Women at Work

Latest Episodes:

How Women Who’ve Lost Work Are Coping Nov 02, 2020

Show notes

The pandemic has taken jobs, gigs, customers, and contracts from countless women. And many still aren’t sure when their industries will reopen or when clients will be ready to hire them again.

Three women — a massage therapist, an opera singer, and a small business owner — who lost work in March open up about how they’ve been coping with the changes to their employment and finding a way forward.

Resources:

“When Losing Your Job Feels Like Losing Your Self,” by Aliya Hamid Rao
“How Unemployment Affects Twentysomethings’ Self-Worth,” by Jeylan Mortimer et al.
“Making Sense of the Future After Losing a Job You Love,” by Sally Maitlis

Email us: womenatwork@hbr.org

Going Back to the Office Oct 26, 2020

Show notes

If working from home intensified the invisible labor women do and put even more pressure on us professionally and personally, what should we expect from life split between home and office? And without much of the interaction and amenities that being in an office used to offer us, is going in worth the trouble of wearing a mask all day, navigating the new rules, and taking the potential health risk? And what about those of us who can’t go back?

Women who’ve returned to their workplaces describe what it’s like to be back. Emily and Amy B report from their first day at the HBR office in Boston. Then Amy G talks with a colleague about why they’ll continue to work remotely and how people on their hybrid teams can include them even though they’re not physically present.

Email us: womenatwork@hbr.org

Resources:

“Help Your Employees Manage Their Reentry Anxiety,” by Sarah Clayton and Anthea Hoyle
“Feeling Uncomfortable with Reentry? You’re on the Right Track.” by Dr. Julia DiGangi
“How to Manage a Hybrid Team,” by Rebecca Knight

Too Shy to Be a Leader? Oct 19, 2020

Show notes

We all have preconceived notions about which personality types are fit to be in positions of power. And as a result, a lot of incompetent men become leaders because of the confidence they give off. But being self-assured doesn’t make you good at the job. Imagine if there were more reserved but truly competent women in leadership? So what if your boss blushes easily, as long as she’s emotionally intelligent and inspires her team?

One woman’s struggle with shyness prompts us to explore the seeming conflict between being shy and being a leader. With the help of an expert, we examine the professional advantages of certain personality traits related to shyness — like sensitivity and thoughtfulness — and discuss strategies to overcome the aspects of them that may hold you back at work.

Guest:

Alice Boyes is a former clinical psychologist turned writer and is author of The Healthy Mind Toolkit and The Anxiety Toolkit.

Resources:

“How to Overcome Your Fear of Making Mistakes,” by Alice Boyes
“How to Support a Colleague Dealing with Social Anxiety,” by Janhavi Devdutt and Dr. Seema Mehrotra
“How to Support an Employee with Social Anxiety,” by Ellen Hendriksen
“Social Anxiety and Success,” from The Anxious Achiever podcast

Email us: womenatwork@hbr.org

How Mothers WFH Are Negotiating What’s Normal Oct 12, 2020

Show notes

Many months into the pandemic, we examine the effects working from home is having on the ways housework and childcare get done there. Forced togetherness and relentless negotiations for space and time are creating a more even division of labor within some families, which may lead to career gains for mothers.

Harvard Business School professor Kathleen McGinn highlights findings from her ongoing research on how working parents are reconsidering and shifting their roles and responsibilities. Then, we discuss how women are navigating those negotiations and pushing for a more equitable future with two working mothers with young children at home: HBR.org editor Maureen Hoch and Katherine Goldstein, host of the podcast The Double Shift.

Our HBR reading list:

“Why WFH Isn’t Necessarily Good for Women,” by Herminia Ibarra et al.
“Don’t Let the Pandemic Set Back Gender Equality,” by Deepa Mahajan et al.
“Gender Equity Starts in the Home,” by David G. Smith and W. Brad Johnson
“How to Let Go of Working-Mom Guilt,” by Sheryl G. Ziegler

Email us: womenatwork@hbr.org

All the Help We Can Get Oct 05, 2020

Show notes

We’re going to need all the help we can get to make it through this pandemic. But asking for help isn’t easy, especially when everyone around you is also maxed out. We assume that our request will be an imposition, or we worry that it’ll make us look like we can’t handle our jobs. Fortunately, the research shows that these fears are largely unfounded.

Social psychologist Heidi Grant says asking for the help you need can convey confidence and strengthen your relationships with colleagues. She explains how to ask in a way that will improve your chances of getting a “yes,” and why lending a hand to others is good for you too.

