Do you want to cultivate a work culture or office environment that provides fair and equal opportunities and treatment for any gender? This article tackles the ways to dismantle the gender gap at work or at least work towards eliminating it one step at a time.

The marketing executive at Progressly, April Rassa, wrote a piece on Fortune. It addressed the issue on how to advance workplace equality.

Discussion Groups

The first thing on the list was to form discussion groups. The discussion group at Progressly is composed of women who meet once a month to discuss certain topics and to create a dialogue on change and progress.

Such a meeting can be one way for people to see what issues are present but may not be openly seen or noticed in the workplace. Workers can then take to solving such issues.

Mentor System

Encourage a mentor system between opposite sexes and not just male or female. Rassa suggests that companies implement formal mentor systems and pair up junior women with more senior employees be it male or female.

In the even that there are too few employees in the workplace, she suggests that a maximum of 10 women can be partnered with a single executive. Mentorship is important in the workplace as it not only allows for guidance and knowledge of the job to be imparted but also for the mentees to gain experience and enlightenment in terms of career-related concerns and paths.

Fair Policies and Fair Wages

There should be just policies in terms of promotions, benefits, and wages. Firstly, use a clear and detailed, not to mention, consistent criteria for first promotions in order to make it fair. Criteria can be established by talking to department managers and setting a list of specific aspects and goals to keep an eye on.

Secondly, Rassa recommends that firms lengthen the period of family leaves. Lastly, refrain from asking employees what their previous salary was at the former jobs. This is because it encourages the formation of wage gaps by assuming that a fair wage as agreed upon in the previous employment, writes Rassa.

If a worker was the victim of an unfair wage at his or her previous job, and the present employer thought otherwise, the worker would not only be receiving less than what he or she deserves but the gap cycle would continue. Instead, establish a pay range to work with and refrain from going outside of it.

These are some of the ways to lessen gender discrimination at work. For more news, follow Jobs & Hire.