Women In The Workplace: Why Creating Mutually Beneficial Partnerships Matters

The Issues

Not a day goes by that I don’t come across an article referring to the scarcity of women in the c-suite. A CNNMoney analysis shows women hold just 5 percent of the CEO jobs in the S&P 500 and the pipeline of rising stars behind them is thin.

While the 5 percent figure is beyond disappointing, the fact that the pipeline is slight is even more disturbing.

Statistics continue to show that women are leaving the workforce in record numbers to escape what isn’t working for them and they’re doing so for a variety of reasons. An in-depth study by the insight consulting company REAL, discovered 86 percent of female millennial entrepreneurs left corporate jobs to build their own companies. One of the most remarkable trends over the past decade has been the phenomenal growth in the number of firms owned by women of color. As of 2016, it is estimated that there were nearly 5 million minority women-owned firms (4,992,200), comprising fully 44% of women-owned firms. Hence, not only does the increase in the number of women vacating or choosing not to partake in the corporate space present a problem, but these statistics also create an issue for those organizations who are authentically committed to increasing the number of women of color in the management ranks. I stress the word authentically because in reality there are still many companies that would rather “pay lip service” to gender diversity, than hold their management teams accountable. “Companies often treat recruiting diverse people as compliance or risk mitigation, rather than a business opportunity,” says Art Hopkins, an executive search consultant.

In the CareerWomen.com survey, working women were asked if they have opted out of corporate work, why they left and if they plan to return. Over 70 percent of respondents indicated that they opted out of corporate work, stating their top three reasons were:

1) to take off time for family,

2) to pursue non-profit or foundation work, or

3) to take a government position.

Overwhelmingly, 62 percent revealed that they are not currently considering re-entering the corporate workforce.

For those women who remain in the workplace, many encounter and experience obstacles that stifle their personal and career growth.

You would be hard-pressed to find a woman who wouldn’t agree that we are often our biggest critic. Because of our need to be perfect, we often create our own hurdles in our careers.

Many women in the workplace are admittedly lacking in self-confidence. Being in a male-dominated workplace often amplifies those feelings. We often are hesitant to accept praise immediately when it is given. We often feel compelled to label what may in fact be an individual accomplishment, as teamwork. Men, on the other hand will generally embrace the gesture and take the individual credit without the slightest thought.

Many women are not certain of the true value which they bring to their organization and often struggle to garner the courage to ask for it, whether in their current jobs or during the job search process. Until we are consistent with asking for what we are worth and what we need to be successful in our careers, the answer will always be “No.”

Many women are conditioned to take what is offered in their careers, out of fear that the opportunity will be granted to someone else. Many of us unfortunately have not incorporated the art of negotiating into our personal toolkit. However, when you lower your “asking price,” you send a subtle message to your organization that you’re a bargain. When is the last time you heard an HR representative say, “Oh no, is that all you’d like? Don’t be ridiculous! Let us give you a few thousand dollars more.”

Unfortunately, in many cases how women operate in the workplace and in their personal lives, is dependent upon the gender roles they were exposed to as children. Some of our behaviors are also attributed to what was common conversation during childhood. If a woman was made to feel as though she was never enough as a child, never enough as a teen, she is likely to think that she is never enough as a woman. Hence, generating beliefs that she is not smart enough or successful enough in the workplace.

Society’s view of women in general, also carries over to the workplace. Recent controversy at Google for example, was viewed by many as an insulting, condescending commentary on women in STEM and their capabilities. The now former employee was surely not alone in his beliefs. The maternity leave policy in the U.S. is one of the worst in developed countries globally. Out of the world’s 196 countries, the US is one of only four that has no federally mandated policy to provide new parents with paid time off.

There are double standards of aging in society that carry over to the workplace and this does not bode well for women. It is a commonly held belief by many women and is stated in The Double Standards of Aging, by Jessica Frank, “Men are judged according to what they can do, while women are judged according to their appearance. Society generally considers men as “distinguished” as they age. Women must disguise the fact that they are aging. “

For those who are mothers, the road to work life balance, in my opinion, is non-existent. Life, family and work commitments clash on a consistent basis. It’s all a hodgepodge of life in general and a willingness to take proactive measures to find “healthy harmony” in the midst of it all is what matters most. Those voices in our heads, frankly, I consider mine to sometimes be a committee, will often never let us off the hook until we whip out the muzzle and silence them. Accepting the fact that it is okay to be imperfect relieves a significant amount of guilt and stress that we routinely, often unconsciously, allow into our lives.

