Questions to Gitte Andersen, Global Head of Workplace Management & Design at SIGNAL – the workplace advisory experts inside ISS Group

What does IWD mean to you?

It means a lot! During the last 36 years on every IWD we have been 25 women who have meat at my place supporting each other in career path, discussing how to take initiatives to challenge inequality in general, getting  more women in top management and leadership, equal salary for equal jobs, equality in the home sharing all so also women can be entrepreneurs and start own companies, something a lot of us in this group of great women have done successful! In our younger days we all participated in the more political celebration of IWD, large meetings being held around Copenhagen to discuss the great inequality for women around the world! There is so much to do, and it goes far too slow!

Why haven't we achieved equality, despite legislation in place regarding pay? 

I think it has a lot to do with:

A: we need to share childbirth equality between the father and the mother, so women do not put their career on hold in several years if giving birth to 2-3 kids. We are the already behind when coming back to the job market.

B: we need to challenge “old boys’ network” when positioning new leaders to the job – look around you there is a lot of great women ready

C: we need to encourage women to be their own boss. Start your own business, marry a man who will support you, create network in society to support young female entrepreneurs

D: we need to increase that the laws about equal salary, and in general equality is being measured and that companies are actually being hold up on this. Let’s get the equality index out in the open, from the bottom to the top!  Do your company have an equality strategy? Not just saying it, but doing it, every day, showing data that documents’ moving in the right direction in a faster pace than now!

E: we need to have mentor programs for brining women to the top and lead. Already from the first job this should be issued, talking about having ambitions to have a career and take up leadership!

How would you advise young women leaders on how to build confidence in their ability as a manager and leader? 

Have the ambition; it’s so much needed in our society, be a role model for your own child, ensure you have  network around you to help, discuss when the times get rough, marry a man that will support you, share all tasks at home equally, get a mentor on your job, have a strategy for how to make your dreams come through! Educate yourself and keep on doing it, then you will get there!

What advice would you give to the next generation of female leaders? 

The same! And don’t take NO for an answer. If we cannot get to the top in existing companies, then go out and start new companies where women can lead and show a new way of leadership!

What initiatives should companies invest in to promote women in leadership? 

Mentorship already when having interns - young employees, lifelong education in leadership, talk about it in all career conversation, encourage to have the ambition, make new ways of career paths; women still have to give birth to children, it must NOT delay their career, host incubator and stat up events, set them up with role models in professional networks, talk about it, give space, take risks, let them try!!! 

Is there a particular leader you look up to? 

Not one – but SO many – all woman who have taken risk, started their own companies, challenged the “old boys’ network” and shown other ways of leadership. When I was young starting my own architect company there were no female architect entrepreneurs in DK – and 50% of the newly educated female architect were unemployed because no-one would give them jobs and pay for the maternity leave...this has changed, luckily…but then I promised myself I would do better and be an example for my kids and follow my dream working with what inspired me and where I could make a different. At SIGNAL I think we are the architect company in DK with the largest number of maternity leave per employees, and it has never been a problem for us to be competitive, develop the company, etc… 

What advice will you give to your younger self? 

What I already promised myself when I was young. I wanted to do better than what I saw women in my family and had the chance to grow and lead when they were young! Being an example for my kids.

Do women in our sector have a hard time getting promoted? 

YES! Not only in our sector but in most sectors. Look at the data! The documentation is there. How many women in the very top, at board level, in middle management, etc…? It is just going way too slowly!

If you could choose one recommendation for HR leaders to help promote women in the workplace, what would it be? 

Pay real attention to it, make strategies for it, make mentorships, networks, plans to be brought to real life, measure it and document ambitious progress every year, take risks, coach on the road to get great (HR measurement on HR performance?) The equality index: not only for women – but all minorities to have equal chances to rise and shine!

How are you paying it forward?

Today, I’m mentoring several young women, mentoring start-ups, still discussing in my IWD network how political and specific profiles can make a  change for our daughters; we can help each other giving all the courage they need to take more than baby steps going forward!!

Gitte Andersen

SIGNAL / ISS