Women leaders – from New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern to Germany’s Angela Merkel – have won praise for their handling of the COVID-19 crisis. And in May 2020 the number of women running Fortune 500 companies hit a new high. Yet this isn’t enough and isn’t always reflected down the corporate ladder. Our research is clear: When it comes to leadership, women are not looking for favours, just a level playing field. We found that established female leaders acknowledge familiar obstacles throughout their career, including: lack of role models, gendered career paths, and a lack of access to sponsors and influential networks.
Prioritising presenteeism over performance has held women back, yet the good news is this moment could change this for the better. Trust is now front and center for employee and employer. The days of looking to see which employee is in their office or beating the boss into work disappeared in an instant...and was replaced with trust. Performance has replaced presenteeism and employees everywhere are cheering from the front lines. Now contribution and skills are the new currency.
We think it's key to get more women into male-dominated fields such as IT and banking and so think our clients. Have a look at our latest job offering and don't hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions.