Workplace gender diversity is of vital importance to the profitability of a company. The concept of equality between genders has been discussed for a long time. According to the Minerva Foundation for B.C. women, gender diversity at the workplace is important for the increase of the net income of a business. The modern times seem to have opened the eyes of more business owners, who started to break the ice between the genders. CEO of the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) Jim Lightbody admitted that gender diversity is the best thing for the Canadian gaming company and he is entirely committed to that idea.
Top companies in gaming and entertainment business have made a noteworthy progress by appointing women into their senior leadership. Mr. Lightbody reminded that 16 years ago, when he joined the executive table of the company, there was not even a single woman among all members. At present, things have changed drastically. There are no more prejudices against women in the workplace and 4 places out of 9 possible at the executive table are occupied by women. It is interesting to note that it was not long ago when women took even more seats at BCLC’s executive table than men.
A recent study conducted by the Minerva Foundation for B.C. women found out that companies, which added at least 10% women to their leadership rows witnessed a profit increase of 12%. Minerva Foundation went so far as to make a future prediction, which showed that Canada can increase its gross domestic product (GDP) with $150 billion, providing that all companies and business establishments follow BCLC’s model.
BCLC’s Winning Gender-Diverse Strategy
Speaking of his commitment to gender diversity at the workplace, Mr. Lightbody explained that BCLC is a company involved in the entertainment sector, which relies on innovations and interesting ideas. Bringing women to the business and giving them the opportunity to express themselves can only improve the financial performance of the company. Moreover, women can be a good source of fresh ideas, as men and women have different viewpoints, ideas and business insights. He added that the fast-paced growth of the gambling industry needs diverse ideas.
Mr. Lightbody noted that it is impossible to achieve a gender diversity in a day, because this is a time-consuming goal. He explained that BCLC has encouraged women to demonstrate their skills and start their career at BCLC. It is interesting to note that some of BCLC’s employees established an organization called AIM (Acts of Kindness, Inspire and Mentor). It aims to stimulate women at BCLC and navigate people through their career path. It seems that BCLC’s strategy may hit the bull’s-eye and skyrocket the company’s net profit.
