Prime
Things women need to succeed in their career
Progress. A support network will help women go a long way in their career. File photo
What you need to know:
- Get clear on your core values and purpose. Your values and purpose are your internal compass for how to best utilise the natural gifts, talents and genius that you uniquely have to express in the world through your work.
- When you can walk your path and remain true to your values and gifts, it naturally reduces the amount of stress you experience.
Organisations have talked about gender balance for a very long time, yet progress is slow. Here are three strategies that are essential to creating a more inclusive working environment where women – and men – can succeed. But these cannot be addressed in isolation. Leaders need to work on all three strategies simultaneously as part of their broader efforts to create real change:
1. Transparency and trust matter. A lot
Many of the women we surveyed said they don’t trust what their employer is telling them about career development and promotion, or what helps or hurts their career. To improve career development opportunities, they identified greater transparency as the critical step employers can take.
This means offering employees a clear understanding of the expectations on both sides of the employment equation, including information about career progression, and open conversations as to where they stand and what is expected of them to advance their career so they can make their own case successfully and trust the feedback they get.
Greater transparency will not only benefit women – it will foster a more inclusive environment which gives men and women greater opportunities to fulfil their potential.
2. Support networks go a long way
Women will not succeed without formal and informal support networks. They need the proactive networks of leaders and peers who will develop, promote and champion them as they pursue their career aspirations, both at home and in the workplace.
Women need dedicated sponsors and role models of both genders. Lack of support from male colleagues will stall progress. Providing this level of support may seem complex, but it can be done. Men have had it for years.
3. Tackling the motherhood and flexibility challenge
Women universally across the globe said working in a job they enjoy (97 per cent) and having flexibility to balance the demands of their career and personal/family life (95 per cent) was important to them. But many also feel nervous about the impact starting a family might have on their career (42 per cent). And many new mothers felt overlooked for promotions and special projects upon their return to work (48 per cent). This was particularly true for new mothers from ethnic or racial minority groups (63 per cent) and new mothers in Asia (68 per cent).
Employers must pay special attention to these groups and proactively address their concerns, or they and their female employees risk facing a lose-lose situation: highly skilled talent will leave and women, meanwhile, will not fulfil their full potential. There is a clear concern over what women see as a motherhood and flexibility penalty.
Women need employers to rethink their approach to balancing work, life, parenthood and family care, to prevent bias, and to provide organisational solutions that work. Employers must recognise that everyone is making flexibility demands – it’s not a life-stage or gender-only issue – and help and encourage their people to take advantage of the programmes in place. A culture shift that recognises performance over presence and overcomes outdated assumptions that women want to step back or opt out of their career when they become mothers is fundamental.
These three strategies will not serve to only benefit women. They’ll make workplace cultures and talent systems more inclusive for everyone.
One thing is certain: there is a lot to be gained from creating a more equal working world. Gender equality in the workforce brings opportunity and prosperity for all. Enabling all genders to contribute equally in business and their personal lives makes for a more prosperous and functioning society.
Balancing work and family
Get clear on your core values and purpose. Your values and purpose are your internal compass for how to best utilise the natural gifts, talents and genius that you uniquely have to express in the world through your work. When you can walk your path and remain true to your values and gifts, it naturally reduces the amount of stress you experience.
lifehack.org
weforum.org
