SKILLS FOR SUCCESS

November/December 2004

Getting to the Top:

Overcoming Push Factors in the Workplace

Karla Gonye
HBA National Director

When I was working for a major pharmaceutical company, a male colleague asked, “What’s all the hype about women in the workplace, anyway? There are plenty of women at higher levels!” Things are getting better but this is not an uncommon scenario in today’s corporate environment. Although women have made significant contributions over the last 20 years, the face of senior management remains almost exclusively male.

The good news is that there are a number of strategies women can employ to get closer to the top, faster. According to WFD Consulting, a Boston-based firm that specializes in the advancement of women, a critical element is understanding “Push and Pull Factors”* that often prevent women from ascending the corporate ladder.

“Push” factors are internal issues that drive women out of companies. These are factors over which the company has great control and influence. There is less control over “pull” factors…those external issues that attract women from outside the company in which they work, like a great salary offer from another company, or the desire to pursue a lifelong career interest.

Because we cannot control “pull” factors, let’s look at a few ways you or your organization can help overcome some of derailing actions that push talented women out.

Unrelenting workload:
Email, voicemail, Blackberries and a 24/7 work environment means longer work hours and excessive workloads. WFD reports a burnout index that registers a greater degree of strain for professional women than men, largely due to intense personal and professional demands. What you can do:

  • Clarify how the organization defines success and steer rewards toward results, not effort.
  • Minimize inefficient work processes and low-value work.
  • Don’t succumb to a “Fire Drill” mentality; ask, is there a better way to accomplish our goal?

Lack of women role models in senior leadership:
Women need to see other women at top positions and learn from them.
What you can do:
Encourage your organization to:

  • Make it transparent as to how women get to senior levels.
  • Initiate internal networks that encourage mentoring and resolve issues.
  • Get women involved in organizations like the HBA that provide mentoring and direct access to other accomplished women.

THE BUSINESS CASE FOR SUPPORTING WOMEN AT SENIOR MANAGEMENT LEVELS

1. More profitability: Recent research by Catalyst, a leading research and advisory organization working to advance women in business, found that gender diversity in the top management teams improves financial performance of the company.

2. The war for talent: Many successful pharmaceutical companies have numerous initiatives to advance women to senior ranks.

3. Focus on diversity: Does your company look like your customer base?

● Women are the majority of health care consumers:
– Spending 2/3 of healthcare dollars
– Making 61% of physician visits
– Purchasing 59% of prescription drugs

● Women dominate healthcare related subjects:
– 88% of nursing students
– 66% of public health students
– 67% of veterinary health students
– 64% of pharmacy students
– 53% of students enrolled in optometry
– 50% of students enrolled in medical
school

● Replacement costs: According to the Families and Work Institute, the average cost of replacing a manager is 150% of their salary.

Imbalance of Work/Life:
On average, professional women put more hours per week into child care demands at home, creating a hectic pace for professional women. This issue gained particular attention when the Census (June 2000) noted that women returning to work from maternity leave was down from 59% to 55% among white, over- 30, educated, married women.

What you can do:
Recommend that your company:

  • Allow employees more flexibility and control over their work.
  • Re-address all issues of maternity leave head-on.
  • Stop resisting the natural ebb and flow of job requirements.

Inflexible career paths:
Some senior level managers boast, “I’ve moved five times with this organization!” This simply is not an option for most women.

What you can do:

  • Dig deeper into your organization to find new resources that will help you strengthen your resume without requiring you to move.
  • Identify a “no fault” flexible career path and critical points in the leadership pipeline

Micro-inequities:
These are inequitable social norms ingrained in the corporate culture that foster patronizing behavior, exclusive clubs and gender assumptions. Here’s an example: A male announces “I need to leave early today to take my son to his soccer game”. He is met with “What a great dad!” A woman making the same statement is met with “Can we depend on her?”
What you can do:

  • Recognize and confront these immediately to break them down.
  • Be proactive in preventing them.

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