Women at Work

Latest Episodes:

The Essentials: Retaining Talent Apr 04, 2022

Show notes

Every manager worries at some point that their best employees are eyeing the door. What can you do to convince your team members to stay? How do you assess whether they’re engaged? What actions can you take and conversations can you have to head off thoughts of leaving? And when a valuable employee says they have another job offer, will countering really keep them around?

Two managers share their approaches to retention and some lessons they’ve learned. One leads a team dedicated to retaining employees thinking about quitting, and the other has pushed herself to understand what motivates her direct reports. We discuss tactics you can use to help the people you manage feel valued and like they have a future at your organization.

Guests:

Rachel Spivey leads Google’s Stay & Thrive team.

Kate Tyler is a manager at Shell.

Resources:

“How to Keep Your Top Talent,” by Jean Martin and Conrad Schmidt
“5 Questions Every Manager Needs to Ask Their Direct Reports,” by Susan Peppercorn
“To Retain Employees, Support Their Passions Outside Work,” by Lauren C. Howe et al.
“What to Do If Your Employees Keep Getting Poached,” by Art Markman
“How Teams Are Retaining Employees Right Now,” by Cannon Thomas and Laura Delizonna

Email us: womenatwork@hbr.org

Stacey Abrams and Lara Hodgson on Starting and Scaling a Small Business Feb 21, 2022

Show notes

Thinking about starting a small business? Or looking to expand a business you’ve already launched? Entrepreneurs Stacey Abrams and Lara Hodgson were blindsided by the cash-flow problems and other systemic issues they ran into when trying to scale a new but popular product. They don’t want you to be.

Stacey and Lara share hard-won lessons from starting and running three companies together: first a consultancy, then a manufacturer, and finally a fintech. They reflect on what made their long-term partnership work well and how they manage self-doubt and guilt. They also share tips for networking, hiring and retaining employees, learning the ins and outs of finance, and developing an exit strategy.

Guest experts:

Stacey Abrams is an entrepreneur, politician, and author. She co-wrote Level Up: Rise Above the Hidden Forces Holding Your Business Back.

Lara Hodgson is the co-founder, president, and CEO of Now, as well as the co-author of Level Up: Rise Above the Hidden Forces Holding Your Business Back.

Resources:

“The Trillion-Dollar Opportunity in Supporting Female Entrepreneurs,” by Shalini Unnikrishnan and Roy Hanna
“Black Women Are More Likely to Start a Business than White Men,” by Donna Kelley et al.
“How to Make Venture Capital Accessible for Black Founders: An Entrepreneur’s Dilemma,” from Cold Call
“Case Study: A Founder Steps Back from Her Start-Up,” by David R. Dixon
“The Different Reasons Men and Women Leave Their Successful Startups,” by Rachida Justo

Email us: womenatwork@hbr.org

Forging Ahead — or Plowing Through Dec 16, 2021

Show notes

Just like 2020, this past year didn’t turn out like we expected. And, yet, we got through it. In this episode, we reconnect with three women who were on our show during the height of the pandemic to find out what they’ve been up to and how they’re making sense of the big shifts in society, our workplaces, and our lives. The questions they’re asking themselves are important ones: Is the path I’m on the right one? What does a “healthy and happy me at work” look like?

We discuss the value of self-reflection, why we’ve generally been putting it off, and the introspection that the death of a family member brings about. The Amys reflect on two recent losses, how they managed grief and work, and the lessons they took away from those experiences.

Resources:

“How to Cope with Anticipatory Grief at Work,” by Sabina Nawaz
“Make Space for Grief After a Year of Loss,” by Gianpiero Petriglieri
“How Women Who’ve Lost Work Are Coping,” by Women at Work
“Starting Your Career in a Pandemic,” by Women at Work
“Has Anything Changed for Black Women at Work?” by Women at Work

Email us: womenatwork@hbr.org

Keep the Challenges of Freelancing in Check Dec 06, 2021

Show notes

Why do some freelancers feel depleted and discouraged at the end of their workdays while others feel happy and hopeful? Having a successful career in the gig economy, no matter your profession, requires a certain set of psychological and social skills.

Two researchers break down six common existential and interpersonal challenges that freelancers confront in their day-to-day work lives. They share routines and practices that help independent workers keep themselves motivated, productive, and developing professionally.

Guest experts:

Brianna Caza is a management professor at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Erin Reid is a management professor at McMaster University.

Resources:

“Are You Ready to Go Freelance?” by Brianna Barker Caza et al.
“What Successful Freelancers Do Differently,” by Ben Laker et al.
“Freelancing, Self-Employment, and Mental Health” by The Anxious Achiever
“Thriving in the Gig Economy,” by Gianpiero Petriglieri et al.
The Gig Work Life

Participate in Erin and Brianna’s research study.

Email us: womenatwork@hbr.org

What’s Changed About How We Show Up at Work Nov 29, 2021

Show notes

Which feelings (and shoes) are work-appropriate these days? What happens now with the transparency and informality that, for many professionals working from home, became more normal and acceptable? How do return-to-office mandates compromise the authenticity of employees who prefer to stay remote?

