K
Kathleen Martin
Guest
For months now we’ve all been reading the data about the setbacks this pandemic has inflicted on women’s equality in the workplace. It’s now a well-worn narrative: “COVID-19 has driven millions of women out of the workforce”; “Coronavirus sent women’s progress backward”; “The pandemic has derailed working mothers.” Like many women in tech, I’ve been scared and concerned for the women I work alongside, invest in, and mentor. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit I’ve also been concerned for myself—and for my daughter.
Recently one of the most put-together and productive women I know confessed to me that she’d finally reached her breaking point. She’s been holding it down with a high-level position in venture capital, two elementary school-aged children, and an equally busy spouse. She managed to keep juggling (and juggling, and juggling), but when we spoke she confided she had reached her limit. After a week of deadlines, drop-offs, and very (very) little sleep, she realized she felt so mentally drained that she didn’t even trust herself to get behind the wheel of her car to come to an in-person meeting.
With the efficiency of a working mother, she drew up a new plan for herself, took it to her boss, and said: “Here’s what things need to look like for this to work going forward.” Luckily, her firm implemented the changes—like no company-wide meetings after 4 p.m.—on the spot. No doubt, this woman is extraordinarily fortunate to find herself in the position to ask for these changes without risking her livelihood, a privilege not every working mother has. But we need women who are in positions of power to push for policies like this that will benefit everyone.
When I was pregnant with my second child, my friend and then COO at TaskRabbit Stacy Brown-Philpot told me to “ask for what you need.” This seemingly straightforward advice can feel daunting for many women, but this is how real change happens. Women advocating for themselves and their changing needs helps shape workplaces that work for all women.
I’ve heard many similar stories from women in tech over the past few months, from a high-powered working mom who threatened to walk away from her prestigious position unless flexible scheduling remained the company-wide policy post-pandemic, to a mid-level manager who proactively drafted and pitched a new family leave policy for her young company. I’ve heard stories from department heads mandating that all team meetings must accommodate school pickup and drop-off times, and stories of recruiters insisting on formal returnship programs to help talented candidates return to the workforce after taking parental leave. The stories are different, but the theme is the same: All across tech and business more generally, women leaders are identifying and removing the barriers that prevent them and their colleagues from staying in the workforce.
These stories have forced me to confront a question that’s been on my mind for some time. Is there a way the women in tech can weaponize the vulnerability we are all feeling in this moment to change the pandemic narrative from setback to victory? Put in less-diplomatic terms: Why shouldn’t women simply assume the authority to define the new normal?
In late September, yet another data point of the pandemic’s impact on women was released. “Women in the Workplace 2021,” the seventh such report produced by McKinsey in partnership with Leanin.org, confirms the idea that COVID-19 has been catastrophic for working women. This time, we learned that women are significantly more burned out than they used to be, and significantly more burned out than men. A full 42% of women surveyed (out of a pool of 65,000 total employees spanning 423 organizations) admit to being burned out.
Continue reading: https://www.fastcompany.com/90692205/women-tech-leaders-work-policies-new-normal
Recently one of the most put-together and productive women I know confessed to me that she’d finally reached her breaking point. She’s been holding it down with a high-level position in venture capital, two elementary school-aged children, and an equally busy spouse. She managed to keep juggling (and juggling, and juggling), but when we spoke she confided she had reached her limit. After a week of deadlines, drop-offs, and very (very) little sleep, she realized she felt so mentally drained that she didn’t even trust herself to get behind the wheel of her car to come to an in-person meeting.
With the efficiency of a working mother, she drew up a new plan for herself, took it to her boss, and said: “Here’s what things need to look like for this to work going forward.” Luckily, her firm implemented the changes—like no company-wide meetings after 4 p.m.—on the spot. No doubt, this woman is extraordinarily fortunate to find herself in the position to ask for these changes without risking her livelihood, a privilege not every working mother has. But we need women who are in positions of power to push for policies like this that will benefit everyone.
When I was pregnant with my second child, my friend and then COO at TaskRabbit Stacy Brown-Philpot told me to “ask for what you need.” This seemingly straightforward advice can feel daunting for many women, but this is how real change happens. Women advocating for themselves and their changing needs helps shape workplaces that work for all women.
I’ve heard many similar stories from women in tech over the past few months, from a high-powered working mom who threatened to walk away from her prestigious position unless flexible scheduling remained the company-wide policy post-pandemic, to a mid-level manager who proactively drafted and pitched a new family leave policy for her young company. I’ve heard stories from department heads mandating that all team meetings must accommodate school pickup and drop-off times, and stories of recruiters insisting on formal returnship programs to help talented candidates return to the workforce after taking parental leave. The stories are different, but the theme is the same: All across tech and business more generally, women leaders are identifying and removing the barriers that prevent them and their colleagues from staying in the workforce.
These stories have forced me to confront a question that’s been on my mind for some time. Is there a way the women in tech can weaponize the vulnerability we are all feeling in this moment to change the pandemic narrative from setback to victory? Put in less-diplomatic terms: Why shouldn’t women simply assume the authority to define the new normal?
In late September, yet another data point of the pandemic’s impact on women was released. “Women in the Workplace 2021,” the seventh such report produced by McKinsey in partnership with Leanin.org, confirms the idea that COVID-19 has been catastrophic for working women. This time, we learned that women are significantly more burned out than they used to be, and significantly more burned out than men. A full 42% of women surveyed (out of a pool of 65,000 total employees spanning 423 organizations) admit to being burned out.
Continue reading: https://www.fastcompany.com/90692205/women-tech-leaders-work-policies-new-normal
