Global Compact International Yearbook 2013
103
Good Practice
Labour Standards
anywhere, meaning that womenwho are
the sole caretakers of their children and
cannot be in an office or workplace at
certain times of the day have the option
of flexible hours and telecommuting.
Across the world, ManpowerGroup is
committed to providing training, expe-
rience, and employment opportunities
to help women unleash their potential
anywhere at any time.
•
Manpower in Australia has launched
several recent initiatives to increase the
proportion of women in the Australian
Defense Force, resulting inmore women
applying for a diverse number of roles in
the military. Manpower Defense Force
Recruiting centers around the country
have been developing Women in Army
information sessions, including guest
speakers. One recruit, who is also a
single parent, provided excellent insight
to those in attendance on how the army
has supported her and her family.
•
In France, an energy company was faced
with a serious lack of skilled electri-
cians. To fill these positions, Manpower
France developed a custom solution to
help source, train, and recruit women
for the roles, which have traditionally
been filled by men. The program is now
being introduced nationwide.
•
In Hong Kong, a nationwide staffing
initiative recruits unemployed or un-
derskilled women found through NGOs
and nonprofits to fill a large number of
support positions working in hard-to-fill
roles at more than 60 public libraries.
•
Our operations in Mexico and Cen-
tral America have taken steps to help
women with disabilities find work, in-
cluding sponsoring those with visual
impairment so they can train as mas-
sage therapists, as well as providing
scholarships to assist 129 women in
completing high school.
Inside our own organization, women
account for more than 70 percent of
ManpowerGroup’s managers globally.
For the fifth consecutive year in 2013,
ManpowerGroup was named one of
America’s Top Corporations by the
Women’s Business Enterprise National
Council in recognition of the company
instituting programs offering equal ac-
cess to women-owned businesses and
world-class supplier diversity.
ManpowerGroup was also named a 2020
Women on Boards Winning Company
for its commitment to board diversity –
30
percent of ManpowerGroup’s board
of directors are female. I am proud to
work for an organization that values
diversity of thought, experience, and
perspectives regardless of gender.
Today’s era of certain uncertainty de-
mands new ways of working, sharing,
and collaborating that makes old models
unsustainable. This means companies
should address their leadership models,
people-practices, and talent sources, and
revise their internal systems, culture,
engagement, and training practices to
create new, flexible work models so that
high-performing women can contribute
and unleash their full potential.
At a time of acute talent shortages, mak-
ing a workplace more flexible and at-
tractive to women can give companies a
significant advantage over competitors.
I am proud to recognize International
Women’s Day but look forward to a time
when the world no longer needs such a
day because our societies have achieved
equality in the workforce and have un-
leashed the potential of all people.
Seven female electricians with a
ManpowerGroup France employee.
ManpowerGroup helped source, train,
and recruit the women to tackle an
energy company’s talent shortages.
Mara Swan is ManpowerGroup Executive Vice
President, Global Strategy and Talent.