Work environments continue to be hostile environments for women in most cases, so it should not be surprising that women who work in organizations that are leaders in gender equality have greater work commitment, high self-confidence and, therefore, of course, a positive personal fulfillment, according to the study Women at Work 2022: a global perspective of the Deloitte company.
These are organizations that promote inclusion, support the careers of their employees and also promote a healthy balance between work and personal life. This translates into clear commercial benefits for the organizations, since none of the women currently working for these companies are looking for a new job and only 9% plan to leave in the next few years, while 90% qualify their motivation at work as good or extremely good.
Of the women who work for these companies, 87% say they have received adequate mental health support at the time of the pandemic, and the same percentage feel comfortable talking about it in the workplace.
“Building and maintaining a truly inclusive culture must be at the forefront of every corporate agenda. This means organizations must address burnout, make mental wellness a priority, and address hybrid work with inclusive and flexible policies that actually work for women. There is a unique opportunity to build on the progress already made to ensure all women can thrive in an equitable and inclusive workplace,” said Michele Parmelee, Global Deputy CEO and Chief People and Purpose Officer at Deloitte.
The bad news
The bad news is that only 5% of organizations can be considered leaders in this field, while the rest still have negative, toxic or hostile attitudes towards workers. As things stand, widespread burnout and lack of work flexibility continue to hamper the professional advancement and well-being of women in their workplaces.
In that sense, more than half of the women surveyed for the study want to leave their current job in the next two years and only 10% plan to stay for a period of more than five years.
The research – which includes the opinions of 5,000 women in ten countries – warns of worrying impacts in the long term, since stress levels and experiences of harassment or micro-aggressions remain high.
The survey also highlights worrying findings about the “new normal” of work, with nearly 60% of women working in hybrid models – which include any combination of remote and in-office work – saying they have felt left out.
“The number of women reporting increased stress and burnout is a major concern (…). The findings of this research show the importance of actions beyond politics: those that truly address and integrate wellness, flexibility, and an ‘everyday culture’ of respect and inclusion,” said Emma Codd, Global Leader of Inclusion at Deloitte. On the other hand, only 33% of women consider that their current jobs offer flexible work policies.
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