Virtual Whisperer 13 — Protecting a Generation of Women

The statistics are out, and they are grim. Last week we found out that women are dropping out of the workforce at nearly four times the rate of men.

I’ve written about single parents having it especially hard during COVID-19, but the statistics for two-parent households are also rough. I heard one CEO recently say that he, his board, and his leadership team are concerned that they will lose a whole generation of working women. If these women drop out, and if unemployment lingers or the economy stays tough, it’ll be harder for them to return to work given changes in skills and time passing by. Their households might also work better, and they won’t want to come back. Who knows? What I do know is that the efforts that two generations of working women have made are going by the wayside due to this pandemic.

Children need schooling, and articles show that women are still doing the brunt of housework and errands. It’s time for the men in the family to step up, no matter who earns what, and it’s time for women to insist that the home gets run equally.

Schooling is another layer of this issue: Someone has to do it. I get the need to stay home and focus on our children’s well-being — the childcare industry has been decimated, and our children’s welfare is everything. But as leaders, we have to do what we can to preserve these jobs and make sure our workforce stays diverse.

Here’s a list of things I’ve heard CEOs do to protect their people. Let’s make sure we’re doing our added bit to keep our team members in place:

1. Job-sharing, part-time jobs, and giving individuals the opportunity to take chunks of the day off, so they can focus on their kids and not feel torn between work and family.

2. Employee assistance benefits that give babysitting chits, tutor tokens, or company-sponsored Zoom time for children’s playtime. Why not incorporate daycare with Zoom or Microsoft Teams? Why not offer tutors to provide time for parents?

3. Leaves of absence that give individuals the opportunity to come back.

4. Instacart accounts for all team members, so they can avoid grocery stores and minimize errand time.

5. Buddy systems at work so that folks at risk are more readily identified and supported.

There are so many more ideas. We have to do more to keep our workforces intact. Yes, there have been layoffs and furloughs. But if we want to keep our valued employees despite the pressures at home, there’s more we need to do. It’s not easy, but neither is anything else about COVID-19 and the havoc it has wrought. If there are ideas you have or things your company is doing, please drop me a line.

And let’s hope that, like the green shoots of grass after a fire, if the jobs don’t come back after the pandemic, we will see a whole spate of new startups — women-run and full of entrepreneurial vigor. If the bigger corporations can’t keep up with the needs of working families, then let’s hope those who drop out create new companies and new jobs where the rules are different.

I have faith in your entrepreneurial spirit, and if you need a coach or mentor to help you get started, give me a call. And if you’re thinking of dropping out, make your needs known — negotiate with your employer. Odds are they don’t want to lose you.