Through Crisis: Women Leaders Showing Up and Burning Out
McKinsey’s Women in the Workplace is the largest annual study of women in corporate America. The 2021 takeaway: Women leaders (particularly intersectional women) are showing up—and burning out. More than half of women responsible for managing teams report being often or almost always burned out. Almost 40% have considered leaving the workforce or stepping down to a smaller role.
Through the COVID-19 pandemic and our national racial reckoning, women leaders provided more care to employees and showed more dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts than their male counterparts, yet that work is often overlooked and undervalued.
From the report:
“Compared to men at the same level, women managers are taking more action to support their teams, from helping employees manage their workloads to checking in regularly on their overall well-being. Senior-level women are twice as likely as senior-level men to spend substantial time on DEI work that falls outside their formal job responsibilities, such as recruiting employees from underrepresented groups and supporting employee resource groups.”
“Compared to men in similar positions, women managers are consistently doing more to promote employee well-being—including checking on team members, helping them manage workloads, and providing support for those who are dealing with burnout or navigating work/life challenges.”
“Women leaders are doing more than their share of mentorship and sponsorship. Men in senior leadership outnumber women 2 to 1—but employees are equally likely to say that women and men leaders have supported their career development. This means women are shouldering roughly double the load of mentorship and sponsorship.”
“Compared to men at their level, women leaders are up to twice as likely to spend substantial time on DEI work that falls outside their formal job responsibilities. 38% of senior-level women mentor or sponsor at least one woman of color, compared to only 26% of senior-level men.”
“Women leaders with traditionally marginalized identities are even more likely to contribute to DEI efforts. Among women at the manager level and above, Black women, LGBTQ+ women, and women with disabilities are up to twice as likely as women overall to spend a substantial amount of time on DEI work outside their formal job responsibilities.”
And yet:
1 in 3 women are considering leaving the workforce.
4 in 10 are considering leaving their company or switching jobs.
Black women are 2x more likely than white women to say they’re not supported to advance.
The burden of change should not fall on those who need it most. And yet these are the folks doing the work.
Burnout is classified by World Health Organization not as disease, but as a syndrome brought on by chronic workplace stress. Numerous studies reveal that a sense of progress in meaningful work is key to preventing it. So, how do we sustain our finest leaders?
Acknowledge, value, and advance women’s work.
Value DEI work: make it reflective in resources, pay, performance reviews, and promotions.
Support all women: hire, mentor, sponsor, promote, and celebrate the work of intersectional women.
At the current rate, it will take 100 years to reach gender parity at the highest levels of leadership. Progress will require the radical.