During the pandemic, women business leaders learned the advantages of working in and managing a hybrid workforce. If employers want to retain their talented women leaders as they return to the workplace for at least part of the workweek, they should address the barriers and opportunities for women, to keep them in the leadership pipeline. --BY INGRID JOHNSON

Multiple surveys have found a common theme concerning women business leaders. They found that the hybrid work model that emerged during the pandemic worked well for women for personal and work reasons, including spending more time with family and dealing with less bias when attending online meetings with peers and higher-ups. As many women leaders return to the workplace at least for a few days each week, employers have an opportunity to address the challenges that so many working women face, and also support them in the hybrid workforce personally and as leaders of hybrid teams. The unique challenges range from rebalancing work schedules to balancing work and family responsibilities, to accessing mentorship and development programs that help them move up the career ladder to equal inclusion as an organizational leader.

Assessing the Impact of the Hybrid Work Model on Women

Positive statements about the hybrid work model are often made from the perspective of younger generations of workers, who have expectations about work-life balance and work schedule flexibility. There is another perspective – that of the women leaders who struggled before the pandemic to overcome their unique challenges, including balancing family and work responsibilities and unconscious bias preventing equal development and career advancement opportunities. When the hybrid work model became a fixture in most industries, women leaders discovered some features that helped them achieve what they were unsuccessfully asking for in the workplace.

The International Workplace Group’s survey of women found that 88% believed hybrid work’s flexibility was an equalizer, and 66% believed it allowed fewer workplace biases due to gender, race, or other demographic or identity. Worklife spoke to many women who shared how the hybrid and remote work schedules helped them pursue career goals while meeting family needs. Rachel Perera, International Project Manager at BEAM International, told Worklife that she found that working two days in the office and three days at home enabled her to spend quality time with her daughter and pick her up for school, reducing stress and allowing more time to do deep work and be creative. Perera and BEAM International benefitted.

Worklife spoke to many women who shared how the hybrid and remote work schedules helped them. Heidi Hagberg, a communications executive at a tech company, said online meetings equalize everyone because all attendees are “little boxes.” This made speaking up at a meeting easier than being the youngest woman and least experienced person in a physical meeting with the C-suite and organizational members, and intimidated by a room full of more experienced men. (It could be noted that this also eliminates the persistent biases based on a woman’s appearance.) Christina Gilligan became a remote worker 2.5 years ago. She discovered that the extra time she had due to not needing to spend up to four hours commuting enabled her to complete an upskilling course, that led to her current position as Spotify’s Product Manager.

Supporting Women Leaders in the Hybrid Workplace

As a hybrid workforce becomes a permanent work model, it is important to recognize the unique challenges that women leaders may face. These challenges could include balancing work and family responsibilities, navigating virtual communication, and dealing with unconscious biases. Ironically, many women in leadership positions have found that working from home has given them more opportunities to succeed. As business leaders navigate the hybrid environment, it is crucial for them to recognize the unique challenges that women may face, and to ensure that they have the support and resources they need to thrive. This includes things such as flexible work arrangements, mentorship and networking opportunities, training and development programs, and implementing employee benefits that support women and caregivers. Benefits are especially important to the success of women leaders who want to advance into higher-level positions, and some are linked to overcoming historical biases. For example, more women than men are caregivers, and culturally speaking, women are more involved in caring for their children than men. Sometimes they need to take extended time off for children or aging parents. Offering extended leave time is a best practice, but it also carries the risk of being stigmatized as unreliable and not dedicated to work success. Burnout is also an issue. More than half of employed caregivers work full-time, and before hybrid work they had to rearrange work schedules, work less, or take unpaid leave. Six out of 10 caregivers have experienced a change in employment due to caregiving. Employee assistance programs can help employees, including women leaders, avoid burnout. Ultimately, empowering female leadership at pivotal moments makes it possible to create a more diverse and inclusive workforce that benefits everyone.

Moving the Needle

Women remain underrepresented in leadership roles and have made little progress since 2017. For example, from 2017-2022, in the U. S., there was a 6% increase in women in C-suite positions, a 7% increase at the senior vice-president level, and 3% each for vice president, senior management, and manager positions. Women are leaving their companies at a high rate because they want to advance but continue to experience microaggressions that undermine their authority. They report that their gender and being a parent leads to them being passed over for a raise or promotion. Microaggressions persist about things like hairstyle, clothing, qualifications, and commitment to the job. Women leaders are much more likely than male leaders to change companies because they want more flexibility and want to work for a company committed to employee well-being and diversity, equality, and inclusion.

In the hybrid work environment, women leaders who want to advance their careers to higher leadership levels need coaching and mentoring opportunities. One of the risks of the hybrid work model is that some people may feel disconnected from the organization’s culture, which will slow progress and increase turnover. Coaching and mentoring by senior leaders offer critical learning opportunities, and it can help keep women leaders in hybrid workforce settings connected to the culture and the career advancement process. Women leaders managing hybrid teams can also strengthen their skills in leading a hybrid team with empathy and keeping the team collaborative and included. Development can focus on topics like communicating with remote employees, setting employee availability boundaries, and utilizing data analytics for decision-making. These are critical skills each company needs for long-term success.

Empowering Women Leaders Benefits Everyone

Companies need a proactive approach to supporting women leaders fully in the hybrid workplace. A woman leader who works remotely or is a hybrid employee needs the full support of their employer if the business expects to retain them. It could be said that the pandemic gave many women leaders a more effective voice, enabling them to find the work-life balance and respect they sought before the hybrid work model became pervasive. It could also be said that employers now have a viable path to benefit from the talents of women who are also mothers and caregivers. Retaining women leaders and providing the resources and tools to keep them in the leadership pipeline is good for the business, the women, families, and society.