Despite successful efforts to bring a distanced workforce closer together, barriers still exist that challenge women in leadership to communicate effectively. Voluntary attrition is higher among women leaders than men. In director positions, for every woman who gets promoted to the next level, two women choose to leave the company. Diversity aspirations need to be realised through more equitable practices and better support for women overall, because the potential costs of not prioritising this and making the necessary changes go beyond attraction and retention to include brand reputation too.
Communication is one of the most powerful tools for elevating inclusion and diversity (I&D). It’s a flexible discipline that serves a lot of different needs, including storytelling. Messaging can embed narratives into organisations that create a better employee experience, a stronger workplace culture and sustainable organisational wellbeing.
Inclusion is clearly a factor in attrition among any workforce group. As a case in point, women who feel excluded at work are three times more likely to quit than those who feel included. According to research, open and honest communications are behavioural enablers that increase inclusion for women even more than for men. And the benefit of this transparency can be abundant. Women who feel fully included are 11 times more likely to become promoters of their companies than those who do not.
Updated digital technologies allow leaders to take advantage of an increasing range of options to fine tune how they connect with employees in remote, hybrid or onsite work environments. Technology also enhances the ability for leaders to solicit input through support networks, mentorship and internal sponsorship. These networks can be pivotal for woman leaders looking to shape and refine their communication ideas and leadership profiles.
People are vulnerable to preconceived notions, and that can bring about conscious and unconscious bias – some of these are often rooted in preconceived gender stereotypes for women. Several studies confirm that authority gaps still exist between women and men. This means that women are generally seen as communicating with more empathy, but they’re not taken as seriously because their audience tends to think they’re not assertive enough.
Gender bias can make assertiveness a low-win if not a no-win proposition for women. Women’s perceived competency drops by 35 per cent and their perceived worth falls by £12,155 when they are judged as being ‘forceful’ or ‘assertive’. Comparatively, male competency drops by 22 per cent and their worth falls by just £5,274.
Women often feel the need to be mindful when expressing authority and to downplay their accomplishments. This can often diminish the power of female leaders to communicate and influence the outcomes expected in their roles.
Structurally, changes at organisations occur when cooperation and collaboration are incentivised over competitive leadership that prioritises progress at the expense of others. For example, there was wide consensus that female political leaders were more decisive and effective in handling the pandemic. Instead of communicating ‘more like men’, these women engaged their audience through the spirit of collaboration, transparency and empathy. This practice can, and should, be incentivised through more cooperative reward structures.
Attracting and retaining future leaders, especially younger women, will need a focus on flexibility, wellbeing and I&D as high priorities, because female leaders are significantly more likely than men at this level to leave their jobs if these expectations aren’t met.
Many women point to remote or hybrid working as a top reason for joining or staying with an organisation. Flexibility is a key reason for this but, when women work remotely at least some of the time, they also experience fewer microaggressions and enjoy a much higher level of psychological safety.
Leaders can and should be influential change agents. A variety of communication strategies and methods can be effective, but messages and other interactions that stay grounded in empathy and compassion are much likelier to deliver on goals and are therefore essential. Diversifying the voices heard within the organisation and speaking authentically to a shared purpose and a common reality has the true potential to improve inclusion, slow attrition and expand leadership for women.