Why Are Women So Unhappy At Work?
Some startling research, at least to this male, reports that women are twice as likely as men to be considering leaving their jobs. According to Sylvia Ann Hewlett, founding president of the Center for Work-Life Policy:
"We found that in the wake of last year's financial crash, high-powered women were more than twice as likely as men -- 84 percent compared with 40 percent -- to be seriously thinking jumping ship. And when the head and heart are out the door, the rest of the body is sure to follow."So smart companies such as Intel are aggressively acting to retain their female employees by offering career workshops, skill-building classes and courses on managing in a diverse workplace.
Read Hewlett's post on Harvard Business Review, Are Your Best Female Employees a Flight Risk?
Unfortunately, Hewlett doesn't answer my burning question? Why are women more likely than men to consider jumping ship? Certainly there are career opportunity questions. If women believe they don't have as good a chance as their male colleagues of advancing, of course they should be considering options.
But a 2x factor suggests something much more deep seeded. Something about the nature of work in the modern company. What's your take?
If you were creating a company from the ground up with an explicit goal of attracting, rewarding and best utilizing the talents of female employees, how would that company look different than today's traditional firm? Yes, having a female CEO would be a nice start. What else?