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VWW's office remains closed as staff primarily work remotely. Please contact us in advance if you need to visit our Winooski office; our team is available via phone or email.

Gender Equity in the Workplace

Research shows that gender-inclusive workspaces improve team outcomes, lead to more innovation and problem-solving, enhance recruitment and retention, and improve your bottom line.

We offer a variety of gender equity services for employers and schools to create inclusive and equitable workplaces and learning environments.

Our services, which are tailored to the individual needs of a company or school, include professional development workshops, focus groups, employee resource groups, and ongoing support.

Contact Us Today
Vermont Works for Women Program Manager Missy Mackin speaks to dozens of employees at AO Glass.

Gender Equity Workplace Program

Learning about equity issues and moving the needle on workplace culture change is an ongoing process that takes dedicated time and intention. This program offers continued engagement and learning over the course of several months, which is proven to be more effective than a one-time workshop. Each step in the program builds on the previous steps. The Gender Equity Workplace Program consists of:

  • Employee Focus Group: Through a series of confidential focus groups with female employees, we gather information about how they experience the workspace as women and gender-expansive folks, what is going well, and what could improve. (90min)
  • Pre-Survey: online survey to gauge staff knowledge and interest in topics covered in our workshops and inform the focus of our training content.
  • Busting Gender Bias Part One Workshop(90 min) see description below
    • Follow-up work to be completed after Part One
  • Busting Gender Bias Part Two Workshop(90 min) see description below
    • Follow-up work to be completed after Part Two
  • VWW Report: VWW will draft a summary report of key observations, takeaways, and recommendations from group sessions and checklist assessments and meet with management or leadership to review and help set goals for next steps.
  • GEAR Membership: one-year complimentary membership to Gender Equity Advancement Roundtable for continued learning and support.

Other Available Services

(Part One) This workshop will explore the messages we all received growing up about gender and how those messages continue to influence our attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors today. We will review terms related to gender and discuss gender norms through facilitated small-group conversations. (Part Two) Participants will dive deeper into the concept of implicit bias and learn about microaggressions or “everyday bias” that frequently shows up in more subtle ways. Finally, participants will learn how to be good allies and practice “ready responses” that can be used to interrupt bias. (3 hrs; can be split into two 90-min workshops)

Did you know job seekers spend just 49.7 seconds reviewing a listing before deciding it’s not a fit? What do potential employees see when they visit your job listings? This workshop will provide a brief recap of the economic benefits of workplace diversity and provide tools and strategies for attracting diverse candidates to your company or organization. We will review internal and external messaging, effective job descriptions, and best practices for interviewing for diversity. Lastly, we will talk about some benefits and supports that help to create a “human-friendly” workplace that will make any employee want to stay for the long haul! (2 hrs)

Vermont Works for Women is available to help employers and organizations assess the working environment for women and gender-expansive individuals in their companies and advise or make recommendations for improvements. Through a series of confidential focus groups with employees, we gather information about how they experience the workspace as women and gender-expansive folks, what is going well, and what could improve. We then provide this feedback with recommendations to the management team.

ERGs provide spaces for networking, mentorship, and professional development, help to attract and retain employees, increase employee satisfaction, provide an engaging and fulfilling work experience, and help create more inclusive workplaces. VWW will help businesses initiate and establish ERGs that promote gender equity, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace and identify leaders with the capacity and interest in maintaining group momentum.

Gender Equity Advancement Roundtable (GEAR) is a space for businesses, nonprofits, schools, and advocates to learn about best practices and policies for supporting women in the workplace. For a one-time annual fee, GEAR members are invited to four learning sessions each year where they hear from equity experts, access resources and tools, and network with other employers who are working to implement equity and inclusion into their everyday operations.

“I really enjoyed your workshop! You really encouraged everyone to reflect on these issues on a deeper level and I thought the breakout rooms were a good idea to accomplish this.”

- Workshop Participant

“Abigail and Alison were awesome. They made a safe space to discuss the topic of Creating a Respectful Workplace, a topic that isn't always easy to talk about. They made it so that we felt comfortable sharing our thoughts and opinions. The subject matter was very helpful and I thought the presentation was really well done.”

- Workshop Participant

“Well facilitated, thought provoking, and informative.”

- Workshop Participant

“Great presentation/conversation. Thank you. I thought the "here is some language you can use to intervene" slides were particularly helpful.”

- Workshop Participant

“This was truly great. I have been to several of these and I felt like we had a very genuine conversation thanks to the great lead and moderating by Alison, Missy, and Abbie.”

- Workshop Participant

Resources

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Category Title Type
Training Opportunities Mercy Connections Fall Program Guide Website GO
Training Opportunities 1-year Internship for Young Adults with Disabilities, UVMMC, Burlington – Sign Up Now Website GO
Training Opportunities ReSOURCE Construction 101 Burlington Dates PDF download
Policy Recommendations VWW 2024 Advocacy Priorities PDF download
Policy Recommendations Data for an Inclusive Economic Recovery Website GO
Community Resources Guide to Allyship Website GO
Employment Resources State of Vermont Workplaces for All Website GO
Research and Data Glossary of Terms – VWW curated PDF download
Margaret Overman
Contact Us

Margaret OvermanGender Equity Services Manager

802-655-8900 x120 moverman@vtworksforwomen.org

Contact our Gender Equity team today to learn more about our services and identify which would be a good fit for you and your workspace.