Tina Opie, an expert on authenticity, joins us to share impressions of how notions of professional behavior and dress have changed. She also gives advice for expressing yourself as expectations of professionalism shift.

Guest expert:

Tina Opie is a DEI consultant, visiting scholar at Harvard Business School, and management professor at Babson College.

Resources:

“Lead with Authenticity,” by Women at Work
“How Much of Your “Authentic Self” Should You Really Bring to Work?” by Susan McPherson
“Working from Home While Black,” by Laura Morgan Roberts and Courtney L. McCluney
“How Organizations Are Failing Black Workers — and How to Do Better,” by Adia Harvey Wingfield

Email us: womenatwork@hbr.org

Becoming a Leader When Everything Is Shifting Nov 22, 2021

Show notes

Once you’ve committed to a leadership role — formally and officially or simply in your mind and heart — getting everyone else at work to buy in requires relationship management. How do you successfully shift the role you’re playing on your team? What sorts of conversations help clear the way? Which steps shouldn’t you skip? Is this transformation harder to make over Zoom?

To address these questions, we revisit a 2019 interview with two leadership development experts — essential listening for any woman who’s ready to step up — and share an update on how their advice applies in the context of remote and hybrid work.

Guest experts:

Amy Jen Su and Muriel Maignan Wilkins are the founders of the executive coaching and leadership development firm Paravis Partners. They co-wrote the book Own the Room, and Amy is the author of The Leader You Want to Be. Muriel hosts the HBR Presents podcast Coaching Real Leaders.

Resources:

“Seeing Ourselves as Leaders,” from Women at Work
“Anyone Can Learn to Be a Better Leader,” by Monique Valcour
“How to Develop Your Leadership Style,” by Suzanne J. Peterson, Robin Abramson, and R.K. Stutman
“Begin with Trust,” by Frances X. Frei and Anne Morriss

Email us: womenatwork@hbr.org

Take Control of Your Onboarding Nov 15, 2021

Show notes

How are women who started a job remotely during the pandemic faring? Have they been receiving the support and making the connections necessary to succeed in their role? What lessons can they pass on to other women who are about to join an entirely remote or hybrid organization?

We highlight findings from our survey of new hires. Then, Emily speaks with management professor Beth Schinoff and HR executive Amelia Ransom about their own experiences starting new jobs — the challenges they faced and how they worked to overcome them. They also share advice on how to approach onboarding, whether you’re starting a new position yourself or supporting a new member of your team.

Guest experts:

Beth Schinoff is a management professor at Boston College.
Amelia Ransom is the vice president of diversity, equity, and inclusion at the software company Smartsheet.

Resources:

“How Remote Workers Make Work Friends,” by Beth Schinoff et al.
“Starting a New Job? Take Control of Your Onboarding,” by Susan Peppercorn
“How to Set Up a Remote Employee for Success on Day One,” by Darleen DeRosa
“How to Re-Onboard Employees Who Started Remotely,” by Rebecca Zucker
“How to Succeed Quickly in a New Role,” by Rob Cross et al.

Email us: womenatwork@hbr.org

If We Want Equity, Work Needs to Be Less Greedy Nov 08, 2021

Show notes

One way to help close the gender earnings gap? Deliberate redundancy at work, according to economic historian Claudia Goldin. Claudia expands on this idea and shares other insights about the U.S. female labor force. Emily and the Amys reflect on the career-family decisions they’ve made (or plan to make) and imagine what it would be like to have a colleague who could fill in for them whenever they needed time off.

So You’re Thinking About Quitting Your Job… Nov 01, 2021

Show notes

We all go through periods at work when we think, I am done with this job and ready to move on. But are you really ready to leave your team and your company? You owe it to your career and your future self to make that decision carefully.

Amy G talks through essential questions to consider. And if you decide that bowing out is indeed the right move, she gives advice for doing that conscientiously, including how much notice to give.

Then we hear from a listener in New Zealand who recently gave her notice at her public sector job about how she handled her guilt and fear over leaving.

Resources:

“How to Quit Your Job: An HBR Guide,” by Amy Gallo
“5 Reasons Not to Quit Your Job (Yet),” by Amii Barnard-Bahn
“Christine vs. Work: How to Quit Your Job with No Regrets,” by Christine Liu
“How Much Time Can I Take Off Between Jobs?” By Rebecca Zucker

Email us: womenatwork@hbr.org

Dealing with the Feels After an Employee Quits Oct 25, 2021

Show notes

If you’ve invested in someone you manage, it’s natural to feel hurt when that person tells you they’re leaving. Yet the classic management advice is: Don’t take it personally. Be professional. Acknowledging your feelings and working through them — for yourself and with your team — is actually part of being an emotionally intelligent, compassionate leader.

Five managers, including Amy B, share their experiences of losing team members and how they’ve learned to cope with the shock, sadness, and stress.

Guests:

Nicole Smith is HBR’s editorial audience director.

Maureen Hoch is the editor of HBR.org and the supervising editor of Women at Work.

Resources: