Deloitte has published the pioneer report of Women @Work in 2021, offering insights around hybrid working, great resignation, career burnout, etc.
While we zipped past the pandemic days, its impact has had long-lasting effects. A few have positively transformed working style, culture, expectations, etc. For eg. virtual working, which was rationed and exclusive once, has become the norm.
As working styles have transitioned, the most affected category is women. This disproportionate effect has been studied by major organizations like the UN, the ILO, the World Economic Forum, etc.
Tech-giant Deloitte has published the pioneer report of Women @ Work in 2021. Covering the landscape of opportunities and challenges that women professionals traversed in times of the pandemic, the report draws key insights on hot topics such as hybrid working, the great resignation, career burnout, etc. With its cohort spanning 5,000 working women from 10 countries, the report provides a comprehensive view on how women are impacted. The study reflects the reasons why companies are losing women employees and what enables women to stay back in the company and the workforce.
The key insights that emerge from the report are as follows:
Increasing stress levels give rise to widespread burnout
More than half (53%) of the women surveyed feel burned out as their stress levels have been higher than they were a year ago.
The continuing pattern of The Great Resignation
As burnout continues, nearly 40% of women are actively looking for a new employer.
Flexibility is not a reality
Only 22% report having flexibility as a policy introduced during the pandemic. And a whopping 94% believe that requesting flexible working will adversely impact promotion.
Hybrid working challenges over opportunities
Around 60% of women feel excluded from important meetings as they choose the hybrid workstyle. And almost half fear their chances of having networking opportunities with their leaders fade, which is a critical enabler of sponsorship and career progression.
Rising but unreported harassment, microaggressions
Women experiencing harassment and or microaggressions amount to a whopping 59%! And sadly, 93% believe that reporting these incidents may cost them their careers and result in inactive responses from employers.
Intersectional women face more challenges
LGBTQIA+ women are more than 10% more likely to say they have been demeaned or undermined by their managers because of their gender identity preference.
Competitive advantages of inclusive companies
Albeit just 5% of the sample, the report also identified women from companies that genuinely target and provide inclusive workplaces. Women who work for these companies report far higher levels of engagement, trust, career satisfaction, and intention to stay with their employers longer. Remarkably, just 3% of women report burnout, as they work with gender-inclusive leaders, and 87% say they get adequate mental health support from their employers.
In the dynamic sphere of challenges and opportunities, a few women enjoy their professional stint, fortunately having been working at inclusive companies. As Avtar’s Best of Best Conference unveils its 2022 edition, we hope to see more companies show their potential as inclusive companies that foster the period requirement of equitable, welcoming, and valued workplaces!
