On Point: Women are ‘breaking up’ with unfulfilling jobs. What can employers do?

What women say they want ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

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Support for working women

In the news

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More time at home. From offering flexible work options to lactation rooms, companies have come a long way when it comes to supporting working parents. However, even with helpful employers, many moms may still choose to work fewer hours or leave the workplace to have more time with their kids, according to a new study that included 1,200 US mothers. Since stay-at-home parenthood is a path many workers prefer, employers might consider accommodating parents who seek to put their careers on hold. [Charter]

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Remote-work trade-offs. Flexible work arrangements have enabled more working moms to stay employed. At the same time, women who work remotely could pay a steep price for doing so in terms of being able to advance their careers. US researchers found that a decade of remote work from 2009 to 2019 lifted working moms’ employment rates in fields such as computer science and marketing and communications. Yet remote work may also decrease the amount of feedback given to less experienced workers and female employees. [NYT]

“For every one female manager or director who was promoted, two decided to leave.”

On McKinsey.com

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‘Voting with their feet.’ Women are ambitious but face hurdles in their efforts to advance in the workplace, McKinsey senior partners Lareina Yee and Alexis Krivkovich share on an episode of The McKinsey Podcast. “We found that 37% of women leaders had a coworker take credit for their idea, and that they were two times more likely to be mistaken for someone junior,” Yee explains. For the first time, women leaders are voting with their feet; they’re leaving their jobs for more fulfilling work in unprecedented numbers, adds Krivkovich.

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More work, less recognition. Even though the vast majority of companies now have diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) as part of their overall corporate goals, that work isn’t acknowledged in a meaningful way, Krivkovich says. Women leaders do twice the DE&I work as their male peers. Yet only about 25% of companies formally recognize that work in their performance reviews, Krivkovich notes. Understandably, women say they want a return on the investment for their loyalty and for their effort. Learn what women are looking for from employers.

See why women leave workplaces

— Edited by Belinda Yu, editor, Atlanta

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