Rising burnout rates, an ongoing childcare crisis and lingering effects of the pandemic have forced thousands of women to reevaluate their relationship with work.
As the CEO and co-founder of Chief, a network focused on supporting and connecting women, I’ve seen how high-performing women have been affected by all these factors.
There’s a huge disconnect between what employers think women need versus what they really want, according our survey of more than 800 executive women.
We want flexibility and paid family leave so we can manage the disproportionate burden of caregiving. But these policies are no longer seen as “nice to have” benefits — they’re baseline expectations.
So what will really keep women from quitting? It boils down to two words: Value them.
Here’s how:
1. Better practices, not just better policies
It’s not just company policies that define an employee’s work experience, but how managers act and behave as well.
Business leaders need to enforce behaviors that ensure all employees feel they can take advantage of benefits without repercussions.
Offering the option of remote work, for example, doesn’t guarantee that women who take advantage of it won’t be passed over for stretch assignments or be left out of project conversations.
We must champion the women on our teams, whether or not they’re not in the room, and make sure that those who are remote or on paid leave don’t get overlooked for growth opportunities.
2. Increased pay
Women who considered leaving their jobs in 2022 are nearly twice as likely to say they want money-related actions from their employer, compared to those who opted to stay.
Forty percent of the women we surveyed said pay transparency is important to their retention, but only 19% said their current workplace practices it.
Women also want more learning and development funds, but just 52% said their employer offers them. Investing in these opportunities could be the catalyst for women to get promoted with more pay, helping to close the…
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