Benefits that Benefit Women Benefit Everyone

What do women want? I suppose that’s a loaded question. But what do women want and need in order to succeed at work? When women have their needs taken care of they are more willing and able to give their best to their organization? There’s been a lot of research done about this topic, and it’s been found that benefits that benefit women tend to benefit the entire organization. When women have their needs taken care of they are more willing and able to give their best to their organization.

Here are the five benefits that help women, and in turn, help companies be more successful:

1. Equal Pay. DUH? It is well known that women across the U.S., on average, still earn less than men in comparable jobs. A proactive equal pay policy is very important to woman employees. The Equal Pay Act in the United States requires that men and women in the same workplace be given equal pay for equal work. The jobs need not be identical, but they must be substantially equal. Job content (not job titles) determines whether jobs are substantially equal. Many companies are addressing this in a proactive manner, but we have a long way to go!
2. Flexible Work Schedules. A company’s reputation as an inclusive employer is boosted by offering the highly sought-after benefit of flexibility. For women, flexibility has been proven to correlate to higher levels of ambition — one 2013 survey from Catalyst found that having access to flexible work arrangements led to a 31% increase in women’s likeliness to aspire to senior executive- or CEO-level positions. And flexibility helps employers, too — other studies have shown that flexible workers are happier, more productive, and less likely to burn out, leading to lower turnover rates. The bottom line is that face time doesn’t lead to top performance outcomes. Employers and managers need to learn to trust their employees to get the job done and not be so concerned about when and where the work is completed as long as deadlines are met.
3. Paid Parental Leave – for both parents. In almost half of two-parent households, both parents now work full-time, and in 40% of all families with children, the mother is the sole or primary breadwinner. The United States is woefully behind in their corporate parental leave policies. In fact, in a study done in 2016 by Pew Research Center analysis, highlights that the U.S. is the only developed country in the world to not offer mandatory paid parental leave. Note that in many countries, this is supplied by or supplemented by the government, relieving the company of that burden. However, there has to be something we can do, as employers, to help new parents with this major life change.
4. Healthcare. Offering health insurance not only helps employees feel more secure and taken care of, it can benefit the company because you’ll have more productive, healthier employees. People are a valued asset. Offering these benefits and educating employees on how to utilize them is an investment in workers and in their long-term health. Healthcare is a concern for all workers, not just women. Recent studies show that over 84% of employees list healthcare at the top of their benefit needs.
5. Professional development opportunities. Professional development may feel like an overused buzzword these days, but its impact on women in business is vast. Women need mentors, and they need to be shown examples of career paths where women like them have seen success in advancing. Companies can make this a reality by offering female employees designated mentors and sponsorship initiatives, such as the programs created by this super cool company, Ceresa. Closing the women’s leadership gap should be a real priority for companies looking to succeed.

Gone are the days when salary was the only thing offered on the table. In today’s market, there are a so many factors that matter more to potential employees than the money – especially to women. When a business can offer a competitive benefits package, they can better attract top talent, offer current employees a better quality of life, and enhance the bottom line! Happy employees make for happier clients because we’re all able to do our best.

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