The F-Word: Flexibility at Heart Of Why Many Women Leaving Jobs

Much new research reasserts that flexibility needs for women are behind the recent great Resignation.

As millions of women exit their jobs—by choice or by default—and leadership doesn’t seem to get it, where does this leave women in the workforce?

They want flexibility, transparency, accountability in their jobs and from their leadership.

“As millions of #women exit their jobs—by choice or by default—and leadership doesn’t seem to get it, where does this leave women in the #workforce? They want #flexibility, transparency, accountability in their jobs and from their leadership. ”

Following the news of nearly 160,000 U.S. jobs lost last month, the highest in half a decade, new studies echo the sentiments of the 2021 “Great Resignation,” as more women are looking for new work, more C-suite executives, mostly men, are checking back into the office unaware of what their employees are experiencing. And more mothers want to stay remote or stay out of the job market. All of these studies point to an urgent need for flexibility.

 A new FlexJobs survey of over 700 working mothers shows that the long COVID effects on the workforce are that 40% of working moms are actively looking for a new job because they want to work remotely. They say that companies not grasping the stress of work/life imbalance was their biggest mistake.

“ A new @Flexjobs survey of over 700 #working #mothers shows that the long COVID effects on the workforce are that 40% of working moms are actively looking for a new job because they want to work remotely. #remotework”

What’s not funny about a toddler screaming during a zoom call is that 60% of company managers didn’t factor in flexible schedules, and it is why 57% of mothers working would not apply or accept a job. It was likely the reason they quit. Close to 70% said a permanent remote job would greatly improve their mental health.

FlexJobs reports that 52% of working moms said their ideal post-pandemic work arrangement would be to work remotely full-time, with an additional 44% preferring a hybrid workplace. Almost half say they will quit if they are required to come back to the office full time.

“@FlexJobs reports that 52% of working moms said their ideal post-pandemic work arrangement would be to work remotely full-time, with an additional 44% preferring a hybrid workplace. #remotework #newnormal”

It’s noteworthy that 64% said they’re extremely or somewhat optimistic about their employment situation in the coming six months, and 63% of working moms said they’re not worried that working from home will hurt their career progression.

Managers, leaders and employers are making huge mistakes underestimating, misunderstanding or completely disregarding the needs of their colleagues, particularly women with children at home. Nearly a third report their managers do not fully understand the stress of work-life conflicts during COVID, and they also communicate poorly. A quarter of employees surveyed said leaders had unrealistic expectations about productivity, poor management and were rigid with schedules.  

“Managers, leaders and employers are making huge mistakes underestimating, misunderstanding or completely disregarding the needs of their colleagues, particularly women with children at home. #workfromhome #workingmother”

The second most often cited reason for dissatisfaction with a job, behind low salary, was promoting a toxic company culture, as 72% said this was the case. Limited advancement opportunities or career progression and an absence of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives were also key factors, according to FlexJobs.

A much larger global study, Future Forum Pulse, a quarterly survey of more than 10,000 knowledge workers around the world, demonstrates a similar gap in understanding of employee needs by executives and leaders. In particular, they are out of sync with the needs of women, working parents and people of color, the study shows.

 The key findings based on workers in the U.S., Australia, France, Germany, Japan and the U.K., show that “57% of global knowledge workers open to looking for a new job in the next year,” which may result in what has been called the Great Resignation, or a risk of enormous talent loss.

Their research shows a serious disconnect between what C-level executives experience and observe and what employees witness and report.

“Future Forum Pulse, a quarterly survey of more than 10,000 knowledge workers around the world, demonstrates a gap in understanding of employee needs by executives and #leaders; they are out of sync with the needs of #women, working parents and people of color.”

“Studies show that many executives are holding on to the remnants of the past and failing to see this as an inflection point in the workforce,” Ella Washington, an organizational psychologist and professor at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business and the founder of Ellavate Solutions, states in the report. “If employers don’t pay attention and take action to re-create the best of what we’ve learned working virtually in the office and in hybrid work environments, then opportunities for inequity could skyrocket.”

Thankfully, researchers came up with some possibilities to address the issue. And yes, the F-word of flexibility tops the list.

“Executives must recognize flexibility—in both where and when work gets done—as the defining competitive advantage. Flexibility ranks second only to compensation in what matters to employees for job satisfaction,” the report shows.

Next is training and rewarding real inclusion, not just talk about inclusion.

“Companies should give managers the training and support they need to evolve from information gatekeepers to inclusive coaches. Managers who measure performance based on outcomes over activity, give regular and consistent feedback, and build social connections within and across diverse teams will be able to unlock the full potential of their organizations.

Transparency is another key to retention and job satisfaction for women.

“Transparency is another key to retention and job satisfaction for women. #workplaceculture #womenintheworkplace”

“Transparency is particularly critical when it comes to communicating post-pandemic work policy decisions and why they were made. Employees who don’t believe their companies are being very transparent about these policies report substantially lower job satisfaction, perceived equity and sense of being valued. They’re also more open to changing jobs,” the report shows.

 The mother of all studies, Women in the Workplace, “the largest study of women in corporate America” from McKinsey in partnership with LeanIn.Org, “reflects contributions from 423 participating organizations employing 12 million people and more than 65,000 people surveyed on their workplace experiences; in-depth interviews were also conducted with women of diverse identities, including women of color, LGBTQ+ women, and women with disabilities.”

“Much new research reasserts that flexibility needs for #women are behind the recent #GreatResignation. #leadership ”

According to the findings, “There is also a disconnect between companies’ growing commitment to racial equity and the lack of improvement we see in the day-to-day experiences of women of color. Women of color face similar types and frequencies of microaggressions as they did two years ago—and they remain far more likely than White women to be on the receiving end of disrespectful and ‘othering’ behavior. This points to the critical need for businesses to equip employees at all levels to challenge bias and show up as allies.”

 The report continues, “Companies need to take bold steps to address burnout. They need to recognize and reward the women leaders who are driving progress. And they need to do the deep cultural work required to create a workplace where all women feel valued.”

On a more hopeful note, the McKinsey report states that many companies embrace flexibility—perhaps because they were forced to do so.

““Companies are embracing #flexibility and remote work at levels that would have seemed impossible just a few years ago—and employees are fully on board,” the @McKinsey report states. #leadership”

“More than three-quarters of senior HR leaders say that allowing employees to work flexible hours is one of the most effective things they’ve done to improve employee well-being, and there are clear signs it’s working,” the report shows.

 The bad news is, this flexibility piece can translate into a 24/7, boundary-less access to employees.

 “Companies are embracing flexibility and remote work at levels that would have seemed impossible just a few years ago—and employees are fully on board,” the McKinsey report states. “It will take time for the full impact of the pandemic to come into focus, but one thing is clear: hybrid work is here to stay.”