Earlier this year, my article How are women faring in the workplace? delved into the somewhat surprising phenomenon of women in senior positions thriving at work – not only more than their more junior female colleagues, but even compared with men across all roles (including senior roles, where people tend to thrive more). With this year’s World Mental Health Day theme focused on mental health at work, I wanted to shine the light on the women, particularly those in junior and mid-level roles, who are more likely to be struggling in the workplace – and explore ways that organizations can support their well-being.
Overall, women are thriving less and struggling more
While my last piece highlighted female leaders (those in senior positions) thriving, this is not the norm. When focusing on women overall, their experience is in stark contrast with the general experience of men in the workplace: 42% of men are thriving at work, compared with only 35% of women. It’s clear that in the workplace, women are dealing with a lot: compared to their male counterparts, women exhibit less thriving, experience more disconnectedness, and express more struggling and negative experience at work.
- Lower thriving: Compared to men, women are more likely to score low on the various dimensions that compose our Work Thrive Index. (The Index measures things like sense of connection, feelings about the workplace, satisfaction and likelihood to recommend one’s workplace to others). Female staff are less engaged and express stronger dissatisfaction with their work lives and experience within the organization. This pattern is even more apparent among junior/early-career women.
- More overwhelmed: In the workplace, it’s women who are more inclined to be suffering from poorer mental health, experiencing more anxiety, a sense of aimlessness and disconnection. They are also more likely to report negative feelings related to work, such as exhaustion, burnout, and a sense of struggling.
Social Values of women in the workplace
A look at the Social Values of women who are struggling most is instructive, and points to some of the possible actions that can be taken to support mental health – and better thriving – among this group. Compared to their male colleagues and, in some instances, their high-thriving female colleagues (mostly senior/later career women) low-thriving women tend to be:
- Unanchored and concerned. Lacking a firm sense of purpose and direction (Anomie & Aimlessness), these women are daunted by the complexities (Aversion To Complexity) of life and at work. In addition to worrying about their finances (Financial Concern), they are anxious about new technologies (Tech Anxiety), privacy concerns (Concern For Privacy), and the need to adapt to the evolving digital landscape.
- Stressed and needing outlets. Time Stressed and feeling the pressures of life, they feel less equipped to manage, and have a Need For Escape – longing to get away from it all. This is a group seeking to simplify their lives and to minimize the burdens they shoulder (Voluntary Simplicity).
- Drawn to meaningful engagement, expression, and connection. Although they’re overwhelmed, this group of women employees is motivated to connect and contribute. They’re community-oriented, ethically-minded, and socially-engaged. They strive to bring their best in many areas of life: family, appearances, health (physical, spiritual, mental), and even seeking Fulfilment Through Work. Their desire to stand apart and put their personal stamp on things (Pursuit Of Originality), to express themselves creatively (Personal Creativity), and to learn from their peers (Social Learning), presents opportunities to engage them with work in ways that look different than what might resonate with their male colleagues.
Essentially, women require of their workplace a supportive and safe environment where they can bring their best, authentic selves, so that they can contribute meaningfully and have a positive impact.
More needs to be done, but what?
It’s a strategic imperative for organizations to optimize mental health among a valuable, and often underserved, subgroup of the workforce. And few approaches will have as much impact on mental health as cultivating a psychologically safe workplace – one that helps to alleviate emotional fatigue and burnout, enabling women to bring value to the workplace and to contribute in a meaningful way.
The most significant gaps between what women desire in the workplace and what they experience can be related to the key components of psychological safety. (A lack of such safety can contribute to more negative workplace experience, less thriving, and poorer mental health).
The idea of psychological safety in the workplace has been well-established and researchers have mapped four stages that underpin psychological safety at work (see below); nurturing a foundation of trust is vital to the whole process of creating psychological safety. Our own research finds that women in particular are attracted to the idea of Trust & Trustworthiness in the workplace – an atmosphere where they can count on everyone to “have each other’s backs.” – and yet, this is an area with a marked gap (20 points) between what they need and what’s being provided; while 41% of female staff find Trust & Trustworthiness important, only 21% experience it in their workplace.
Below, we set out the four stages of psychological safety that have been widely discussed in the area of organizational psychology and team effectiveness. For each stage, we also name and describe a dimension of the Environics Workplace Values solution that corresponds to the stage’s characteristics. We also give a sense of the gap we find in our research between the kinds of workplaces women find appealing, and the workplace environments they say they currently experience.
1. Inclusion Safety
This form of safety corresponds to workplace values of Acceptance & Belonging, which are likely to make team members, including women, feel safe to express their authentic selves at work and with their colleagues. Organizations that successfully demonstrate these values will ensure inclusion and representation within the company and in positions of leadership, so women see themselves in all areas of the organization, and particularly in areas of influence and impact. Women in the workplace express a strong desire to feel safe being themselves at work, to accept one another, and to feel like they belong – but there is an 8 point gap between those that say it’s important to them (38%) and their experience of it at work (30% say they experience it).
2. Learner Safety
Learner safety requires mutual understanding and opportunities for staff to walk in others’ shoes. This form of safety corresponds to values of Awareness & Empathy, enabling connection on a personal level and nurturing a supportive environment. Organizations can cultivate these values with policies that recognize individual lived experience, including the responsibilities that many women need to juggle. Employers can also provide a safe place for them to engage, develop, and have permission to make mistakes as they grow in their roles. Women in the workplace want to work in an environment of high self-awareness and emotional empathy towards others – but there is a gap (8 point) in what they place importance on (29% say it is important) and whether they are experiencing it in the workplace (21%).
3. Contributor Safety
This form of safety requires organizations to provide roles, avenues, and the autonomy that enables female staff to find Purpose & Fulfillment. These are the opportunities that help employees create meaning and carve out a pathway for themselves to actively participate in the future of the organization. Women in the workplace express a need for purpose and meaning in their work beyond the compensation they receive – and there is a disproportionate divide (19 point gap) between what they value (33% view it as important) and their lived experience (14%).
4. Challenger Safety
Organizations succeed in promoting challenger safety when they share information generously, are open, and demonstrate values of Transparency & Clarity. This can mean letting employees, including women, into the ‘clubhouse’, so they have insight into the organization’s trajectory, and can participate in an informed manner, impact progressive change, and not feel left out or left behind. It’s telling that this final stage of psychologically safety sees the widest gap: While women in the workplace expect leaders to use open and transparent communication that produces a clear understanding of the organization’s goals and strategy, a 24-point gap exists between expectations and reality: 38% want Transparency & Clarity and only 14% see this evident in their organizations.
This is an important reminder as we consider this year’s World Mental Health Day: Attention must be paid to ensuring psychological safety and mental wellbeing at work, by supporting and uplifting women, to build a culture of thriving, and to pave the path for diversity and representation in leadership within organizations. By recognizing the experience of women in the workplace and providing the necessary supports for mental well-being and the psychological safety required for them to thrive, organizations stand to benefit from a stronger, more engaged and effective workforce.
