Embracing Equity and Closing the Dream Gap With Laura Quigley

Authored by Laura Quigley- SVP APAC

Workplace culture continues to evolve every year, and the journey has just started. While there have been long-going conversations about equality and, diversity & inclusion, it’s time to think about “equality” in its true sense. Along with providing individuals and groups access to the same resources and opportunities, this International Women’s Day (IWD) calls for us to recognise people with unique backgrounds and circumstances and provide them with the resources they need to ensure everyone’s success.

Let’s take a look at three challenges the work industry faces and steps we can take to ensure equity:

For Every Manager Or Director Promoted This Year, Two Decided To Leave - McKinsey & Company Report

For years, women have fought for their voices to be heard at every step of their professional journey. Now that workplace laws are changing with conversations about gender equality championing women's empowerment, looking at other ways to support women's growth at work is essential. According to this McKinsey & Company article, a record number of women leaders are leaving their jobs. The reasons for this range from opportunities to advance, coworkers taking credit for their idea, or women leaders not being rewarded for their extra efforts.

Noticeably, the article mentions how women leaders face “burnout” because their workplace does not reciprocate the effort they give. For every manager or director promoted this year, two decided to leave. Therefore, despite the company promoting a couple of women, the outcome is that they don’t feel the environment is right for them to thrive. A few ways your workplace can change this is as follows:

• Flexibility in terms of where, when, and how they work
• Providing valuable feedback that will allow women to take constructive action and boost their career journey
• Prioritising DE&I and rewarding individuals who take proactive steps to participate in these efforts
• Providing opportunities for young women employees to develop into leadership roles

Empathy For Employee Wellness

Essentially, “equity” means the quality of being fair and impartial. While support is provided at the workplace through various measures such as healthcare, parental leave, flexible time-off, and retirement benefits, the time has come to look beyond that and address challenges based on individuals. Conversations around menstruation leave have led to governments taking action. For example, Spain became the first European country to grant workers the right to paid menstruation leave on February 16, 2023. Countries such as Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia, South Korea, and Zambia also give menstrual leave. 

This gives rise to the conversation of supporting individuals with menopause at work. Menopause can severely affect a woman’s working life with symptoms such as depression, anxiety, sleep deprivation, and cognitive impairment, to name a few. It is important to note that menopause usually occurs between the ages of 45 and 55 — a critical career stage during which women are most likely to move into top leadership positions. In a survey of 1000 adults in the UK, the British Menopause Society found that 45% of women felt that menopausal symptoms hurt their work, and 47% who needed to take a day off work due to menopause symptoms say they wouldn’t tell their employer the real reason. This IWD, GroupM agencies Mindshare, Wavemaker and EssenceMediacom introduced a Menopause Policy to provide support for women experiencing symptoms of menopause.

When approaching challenges with equity, it becomes a no-brainer to support menopausal women during their challenging times. Managers can support menopausal women through the following steps:

• Flexible working, i.e. taking some time off from work or flexible working hours
• Counselling through workplace
• Educating employees, including guides for managers, about the possible symptoms of menopause and the types of workplace supports or adjustments that can help.

Women in the workplace must be encouraged to seek support and inform their managers about what they’re going through.

Encouraging Equality Through Workplace Communities

To create a work culture of belonging where everyone feels valued and respected, creating communities that represent and support individuals with unique backgrounds and circumstances can go a long way in setting them up for success. For example, at Integral Ad Science (IAS), we have fostered a culture of inclusion where my colleagues from different nationalities, sexualities, and interests have formed Employee Resource Groups to connect and support each other. 

In today’s time, empathy is an important virtue that sets leaders apart from each other. Striking up a work-life balance has never been easy. However, providing the right tools to fellow women as we set them up for success will help them in their journey to excellence.