InHerSight, a new website, aims to improve equality in the workplace.
by Lauren Dixon
April 10, 2015
With sexism and inequality in the workplace still an issue, a new app emerges to expose the sad truths — and hopefully produce meaningful change.
Similar to employer reviews website Glassdoor.com, InHerSight aims to gives female workers an anonymous platform on which to air grievances about the company for which they work.
Users of the site can rate current and previous employers on categories such as maternity leave, female representation in top leadership, wellness initiatives, equal opportunities for men and women, salary satisfaction, family growth support, learning opportunities and management opportunities for women. Additionally, a comments portion allows for users to expand on their ratings and provide feedback for the company.
Because InHerSight is anonymous, users are more likely to give their true opinions of their workplace. Providing an email address and revealing one’s gender, marital status, education, age and more are all optional.
“We need the tools and resources for each woman to make the right decisions for herself, and that’s what I was inspired to create,” founder Ursula Mead said in an interview with Forbes magazine. “I’m a full-time working mom, and a believer in the power of data and transparency to create change.”
Mead, to put it simply, is advocating for equality.
“There’s a lot of momentum these days behind improving the workplace for women, and most people agree we need to do more to achieve equality,” Mead said. “But I can’t see how we can get there without useful, actionable information. The information we need isn’t just individual stories, which are difficult to scale into making a difference for large numbers of women. And it’s not just government data, which is too highly aggregated to be meaningful for individuals. It needs to come from women ourselves — not from management defining the problem or determining what success is. These are our issues, and this is our story to tell. We need to take control and shape our own solutions.”
According to InHerSight, the site is “on a mission to measure how well employers support the women who work for them — and to turn those insights into better support for women in the workplace.”
The site goes on to say that by rating an employer and involving co-workers, the employer’s scorecard becomes more well rounded, the company says.
Rating tools, such as InHerSight and Glassdoor.com, give both employees and business leaders insight about working conditions. Potential employees can check previous comments to vet a specific company.
On the flip side, managers and HR executives can gain information and feedback about their own company that they might otherwise miss. By reviewing these ratings, policies and procedures can then be reevaluated to create happier employees, which can lead to a better working environment and company.
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