I felt the weight of the world on my shoulders last month.
I was delving into the latest women in the workplace data published by Deloitte and McKinsey. They both do large scale surveys across women in multiple countries on a yearly basis.
It was depressing.
For the 8th consecutive year there is a broken rung at the first stage of management for women. For every 100 men that are promoted only 87 women are.
Women are leaving their companies at the highest rate ever seen. For every women at the director level who is promoted, 2 more leave.
Managers are integral and need to be trained to support their employees across D&I and burnout
58% women feel excluded from meetings in the hybrid working environment
41% women of colour want to be a top executive compared to 27% white women and they face microaggressions, unconscious bias and much less support and recognition.
We were then hit with the increasing performance of International Women’s Day. Which I have mixed feelings about (more on that another time) and seems to be more and more a way for companies to use it as a selling tool. I stumbled upon a Gender Pay Bot app on Twitter which responded to every company that posted about #iwd with the latest gender pay gap figures for their companies.
Honestly, sometimes I feel helpless.
I feel that the coaching that I offer won’t solve all the issues women face.
There needs to be huge societal shifts to create a world where women thrive.
There needs to be subsidised childcare, more widespread flexible working practices including part time and job share senior leader positions, there needs to be changes to recruitment practices, there needs to be more diverse voices at the table shaping the things that affect women on a daily basis. Great work has been done by Pregnant Then Screwed (a charity that supports mothers and I am so proud to be a member of) to make changes there in terms of the latest *proposed* reforms to childcare subsidies.
I sat with the feeling for a few days.
Barely suppressing the hurt but also the anger.
And I decided to channel that.
Because, although my business is small. I have the opportunity to drive real change.
To make a difference to the worlds of the women I work with.
And the evidence is there. Here are some of the transformations that my latest ELEVATE group coaching program have seen:
9/10 of the cohort now see themselves as a self-aware female leader. At the start of the program this was 1/10
Their confidence grew by 23%
Happiness in their life grew by 30%
“Doing the internal work has really helped showcase the direction that I want to go in, my values, my USP, how to use my network and career plan”
“My colleagues have already noticed a change in my outlook on my role and applying myself more”
“It made me, and a lot of people, feel heard and validated”
To see the ripple effect that happens when women unlock their power and unleash their potential.
And it’s why I am so passionate about the work I do with companies.
Because although I am paid by the companies, I work for the women.
And it’s why I am always looking to impact and influence larger strategic priorities within those companies which have the possibility of positively impacting women.
Performance management structures
Hiring practises
Appraisal processes
Benefits
I am also looking to weave more of D&I practises into my coaching as well as creating manager trainings for men to support their female talent to thrive.
Because none of this work can be done in isolation.
It’s part of a much bigger puzzle.
And it’s a puzzle that I am so proud to be apart of.
Because fighting for gender equity is something I will never stop doing, even if the statistics become even more negative.
Because we all have the potential to change our worlds and the worlds of the people around us.
And that is power.
Who is with me? And how can you make a small difference today?
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I would LOVE to know of any companies you think would be a great fit to partner with to create diverse, equitable and inclusive workforces to support women (or those identifying as women) to thrive. Please fill in a very short form HERE
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