SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, LeanIn.Org
and McKinsey & Company released the seventh annual Women in
the Workplace report, the largest study on the state of women
in corporate America. The findings point to three key trends: A
year into the COVID-19 pandemic, it's clear that women are burned
out and at risk of leaving the workforce. Women are stepping up as
stronger leaders, but their work often goes unrecognized. At the
same time, corporate America is still failing women of color
despite two years of increased focus on racial equity.
The report is based on data and insights from 423 companies
representing more than 12 million people, along with survey
responses from over 65,000 individual employees. It shows that
despite important gains since 2016, women remain significantly
underrepresented at all levels of management in corporate
America.
At the same time, women in leadership are rising to the moment
as stronger people leaders and more active champions of diversity,
equity, and inclusion (DEI)—and are taking on the extra work that
comes with it. Compared to men at the same level, women in senior
leadership are 60 percent more likely to provide emotional support
to employees and 24 percent more likely to ensure their teams'
workloads are manageable. Senior women leaders are also twice as
likely to spend a substantial amount of time doing DEI work outside
of their formal job responsibilities—from recruiting candidates
belonging to underrepresented communities to leading employee
resource groups. And at every level, women are more likely than men
to show up as allies to women of color.
Companies have benefited significantly from women's leadership
during this year of unprecedented workplace changes. However, this
critical work is largely going unrecognized and unrewarded. Despite
companies signaling a high commitment to DEI and employee
wellbeing, only 25 percent say that their formal performance review
process recognizes this type of work to a substantial degree. This
has serious implications. Companies risk losing the very leaders
they need right now.
"Women are contributing more yet are often less recognized.
Burnout is at an all-time high. While women have been resilient, it
is a moment of reflection," said Lareina
Yee, a senior partner at McKinsey & Company. "Companies
cannot afford to miss the signals of talent attrition. It's time to
invest in the leaders who have kept companies afloat throughout the
challenges of the past two years."
While all employees are more burned out than last year, women
have been hit particularly hard. Forty-two percent of women report
being burned out, as compared to 35 percent of men. And 24/7
cultures are driving this exhaustion. More than one in three
employees feel as if they are expected to be "on" at all times, and
those who feel this way are more than twice as likely to be burned
out.
"This year's report should serve as a wake-up call. Despite bold
commitments to racial equity, the experiences of women of color
aren't getting better," said Rachel
Thomas, co-founder and CEO of LeanIn.Org. "This points to
the critical need to engage employees as change agents and allies,
so we can truly transform the culture of work."
Despite a greater awareness of DEI issues and increased focus
and investment on racial equity in corporate America, women of
color continue to experience similar types of microaggressions at
similar frequencies as they did two years ago. These experiences
can take a heavy toll: compared to women of color who don't
experience microaggressions, women of color who do are more than
twice as likely to feel negatively about their job, twice as likely
to be burned out, and three times as likely to say they've
struggled to concentrate at work due to stress. And while more
white employees see themselves as allies to women of color this
year, they are no more likely to take action. Seventy-seven percent
of white employees say they're allies to women of color, but only
39 percent confront discrimination when they see it and only 21
percent regularly advocate for new opportunities for women of
color. This points to the critical need for businesses to equip
employees at all levels to challenge bias and show up as
substantive allies.
In addition to steps companies can take to recognize women's
leadership, create a more inclusive culture, and reduce burnout,
the 2021 Women in the Workplace report includes best
practices for eliminating bias in hiring and promotions, a detailed
look at what HR leaders and employees see as the benefits and risks
of remote work, and data-driven vignettes on the distinct
experiences of Asian women, Black women, Latinas, lesbian and
bisexual women, and women with disabilities.
The complete Women in the Workplace report is available
at
https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=2934056-1&h=937687456&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwomenintheworkplace.com%2F&a=womenintheworkplace.com womenintheworkplace.com.
ABOUT THE STUDY
The Women in the Workplace study is
conducted in partnership with LeanIn.Org and McKinsey &
Company. The first study was released in 2015, and each year
examines current issues facing women in corporate America. This
year's report is the second study conducted during the
eighteen-month-long pandemic and is based on data and insights from
423 companies representing more than 12 million people, along with
survey responses from over 65,000 individual employees. The
complete Women in the Workplace report is available
at womenintheworkplace.com.
ABOUT LEANIN.ORG
An initiative of the Sheryl
Sandberg & Dave Goldberg Family Foundation, LeanIn.Org helps
women achieve their ambitions and works to create a more equal
world. LeanIn.Org conducts original research on the state of women,
supports a global community of small peer groups called Lean In
Circles, and provides companies with programs to address the biases
and barriers women face in the workplace. Lean In recently
released Allyship at Work, a new training program designed to
help employees take meaningful action as allies. For more
information about LeanIn.Org and its programs, visit leanin.org.
The Sheryl Sandberg & Dave Goldberg Family Foundation, which
also runs OptionB.Org, is a private operating nonprofit
organization under IRS section 501(c)(3).
ABOUT MCKINSEY & COMPANY
McKinsey & Company is
a global management consulting firm committed to helping
organizations create Change that Matters. In more than 130 cities
and 65 countries, our teams help clients across the private, public
and social sectors shape bold strategies and transform the way they
work, embed technology where it unlocks value, and build
capabilities to sustain the change. Not just any change, but Change
that Matters – for their organizations, their people, and in turn
society at large.
MEDIA CONTACT
We are actively monitoring
press@womenintheworkplace.com for press inquiries.
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SOURCE LeanIn.Org