieving them.

Do not let anyone tell you that you can’t achieve them. I’ve been told this on multiple occasions throughout my career, but it only made me even more determined.

Push for what you want, make it known - and then make it happen.