‘To achieve full economic potentials, organisations require greater focus on gender diversity’

With only 12.7 percent of board seats occupied by women in Africa’s top listed companies, gender diversity conversation is a topical issue worth discussing if the continent hopes to be globally competitive. TAMARA PARKER, chief executive officer, Mercer South Africa in this interview with KELECHI EWUZIE, she shared some essential points on how organisations in sub-Saharan African can strategically improve performance in diversity and inclusion. EXCERPT:

How would you assess the promotion of gender parity in organizations across Sub-Saharan Africa?

We have seen a significant improvement over the past few years, particularly in key areas such as advancing and retaining female employees. Our research shows that 88 percent of respondents in this region report that their organisations are already focused on improving diversity and inclusion. However, our research also highlights that despite recent progress and achievements such as equal access to leadership roles in the workplace, there is still more work to be done.

What inspired the publishing of ‘When Women Thrive 2020’ report?

Considering that 12.7 percent board seats are held by women in Africa’s top listed companies, the gender diversity conversation requires an even greater focus for Africa to reach its full economic potential. Since 2014, Mercer has been conducting extensive research that provides insights from senior HR and business leaders across the globe covering policies and practices related to diversity, inclusion and gender equity, pay equality, career development amongst others. This year, for the first time, Mercer’s study captures Africa’s voices and actions on the progress companies have made in promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

Achieving equal access to roles that lead to advancement into leadership positions for women in Africa is a huge challenge. What measures should organisations put in place to address this?

Mercer’s research finds that women in about 94 percent of organizations in sub-Saharan Africa have equal access to roles that lead to advancement into leadership positions significantly higher than the global average of 79 percent. The greatest opportunity to improve future representation is through concerted efforts focused on female representation and hiring, that’s the first step.

It is important that organisation’s practices, programs and policies are aligned to support the effort and help ensure an inclusive environment across the board. Additionally, it is important that a comprehensive D&I strategy is in place, with defined metrics that will allow to measure the achievements and accountable employees especially middle and frontline managers.

For you to come this far to become a CEO, you must have had some ups and downs in the journey. Was there at any point in time when you felt like quitting? Any regrets being where you find yourself?

I have 15 years’ experience in human resource consulting focused on diversity and management levels, and an additional 10 years in education. Of course, that throughout my career I have had my ups and downs, as I believe everyone else, but it’s how you overcome them that makes you a better professional and ultimately it also shapes you as a person. I was lucky enough throughout my career to have been managed by phenomenal female role models. Each of these women believed in empowering other women. It shows how important it is to have female role models and how diverse and inclusive leadership drives the development of women.

I have been with Mercer for one year now, and I can say it has been a very rewarding experience. I joined at a very exciting time in the company’s development and it has been a great opportunity to help our clients navigate a dynamically changing environment. I am particularly passionate about D&I and advocating gender balance in the workplace and I feel that at Mercer we are well-positioned to help companies in Africa to move forward towards a more inclusive environment.

Coronavirus pandemic has greatly impacted organisations globally, Is this in any way impacting operations of your company, Mercer South Africa and what measures have been put in place to overcome these challenges?

Despite the challenges and impacts of COVID-19 globally, we have adapted well, supporting our people and our clients with empathy, agility and resilience.

As a global organisation, we had a solid adaptable business continuity plan (BCD) in place that allowed us to navigate through this pandemic. Additionally, we gathered information from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and followed government guidelines. Through channels like pulse surveys, meet-up virtual sessions, local and global town halls, etc., we listened to the concerns of our employees and put together actions that would help them navigate the crisis as best as possible.

When you look at economic indices like poverty, high unemployment rate, health and food crisis, among others in Africa. What advice do you have for the present African leaders to address these issues?

At Mercer we put great emphasis on putting people first, with a focus on leading with empathy while growing the economy. With Africa’s diverse people, leaders have to adopt a multi-stakeholder approach that talks to the entire ecosystem to alleviate some of the challenges we face. Considering that human capital is a key contributor to growing Africa’s economy, investing in developing skills for the future is one of the most crucial strategies to ensure that women and youth have access to career and business opportunities. Our bulging youth population, with approximately 60% jobless in Africa, as well as women, are a limitless resource yet they remain an untapped pool of talent. Leaders are yet to accelerate their efforts to ensure thriving human capital in the region, such as quality skill development programmes, affordable healthcare, an equitable, fair and inclusive workplace and so forth.

Increasingly, technology is narrowing the space for professional practices across all sectors with its disruptive impact. How true is this? How prepared are you as a chief executive officer of a company for this new normal going forward?

Technology is important, but so are humans. If we take COVID-19 as an example, this pandemic has accelerated changes in the way organisations around the world are working and will continue to work into the future. Particularly in challenging times, leading employers are focusing on their workforce, specifically fostering healthy lifestyles, supporting financial wellness, providing skills and training as careers change due to AI and technology developments.

My priority is our people and I am focused on looking for ways to preserve their health and well-being and keep them energized and productive, supporting them and our clients throughout this phase. It is what we, at Mercer, call balancing empathy and economics.

What are the positive measures countries like Rwanda, South Africa and Ethiopia have taken to improve diversity and inclusion. What lessons can Nigeria and other African countries learn?

Where political leaders have put diversity and inclusion top of the agenda, countries such as Rwanda, South Africa and Ethiopia continue to make great strides. Not only do their leaders advocate for gender diversity in public but they have introduced legislation to promote gender parity in the public and private sectors. Equally, business leaders have responded by actively engaging in initiatives that afford women access to career and business opportunities. To help realise their full potential, companies review their policies constantly to ensure an equitable, fair and inclusive workplace. Some of the policies that have been introduced in the workplace are paternity leave, flexible working arrangements to attract a diverse workforce, disability benefits to help employees manage their unique needs and so forth. To support their country agenda, business leaders have ensured that accountability resides with everyone in the business, including line managers in their efforts to promote diversity and inclusion.