Workplace Flexibility Will Be a Game Changer
When I first entered the workforce, it wasn’t very common to see women in senior leadership roles. It’s been inspiring to watch this shift during my career. Women continue to make great strides in the workplace, but there are still challenges many of us must wrestle with as we continue to grow in our careers.
I have worked with many bright, talented women. Many of these women also undervalue what they bring to the table and lack the confidence many of their male peers possess. It can be a trap to become so focused on high achievement that you miss the successes along the way. I’ve found that we can be too critical of ourselves, allowing a drive to perfection to get in the way of recognizing our talents and capabilities. Recognizing this dynamic is key to supporting women in the workplace to build confidence and ensure that they are tapped for development opportunities that will place them on an advancement path.
This dynamic between self-doubt and the drive for achievement is often exasperating for women who balance their careers with family duties. Most women find it extremely challenging to manage both work and family, and feel like they’re doing both well. It is possible to be driven at work and focused on family and not allow one to diminish the importance you place on the other. Over my career I’ve seen more and more women able to redefine their outlook and tailor what success looks like for them. More and more women are advocating for the support they need at home and at work to be able to continue to do both.
Over the past few years, the pandemic has exposed the precarious balance many women were navigating between home and family. It also demonstrated to a lot of organizations that there are many roles where employees can be highly productive outside the constraints of a traditional office location and hours. The move towards more flexibility in location and working hours will be a game changer for the next generation of women leaders.
Seeing the challenges women face in the workplace is key to the success of an organization, and those who tackle these challenges head-on will always be more successful at recruiting and retaining top talent.