Our HBR reading list:

“Drowning in Work? Here’s How to Ask a Colleague for Help.” by Heidi Grant
“How to Get the Help You Need,” by Heidi Grant
“The Best Leaders Aren’t Afraid to Ask for Help,” by Peter Bregman
“5 Ways to Get Better at Asking for Help,” by Wayne Baker

Email us: womenatwork@hbr.org

Introducing Season 6 Sep 24, 2020

Show notes

Women at Work returns October 5 with candid conversations and practical advice that’ll help get you through the messiness of 2020. Plus, we have a new host!

Email us: womenatwork@hbr.org

Starting Your Career in a Pandemic Jun 22, 2020

Show notes

Starting out your career is a formative, fragile time — in the best of circumstances. It’s even more challenging during the intersecting crises we’re living through. Many young women are navigating work relationships and cultures without strong networks, sponsors, and other kinds of support that take time to build. So we’ve pulled together perspectives and practical advice for women who are new to the workforce or entering it now.

First, two women early in their careers tell us how they’re learning to rely on their peers for professional development while working from home. Then Hana Ayoub, a career coach, suggests practices for orienting yourself in an unfamiliar workplace and making the most of less than optimal circumstances. And finally the Amys chat with a graduate student doing an internship at HBR about what’s helped her feel heard at work and optimistic about the future.

More support, from our archive:

“Networking Doesn’t Have to Be a Drag”
“Sponsorship: Defining the Relationship”
“We Deserve Better Than ‘Attagirl’”
“Let’s Do Less Dead-End Work”

Email us: womenatwork@hbr.org

Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.

Unpause Yourself Jun 15, 2020

Show notes

The pandemic and its economic fallout have caused many of us to feel like we’ve lost control over our professional lives. But there are steps you can take to get where you want to be, whether that’s restarting a career move, protecting a job you love, or finding a new one.

Kathleen McGinn, a professor whose specialty is career mobility, reflects on what moving ahead means these days and gives advice on when and how we should be pushing ourselves to advance. Then Daisy Wademan Dowling, an organizational consultant and executive coach, shares tips for protecting your job in a recession.

Our HBR reading list:

“How to Sell Yourself When Your Job’s at Risk,” by Daisy Wademan Dowling
“Managers, Encourage Your Team to Take Time Off,” by Sabina Nawaz
“Coronavirus Career Limbo,” from Dear HBR:
“Reinventing Your Career in the Time of Coronavirus,” by Herminia Ibarra
“How Will You Measure Your Life?” by Clayton M. Christensen

Email us: womenatwork@hbr.org

Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.

Sisterhood Is Critical to Racial Justice Jun 08, 2020

Show notes

Work is among the many places where white people have long been indifferent to the hardships black colleagues face. One way white women can advance racial justice is by building trusting relationships with black women. This week, we’re revisiting two episodes from Season 2 that explore women’s solidarity at work: “Sisterhood Is Scarce” and “Sisterhood Is Power.”

We talk with professors Ella Bell Smith and Stella Nkomo about how race, gender, and class play into the different professional experiences and relationships white women and black women have. They explain how those differences can drive women apart, drawing from the research and stories in their book, Our Separate Ways.

Then we talk with professors Tina Opie and Verónica Rabelo about the power of workplace sisterhood. We discuss steps, as well as common snags, to forming deep and lasting connections with our female colleagues.

Our HBR reading list:

Our Separate Ways: Black and White Women and the Struggle for Professional Identity, by Ella L.J.E. Bell and Stella M. Nkomo
“Even at ‘Inclusive’ Companies, Women of Color Don’t Feel Supported,” by Beth A. Livingston and Tina R. Opie
“Getting Over Your Fear of Talking About Diversity,” by Daisy Auger-Dominguez
“How Black Women Describe Navigating Race and Gender in the Workplace,” by Maura Cheeks
“Toward a Racially Just Workplace,” by Laura Morgan Roberts and Anthony J. Mayo
“S. Businesses Must Take Meaningful Action Against Racism,” by Laura Morgan Roberts and Ella F. Washington

Email us: womenatwork@hbr.org

Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.

Helping Men Help Us Jun 01, 2020

Show notes

Gender equity at work won’t happen without men. But what exactly should men be doing? How should they support the women they work with? And in what ways can women shape those efforts so that they actually help us?

We speak with three experts on diversity and inclusion about how men can become effective allies. Brad Johnson and David Smith share best practices for men trying to build stronger relationships with women, and Lily Zheng joins us to talk about allyship on a systemic level.

Our HBR reading list: