10+ Tips To Keep Women Safe At Work

1. Raise awareness

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One of the main ways to keep women safe at work is to raise awareness among everybody about the important matter. Make everybody aware of what is going on, what concerns there are in not only your workplace but workplaces all over, and how we can tackle these issues, as well as prevent them from happening in the future. It's important for men and women to be aware so that they know what behavior is unacceptable and should be reported.

2. Have a zero-tolerance approach

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Having a zero-tolerance approach is one way to send a clear message of just how serious women's safety is within your workplace. It means that any form of harassment, or misconduct, etc will not be tolerated under any circumstance with no exceptions to the rule. This makes it super clear that nobody can violate this rule, helping to keep women safe.

3. Do regular training programs

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Holding regular training programmes is so important for addressing women's safety as it is a practical approach to tackling the matter and ensures that everybody is up to date with matters that are to do with women's safety. This could include, how to step in if you witness somebody threatening a woman's safety or how to recognize different forms of harassment for example.

4. Have a proactive HR

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The key to keeping women safe is to be proactive rather than reactive. This way you are always working to prevent things from happening, rather than responding once they have already occurred. So a proactive HR will be very on top of recognizing signs of behavior that may lead to a woman being unsafe, therefore, they can stop this before it happens.

5. Have an open line of communication

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Having an open line of communication means that people feel comfortable expressing their concerns no matter whether these are big incidents or seemings small concerns. It means that there is a level of trust and that this is an open conversation where nobody feels too scared to report incidents or to express any uncomfortable feelings in case of repercussions or retaliation.

6. Make sure that it is something everyone is aware of

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If not everybody is aware of it then it's a problem, because women's safety is something that everybody should be educated on. And this is the job of a workplace to do this to be able to ensure women's safety whilst at work. Make sure people know what is involved with women's safety and the kinds of behaviors that put this at risk, for example, this could even be sexist language.

7. Encourage women to speak out

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Often women may find that they do not want to speak out for fear of being called a liar or not being believed and instead of finding support, being humiliated and treated with contempt. It is so important that the workplace is the opposite of this to keep women safe. It should encourage women to open up and support them in doing so, before, during, AND after.

8. Have a fair balance of men and women in high-status roles

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Statistically, workplaces with predominantly male-dominant employees, especially within higher roles, have more reports of sexual harassment and sexism in the workplace. So as well as creating equal opportunities it is also important to have a mixture of women and men in different roles because it promotes women's safety. This is because there is a balance of women, where males do not feel that they are dominant.

9. Take every incident seriously

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If an incident is brushed under the carpet, or it is treated without seriousness then this sends a huge message to the workplace that women's safety is not important. So every single case has to be treated with the utmost care and attention to send a message that women will be heard and that whoever is putting their safety at risk will face serious repercussions for doing so.

10. Ensure there's a platform where concerns can be voiced

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There has to be a platform to raise concerns, otherwise, it means that even if people want to voice their concerns there may not be an opportunity, they won't know how or they may not feel comfortable enough. This is why it's so important that a clear platform is in place. For example, have an anonymous reporting system so that nobody feels embarrassed or singled out when wanting to express their concerns.

11. Educate the entire workplace on unacceptable behavior

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This cannot be underestimated in importance because what people may deem unacceptable may be just a tiny proportion of unacceptable things. For example, inappropriate comments made by males to women can leave a woman feeling unsafe in their workplace. These kinds of interactions need to be flagged to educate everyone on the kinds of behavior that some of society has normalized, yet it is unacceptable.

12. Support maternity and pregnancy needs

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Often women feel penalized when it comes to working and pregnancy. If they choose to be a mother then they often find themselves in a worse position at some point in work, despite discrimination laws in place. For example, workplaces should have safe and private spaces to go where they can breastfeed or breast pump. Pregnancy facilities are important for women's safety.

13. Conduct regular surveys

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It's a good idea to conduct random surveys or questionnaires where people can anonymously (if they want) fill it in in their own time and post it back into a box. This may get a more accurate representation as somebody may be intimidated to talk face to face and the option to do it anonymously can help some people. And, it may also flag up things that haven't been reported because someone may not have known if they should or not.

14. Promote a culture of respect

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Everybody in the workplace should be treated with equal respect. And as a company, this should be instilled within the mantra of the workplace and enforced from the very first interview of an employee to make sure that respect is something that is ingrained within the workplace. This way, it is more likely that women will be more respected and that their safety will be more ensured.

15. Have a person of contact

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It's important that if something does happen to a woman, they have a point of contact to be able to get in touch with. This way, there is no confusion as to who they can contact. And, it will take away the stress of informing the wrong person and feeling as though multiple people will be informed as a result. This person of contact must be somebody trusted, and of course, it's better to be a woman to make other women in the workplace feel more secure.

