Christian Women in the Workplace discuss equality
Equality in the workplace and fair compensation were at the center of discussion at the Christian Women in the Workplace luncheon on June 12.
About 30 women attended the Gender Equality & Compensation Panel Discussion, held at John Brown University’s Simmons Great Hall.
Panelists were Amy Fisher, director of human resources for JBU; brothers Bruce and Blair Johanson, founders of the nationally recognized human resources firm, Johanson Group; and Cammie Scott, president of CK Harp & Associates, a company specializing in employee benefits programs. They were moderated by Kim Hadley, JBU vice president of finance and administration.
Fisher, who is president of the Northwest Arkansas Human Resources Association, assembled the group of panelists from her colleagues in the organization.
The local Christian Women in the Workplace organization was first established on the Interstate 49 corridor, according to Dominique Seitz, a member of the leadership team for the original organization and founding member of the Siloam Springs chapter. The Siloam Springs chapter of Christian Women in the Workplace was created for women who have a hard time driving to Bentonville or Rogers for the lunch events. The group hosts regular munch and mingle events as well as seminars.
The Gender Equality & Compensation Panel Discussion was
inspired by issues women often hesitate to talk about, Seitz said.
“Our leadership team was talking about issues that go undiscussed — pay, gender equality, compensation, those are all those things we talk about, we wonder about, but we don’t ever really ask about outside of HR,” Seitz said. “It’s kind of taboo, (women think) ‘Oh, I don’t want to be a troublemaker, I don’t want to be viewed as that girl.’”
Seitz thought a panel discussion might be a great opportunity to bring those difficult to discuss topics into a more open setting and talk about them. She also saw it as a way to educate women on the ins and outs of how to talk about gender equality and compensation.
Sarah Thurstenson, a founding member of the Siloam Springs chapter, said equality in the workplace is a hot topic. Sometimes women are paid less than men, but there are a lot of factors such as education, experience and qualifications that have to be considered.
“For Christian women, there is a fine line between the feminist movement and not wanting to be that person, but needing to stand up for yourself in a respectful way and just kind of how do you do that these days without being abrasive, you don’t want to be a doormat, that whole balance.”
Panelists discussed equality from the perspective of employers and employees. Companies need to be intentional about making sure compensation is structured equally, Fisher said. It is helpful if the companies are also intentional about making decisions to have gender and racial diversity at all levels of leadership, she said.
Women who are looking for jobs, or negotiating within their own company, should prepare themselves with facts.
“Know where you are applying, do some research, come armed and competent with knowledge about the job you are going after,” Fisher said.
It is important to negotiate using facts rather
Fand or Christian women, there is a fine line between the feminist movement not wanting to be that person, but needing to stand up for yourself in a respectful way and just kind of how do you do that these days without being abrasive, you don’t want to be a doormat, that whole balance. Sarah Thurstenson Founding member, Siloam Springs chapter of Christian Women in the Workplace
than emotion, Hadley said. Government agencies, such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics, are a good place to start research on pay scales, Fisher said.
There are more factors than just pay to consider when applying for a job, including flexibility and total compensation, Hadley said.
“(Consider) what do you want out of this job, what works for your family and your circumstances and your situation,” Seitz said.
Seitz said she was pleased with the way the discussion went.
“It was very positive because these things can get a little polarizing and so that was just awesome that it was a positive event and the panelists were great,” she said.