Mercer declares its commitment to promoting a gender balanced workspace

In the context of International Women’s Day (IWD) earlier this month, global health and wealth management consultancy Mercer has declared its commitment to actively introducing greater gender balance in its career services across Africa. The announcement aligns with the motto for IWD this year: Balance for Better.

The global firm has become increasingly active across the African market recent years, primarily with the objective of capitalising on some of the more lucrative regions to invest in on the continent. Sin 2017, the firm established a presence in Morocco and subsequently partnered with an HR solution firm in Nigeria.

Last year, the firm partnered with a Zimbabwe-based HR consultancy by the name of Advisory K and subsequently partnered with an HR standardisation body in Ghana, signifying the geographical scope of its operations in Africa. Since the start of the year, the firm has collaborated with Learning Organisation in Ghana to offer HR solutions.

All these operations are now set to operate from a more gender-balanced perspective, as per new declarations from the firm. This perspective will include a greater focus on developing HR programmes that incorporate women’s health through education campaigns and more flexible parental leave guidelines.

As per the firm, ensuring the mental and physical wellness of women in the workplace is crucial to retaining their services in an organisational setting. As a result, Mercer has asserted that inclusion is a strategy that firms must employ, and is looking to support clients across the continent with the same. 

Commenting on the move, Nicol Mulins, Principal and Leader for the Career Business at Mercer South Africa said, “Diversity is our nature, inclusion is our choice. Value is created when an environment is shaped to embrace unique views across gender, ethnicity and age future of work is mainly about sparking connections, building an environment that promotes a coherent sense of identity.”

On the other hand, HR Partner at Mercer Lerato Tsolo said that African companies still lagged behind other countries that have strong gender practices. “Such companies have also created a conducive environment supported by gender specific policies and programmes. We still have a long way to go,” she said.