Women, Bring Your Full Self to Work—Everyone Will Be Better for It.

We’re in a “shecession.” Women, especially Black women, have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic. Given the number of women, and mothers, who had to leave the workforce over the last year due to COVID-19, we’ve back-tracked much of our progress toward gender equality. It will take another 135 years for women to achieve equal pay to men. According to the World Economic Forum, an additional 36 years have been added due to the two years we’ve been in and out of lockdown.   

Women are leaving in droves and continue to not make it into leadership positions, especially as first-time managers. Which means we’re also not making it to the upper-echelon of our organizations. The New York Times’ Glass Ceiling Index shows that there are more men named John leading large corporations than the total number of women holding that same position. Only 1 in 5 c-suite leaders is a woman. Even worse, the steepest drop-off is for women of color, with only 4% representation in the C-suite. 

And yet, women control over $31 trillion in worldwide spending. Even more telling, 91% of women don’t feel that advertisers understand them (Source: Yankelovich Monitor and Greenfield Online). If we’re not hearing from women – putting them in the roles that decide how to communicate with consumers – then it’s safe to assume we aren’t reaching our audiences in the most relevant ways. We are losing a valuable perspective that most intimately understands a large majority of our society’s purchasing power. So, why does it happen? 

The answer: human nature 

If we aren’t careful, our darker side of human nature shows up in the hiring process – research shows that people hire those who look, act and think similarly to themselves. It’s comfortable and familiar. This is the main reason it’s taken so long for women to break into the workforce in the first place, and a major reason behind why it’s taking much too long for BIPOC and the LGBTQ+ community to get a seat at the table.  

Embracing people for who they are opens up possibilities. 

True diversity – meaning representation and valuing every person’s perspective – expands our thinking. It challenges us to come together, each uniquely complex, to create a future built to represent a truer reflection of our society. It’s not overthrowing one side in favor of the other. To lift others up is not a threat to your own standing. Diversity helps us thrive as people and in our organizations.  

And it’s important for employees. Glassdoor reports that 83% of millennials value inclusive cultures at their workplace and are more engaged when their company commits to this core value. We each have experiences that shape us and define our world view that others may never get to experience firsthand. If we cultivate environments where everyone feels free to bring these differences and individual experiences to the table, our collective consciousness will flourish. 

Diversity also has business implications. Building a company culture based on biases and the comfort of what’s familiar is not only boring and exclusionary, it’s bad business practice. In McKinsey & Company’s Women in the Workplace study, gender-diverse teams are 21% more profitable than the national average. Culturally diverse leadership teams are 33% more likely to outperform the national average.  

You can make the change. 

As a leader, you’re responsible for setting the tone of your workplace. Whether you’re a woman, or a leader with women on your team, start within – make sure you’re creating meaningful change. Then look around. Are you cultivating an environment to allow people to flourish? Here are a few questions to help you move in that direction.  

Are you hiding something that makes you unique or covering aspects of your identity?

• Stop spending time trying to assimilate to cultural norms. Groupthink is the killer of creativity. 

Are you hiring people who look and act just like you? 

• Look around you. If everyone on your team is pretty similar, use open positions to hire a diverse team. 

Are you missing opportunities to show up for people who are underrepresented and vulnerable? 

• Don't be passive. Speak up when an inappropriate joke, comment, or microaggression is made. 

Are you an ally for women and diverse people on your team? 

• Make sure you are providing equal support for everyone. You could start by actively mentoring someone inherently different than you on your team. You might be surprised that you'll be the one learning.  

When you’re comfortable being yourself, you’ll bring your whole self to the table. You’ll empower everyone around you to do the same. You’ll make your employees feel like their voices are genuinely valued and welcomed. And you’ll crack open diverse thinking.  

Let's build a future where we all win. 

As leaders, we move people, business and culture forward. As we move, we have to consider the direction we’re heading, ensuring that, along the way, we account for every thread in the fabric of our communities. When we embrace what makes each of us unique, we become allies for each other. This is how we begin to create a future in business that accurately reflects our society – a future where we all win. 

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Written by: Mallory Miranda, Brand Supervisor at R&R Partners. 

Mallory attended the Women of the Vine & Spirits Global Symposium, where Jennifer Brown Consulting and Mckinsey & Company provided compelling data on gender diversity that inspired this article. Women of the Vine & Spirits is a client of R&R Partners whose mission is to advance women in the alcohol beverage industry. R&R Partners is honored to join them on this mission.