Ignorance of Reality Reaps Real Consequences

Many companies may see these challenges as personal issues and do not believe they are the organization’s concern. It does however behoove them to take a serious, in-depth look at the potential impact on their employees’ satisfaction/happiness levels and the connection to the company’s financial performance overall. For example, studies have demonstrated that women lead men on key workplace engagement measures.

In the U.S.:

32% of all employees are engaged

35% of female employees are engaged

29% of male employees are engaged

41% of female managers are engaged

35% of male managers are engaged

A high-performing workplace starts with engaged employees. Research from Gallup and many other organizations demonstrate that gender diversity strengthens a company’s financial performance.

“Engaged employees are more present and productive; they are more attuned to the needs of customers; and they are more observant of processes, standards and systems. When taken together, the behaviors of highly engaged business units result in 21% greater profitability.”

If a company’s most-engaged employees are women who are unhappy and unfulfilled, are they likely to be a consistently high-performing employees? Are they likely to be focused on being long-term staffers? My guess is that the answer to those questions would be “No.” If they are struggling with self-confidence, worried about missing a child’s sporting event every season, their concerns become the company’s concerns. When a woman is made to feel “less than” in terms of leadership capability by an organization, because of lack of visible career advancement or a perceived unfair reward system, she is less likely to remain engaged at her optimal level. She is also more likely to keep her resume updated and ready to jump to the next best thing. If an organization is meeting its revenue goals, consider how much greater that performance can be improved with a higher level of engagement. The costs of low engagement aren’t limited to turnover and recruitment. Gallup found that actively disengaged employees cost the U.S. $450 billion to $550 billion per year.

Seven Ways To Create a Mutually Beneficial Partnership

If retaining a talented workforce inclusive of qualified women is a priority, organizations must prepare to adapt and in many cases pivot.

This is not the era of Mary Tyler Moore or even Murphy Brown, for that matter. High-achieving women of today want, deserve and are demanding more.

1. Determine what women want and need to be effective in their jobs. Are there issues that managers are not aware of, or are aware of but are not addressing?
2. What male employees may view as important is likely to differ from many women. “One gender fits all” benefits or rewards typically do not take into account what women specifically view as most important in their lives.
3. Make pay equity a priority — One of the most demotivating things in the workplace for a woman is for her to have knowledge of a man in the same role, possibly less accomplished than her, earning more money than her.
4. Listen, Observe, Act. Are your female employees made to feel as though they are valued contributors? To what degree are they involved in significant decision-making? Is an all-male committee, for example deciding what a fair policy is regarding time off for family-related issues? Are your policies and practices restrictive, where they leave women feeling excluded? Are your benefits, i.e. time off policies, telecommuting options, etc. progressive enough to meet the needs of a woman who desires to have a life outside of the workplace? Is recognition and career advancement equally available and rewarded?
5. Is your organization fostering a culture of trust? Do you have flexible benefits, yet employees are afraid to use them out of fear that doing so would damage their careers? Do you have a telecommuting option, yet employees feel as though they are being subjected to a lie detector test when asked to verify how they spent their workday?
6. Do you offer a mentoring program and if so, how closely monitored is it? Are employees left to identify their own mentor, or does management make assignments? If assigned, what assessments and guidelines are in place to ensure that the employees are matched with the best option for them and not just based on who’s available, or who might be a “social” fit. A woman mentor may not be the best selection for another woman. A person of color may not be best mentor for a mentee of color. Think outside of the box and never make simple assumptions.
7. Do you have an effective exit interviewing process in place? Proactive organizations should want to know why people leave and what it takes to be successful and increase retention while they are employed. Effective practices explore perspectives from different demographics and aggressively identify those areas of concern that require attention. In my experience, employees are typically more vocal when they were able to share verbally, rather than in writing.

The most diverse and inclusive places to work for women in the U.S. are organizations that genuinely want to see women win in the workplace. They willingly put their financial resources, talent acquisition initiatives and principles ahead of all else.

Their true commitment extends well beyond the corporate mission statement.

Jacqueline Miller is a certified life coach, speaker, lifestyle blogger and career and leadership consultant for women, seeking to establish their purpose outside of motherhood. A former senior human resources executive, she also helps leading edge organizations to boost their success factor, by delivering essential business and personal development skills training, designed to cultivate a workforce of high-performing, well-rounded talent. She is the author of a #1 Amazon bestseller, Get Your Life Back! Your Guide to Guilt-Free Happiness Outside of Motherhood.