16. Have a thorough background check process

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Of course, it is the responsibility of the workplace to make it safe for women, but it also comes down to individuals too. And this can be more controlled if the workplace conducts thorough background checks on its employees to decipher if there is anyone who has reports of misconduct that could endanger the safety of women. This isn't always a foolproof method, but it is an added safety procedure.

17. Support whistleblowers

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A whistleblower raises a red flag anonymously and it is intended to call attention to the workplace when something has occurred so that the person making the claims is protected and faces no repercussions. Whistleblowing should not be deterred in the workplace. If the workplace aims to make women safe then whistleblowing should be something that is encouraged so that they can keep on improving the work environment.

18. Address any gender bias

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Gender bias within the workplace has been raised as an issue we need to tackle in recent years. It has been difficult to eradicate as gender bias ran much deeper, it was ingrained into society. This can no longer be the case. And to protect women, gender bias must be eradicated in all ways. This covers everything from pay to the acknowledgment of women's health issues, for example, not just pregnancy but also major life stages such as the menopause.

19. Collaborate with law enforcement

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Serious incidents in regard to women's health must not be dealt with internally. They must be taken to law enforcement so that they can be dealt with in bigger terms. This demonstrates to everybody how serious the matter is, and it also deals with the issues in a way that the law deems correct. Serious issues that aren't reported are a serious failure to women and their future safety!

20. Ensure that there are equal opportunities

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Opportunities within the workplace must be equal so that they do not favor one gender. The opportunity must be able to be attended by everyone, and it must be open without bias. This will also help ensure that there is more diversity throughout the workplace which will not only help safety but also help to get rid of gender bias and create a fairer environment.

21. Be attentive to the workplace dynamic

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There's nothing more important in a business or a company than the workplace. So if the workplace isn't happy, the workplace has failed. This means that when the dynamic feels a little bit 'off' this isn't something to be ignored, it should be addressed. Then you can decipher what is wrong and get to the bottom of it. This could be imperative to a woman's safety and how they feel at work.

22. Install panic buttons

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Panic buttons are a small red buttons that can be pressed to alert the police that someone is in trouble, or that you need help. Panic buttons could be one way to help women feel safe in the workplace as they feel as though if they are in trouble or feel that they are in a bad situation they can get help discreetly and as quickly as possible by simply pressing one small button.

23. Ask women how they could feel safer

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One of the most simple ways and most overlooked ways to help feel women safer is to ask them! They know better than anybody how they could feel better in the workplace and what procedures or policies could be put into place to help them feel more secure and more safe. These suggestions can then be taken on board and implemented within the workplace. So it not only helps their safety, but it also helps them feel heard!

24. Provide equipment that facilitates everybody

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Workplaces should never discriminate against someone in the workplace due to a lack of diverse facilities, whether this be that somebody is disabled, or be it that someone s a woman! For example, some studies have shown that physical jobs discriminate against women not only in the selection process but also because they do not have equipment that fits a woman meaning.

25. Offer mental health facilities

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Mental health is a huge problem in society and now it is so important that the workplace puts measures in place to help their employees. So for example, it is a good idea to have mental health facilities such as therapists on site. Then, women who have faced traumas can access the help they need which will also help to ensure the mental state of women within the workplace.

26. Address online safety and harassment

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Women's safety isn't just a  concern in the physical sense, it can also be a concern online within the workplace. Several women have shared stories of being harassed online within a work environment. Some have experienced unsolicited explicit images being sent under a work pretense, so the men sending them to disguise the message in an email, for example, relying on the woman being too embarrassed to report it!

27. Organize safety workshops

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Something important to consider when it comes to women's safety is that it's a message which should not ONLY be discussed verbally, but it should also be shown and demonstrated through workshops. This could be, for example, demonstrating what to do when you see a situation where a woman may be endangered. These workshops may be even more beneficial than instructions alone.

28. Encourage opportunities for women

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Some studies have found that women will not go for certain opportunities as they feel intimidated due to certain things being deemed a 'male space'. So, it is not often that a woman doesn't want to participate in certain roles, it may be that they feel out of place. This is why opportunities for women should be actively pushed so that they join in and participate.

29. Ensure safe transportation for employees

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Some women have discussed that it is not necessarily the work environment alone in which they sometimes feel unsafe, but it is the commuting to and from work. Getting public transport in the dark for example can feel unsafe for women who may be leaving work later or leaving work in winter time who have to get the bus/ train etc. Shuttle Buses to the station can help solve this problem!

30. Have group trust-building exercises

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Team buildings are a point of contention, some people think that they are beneficial whilst other people dismiss them as a waste of time. But in terms of building bonds and an element of trust within the workplace, they can be very beneficial. When a group develops a bond it may help people look out for one another and feel safer and more secure within the workplace.