Posted on the JobSync Blog
Before the pandemic the workplace for women was still a challenge. Women making less than men, harassment in the workplace and the ever present glass ceiling. Now throw in a global pandemic, economic downturn and guess what? The glass ceiling is even thicker and women are being forced to leave the workplace in droves. According to a National Women’s Law Center survey, 80% of the people who left the workforce in September of 2020 were women.
Women are being penalized at work for having to manage childcare while also being required to homeschool. For the women who are not penalized simply the stress of having to manage work and childcare at home is just too much and they are leaving the workplace. The ask of women right now is truly daunting and if you are a woman of color you’re being hit even harder!
If you are thinking- this isn’t my problem you’re wrong. Business suffers when women leave. “Research shows that inclusive teams make better business decisions up to 87% of the time, and that teams with less diversity are more likely to make poor choices for their companies.“ And, if that is not enough, more women equals more profits! McKinsey found that companies with more gender diverse executive teams had a “21% likelihood of outperforming their fourth-quartile industry peers on EBIT margin.”
So how do you know if your organization is part of the problem or part of the solution? Here’s a few questions that will help to determine if you are a glass shattering organization.
Are you using data and tracking diversity hiring goals?
Just saying you are an organization that supports gender diversity is not enough. Setting goals and then tracking and measuring attainment of those goals over time is key. Be an organization that has a set goal for hiring women at all levels and track and measure the progress. Be sure there is accountability to these goals. If your organization is doing this then you are one step closer to being a glass shattering organization.
Do you have flexible or remote work options?
At this point in the pandemic most organizations have had to leverage flexible and remote work options. According to a study by Fairygodboss 52% of women vs 43% of men cite flexible and remote work options as one of their top three most important attributes when looking for a new job. If you are committed to offering more flexible work options then you are on your way to being a glass shattering organization.
Do you support women in the organization once they are hired?
“Women won’t succeed without formal and informal support networks. To support and reinforce a woman’s self-belief and self-advocacy there needs to be a blend of workplace and personal relationships and support.” There are a number of ways to support women, one is to be a Fairygodboss. A Fairygodboss is someone who elevates women at work. Someone who listens, encourages and shares what they know to enable women to succeed. If you have resources available for women once they are hired then you are one step closer to being a glass shattering organization.
Are you leveraging the power of other organizations who are getting it right?
There are a number of organizations out there that are making incredible progress shattering the glass ceiling. At JobSync, we provide a co-learning moment at our Recruitment Marketing Roundtable to learn about and share what’s working in recruiting. The first step in being a glass shattering organization is to ensure your sourcing strategies attract from the largest talent pool- women. Join us as we tackle this topic and more at our next Roundtable.
The bottom line is it takes intentionality to be a glass shattering organization and the benefit, in addition to being truly human, is the positive impact on your bottom line.