Human Resource Executive: working women need a culture of inclusion.
The pandemic has blurred the lines between home and work for everyone. This has been particularly for women who are most likely to serve in caregiving roles within their families, in addition to their workplace responsibilities.
“The pandemic has resulted in women spending approximately 7.7 more hours per week on childcare than men,” says Rebecca Henderson, CEO, global businesses, and Randstad executive board member. The end result is 31.5 hours of home/family related work per week: nearly the equivalent of a full-time job.
Henderson states that women are also feeling anxious and depressed about returning to a physical workplace. Especially when compared to their male counterparts. Uncertainty about the Delta variant is further adding to worries about childcare and school.
“It is critical that employers focus their efforts on establishing and fostering a culture of inclusion that supports and advances the careers of women,” Henderson says. “At the core of everything should be flexibility.” That means flexible hours, job sharing programs and hybrid work arrangements.
Henderson will be speaking about this topic when she delivers the opening keynote at the Women in HR Tech Summit in Las Vegas. Meanwhile, you can read more about the challenges facing working women here.