Women in the Workplace

Innovative Outsourcing was started by a working mom to help women balance their families and careers.  Cindi started the company 25 years ago and now more than ever, we need to continue to help women maintain that balance.  

The Covid-19 crisis has disrupted corporate America in ways we’ve never seen before. No one is experiencing business as usual, but women—especially mothers, senior-level women and Black women—have faced distinct challenges. One in four women are considering downshifting their careers or leaving the workforce due to Covid-19 according to this report by McKinsey and Company, Women_in_the_Workplace_2020.pdf.

The report indicates that the events of 2020 have turned workplaces upside down. Under the highly challenging circumstances of the Covid-19 crisis, many employees are struggling to do their jobs. Many feel like they’re “always on” now that the boundaries between work and home have blurred. They’re worried about their family’s health and finances. Burnout is a real issue. Women in particular have been negatively impacted. Women—especially women of color—are more likely to have been laid off or furloughed during the Covid-19 crisis, stalling their careers and jeopardizing their financial security. 

Here are some of the challenges cited in the report for working moms:

• Lack of flexibility at work 

• Feeling like they need to be available to work at all hours, i.e., “always on” 

• Housework and caregiving burdens due to Covid-19 

• Worry that their performance is being negatively judged because of caregiving responsibilities during the pandemic 

• Discomfort sharing the challenges they are facing with teammates or managers  

• Feeling blindsided by decisions that affect their day-to-day work  

• Feeling unable to bring their whole self to work

While this report may sound bleak, there are things that companies can do to help women remain in the workplace.  

Here are some ideas:

• Determine if productivity and performance expectations are realistic.  Leaders may need to reset goals, narrow project scopes, or keep the same goals and extend deadlines.

• Find creative ways to give employees extra time off  to make a difference. 

• Look for ways to re-establish work-life boundaries. For many, this may require setting new work norms—for example, establishing set hours for meetings, putting policies in place for responding to emails outside typical business hours, and improving communication about work hours and availability within teams.

• Bringing criteria into line with what employees can reasonably achieve may help to prevent burnout and anxiety—and this may ultimately lead to better performance and higher productivity.

• Take steps to minimize gender bias such as training employees about what women do experience. 

• Adjust policies and programs to better support employees. 

• Share more regular updates on the state of the business and key decisions that affect employees’ work and lives—and directly address what difficult news means for employees.

 If companies make significant investments in building a more flexible and empathetic workplace, they will be able to retain the employees who are most impacted by today’s crises. 

Our niche at Innovative Outsourcing has been to help working moms by providing challenging and rewarding opportunities that are primarily part time (many are virtual) and we will continue to provide this important service.