Are You Ready to Breakup with Your Organization?
The Top Reasons Why Women are Leaving Their Organizations and How to Prepare Yourself if This Happens to be You.
Women are fed up with the way in which they are working and are showing it in record numbers by deciding to “Break Up” with their organizations. According to McKinsey & Company and LeanIn.org’s 2022 Women in the Workplace study, the largest study done on the state of women in Corporate America, women are beginning to demand more from work and are leaving their companies in unprecedented numbers just to get it. The questions that remain are why, where these women are going, and what they are finding on the other side.
The Why Behind Their Decision
For these seasoned and high-achieving professionals, making a decision to leave their organization can be a difficult one, especially if they are transitioning to another where they may be unsure whether they will encounter the same challenges as the one they are leaving. So what’s the hangup? What are these women running away from, and what is it that they are running towards?
One of the major reasons these women are feeling “froggy” is due to the subtle, inequitable acts they come up against in their workplaces. The Women in the Workplace study reported that these microaggressions range from being passed over for raises and mistaken for more junior staff members - to taking on additional responsibilities, often surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace, then overall feeling underrecognized and undervalued. These feelings lead them to look outside of their place of employment for other opportunities that will allow them to advance, utilize their skills and experience, and enjoy a better workplace culture. Organizations that do not act quickly and meet the needs of these women will find themselves struggling to maintain an experienced workforce to meet the needs of their own clients.
Where To
So where are these women going? Are women in all organizations facing the same challenges? The truth is many have made the leap over to companies with more flexible work-at-home opportunities. If the pain points are that women do not have equal opportunity for advancement, they have minimal flexibility in the way in which they work, they are being overworked and underpaid, largely due to being unrecognized for their full contribution, and their organizations are not meeting their needs, companies that fail to address these issues will continue to see women leave in record numbers and not return.
If only a portion of these women are transitioning to other organizations that are working to provide healthy workplaces for them, where have the others landed? Is making the transition to another company the only option for these women? According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, there has been an overall decline of women in the workforce since the start of the pandemic, and many of those women have not returned. This confirms that many women have outright given up on the hope that their organizations could meet their needs as highly skilled professionals, balancing multiple priorities both within and outside of the workplace.
The U.S. Census Bureau reported in 2021 that the number of women-owned businesses only grew 0.6% from 2017 to 2018. Reports from 2022 show that women started 49% of the new businesses in the U.S. in 2021, an increase from 28% in 2019. J.P. Morgan highlighted that from 2014 to 2019, the number of businesses owned by Black women grew by 50%, and they continue to press forward. These numbers alone show that women, and more specifically women of color, are making the decision to leverage their knowledge, skills, and abilities for themselves.
We’ve already established that many seasoned professional women have all but given up on the hope that they can work and earn in the environments they desire within their current organizations. So why are some women deciding to go into business for themselves instead of simply finding an alternate organization to make their home? Stacy Francis, President and CEO of Francis Financial and Founder of Savvy Ladies, explains what many women are realizing; owning a business allows you to steer the course of your career, set your own hours, and overcome the pay gap that keeps women earning just 79% of what their male counterparts are.
Next Steps
So, where do you fall on this spectrum? Are you looking for an organization that allows you to leverage your unique talents and earn the money you want, all in the supportive environment you most desire? Are you ready to take a leap but are hesitant because you don’t know how to take the first step, much less where you will land? Have you already taken the leap and are now ready to step into this new season, breaking old earning limits and more aligned with your purpose than ever before? No matter which space you find yourself in, the first step you need to take is to ask yourself three questions that can set you up for success beyond measure.
What do I most want out of this next chapter in my life and career?
What am I willing to give up in order to get it?
Who am I willing to become in order to have it?
If your organization hasn’t figured it out yet and you find yourself feeling like many other women in the country, take some time to get clear about each question and decide what your next moves are going to be. Ultimately, whether you have or don’t have the work life and earnings you want, is up to you. Decide that you are worth it, and take the first step right now.
Kenya Stanell Lewis, MSN, RN
