covid-19

Identity and Boundaries: A different type of balance for working women without children

In past posts, we’ve explored the unhealthy habits and unrealistic expectations that have led to burnout and women stepping back from the workforce. While we’ve been mindful to note that this applies to working women both with and without kids, we’ll be the first to acknowledge that much of the press we’ve seen in this space has been around working mothers.

In a recent Elle article focused on working women without children, we see the more raw side of the experience of women who have pushed themselves to the brink when it comes to “picking up the slack” where mothers have left the workforce. Countless women share their stories of exhaustion to the point of passing out on video calls, ending up in the hospital, or simply losing any semblance of separation between “work” and “life.”

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Transition, Body and Boundaries: A Discussion with Dr. Casen of Drugless Doctors

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After a great conversation with Dr. Casen of Drugless Doctors on burnout in December of 2020, we came together once again to discuss the topic that is top of mind for so many as we head into year 3 of the COVID-19 pandemic and increasing hybrid work—transition, setting boundaries, and creating healthy habits along the way.

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Critical Boundary Setting: Organizations, Managers, Individuals

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“As companies embrace flexibility, they also need to set clear boundaries”

The 2021 Women in the Workplace report summarizes this key recommendation so clearly. Pre-pandemic, boundaries were important, but to an extent some of them were ‘built in’ to our daily lives—the commute to the office, closing up the computer at the end of the workday, a peek at email on your phone but a response saved for tomorrow.

With all of the changes COVID-19 has brought, burnout is one that we have talked about extensively in the past two years. As we face yet another period of transition (back to the office, no wait—back to remote) it is a critical time to revisit the boundaries that organizations can set to create a sustainable flexible workforce that can readily adapt to the seemingly endless change and uncertainty.

Women in the Workplace 2021

In anticipation of the 2021 Women in the Workplace report, which was published in September, I was prepared for more bad news. Specifically I was preparing myself for a dramatic reduction in the representation of women in the corporate pipeline. After all, millions of women have left the workforce since the start of the pandemic. However, this year I was also surprised—more positively—to find that representation of women was still able to improve despite the challenges the pandemic has brought.

Case Study: Givaudan Return to Work with Intention

We love working with our repeat clients to develop tailored content to best meet their audience’s needs. Over the years, we’ve gotten to know the leaders of Givaudan’s We Lead women’s initiative with programs focused on communication and burnout. As 2021 is coming to a close and organizations are continuing to adjust and re-adjust their return-to-office plans, it seemed like the perfect time to address this upcoming transition. While we have a standard topic on Equity in Hybrid Work, Givaudan’s workforce has varied working structures—some hybrid, some all in-person, some all-remote—which has been true throughout the pandemic. Through our planning we chose to deliver a workshop focused on Intentional Transition regardless of each person’s particular working situation.

Returning to Work as Caregivers: Insights from Katelyn of Mother Nurture

Mothers and caregivers have unique challenges, and therefore unique needs, to take into consideration as organizations are establishing their “return to work” plans. We invited Katelyn Denning of Mother Nurture. Katelyn is a life coach who helps busy, working moms manage their time, be more present, and truly enjoy their lives. She herself is a mom of three young kids, and has navigated a “return to work” pre-pandemic several times.

Supporting Women in the Return to In-Person Work

Along with many of our clients, Gild Collective is beginning the transition back to in-person work. With several in-person workshops scheduled this June, the trend for companies returning to some amount of in-person work is clear.

As the transition to in-person work begins, how can each of us—regardless of role—push back against the negative impacts on women caused by the pandemic, and avoid new ones?

#ChooseToChallenge - International Women’s Day 2021

International Women’s Day is upon us! This year’s theme is Choose To Challenge.

Since the start of the pandemic, we have seen an abundance of data and research done on the impact of the pandemic on women.

With this abundance of data comes a long list of ways we can choose to challenge in 2021. At Gild Collective, we’re focusing on a few areas to drive impact—both in our own lives and within the organizations we work with to shift workplace cultures and break down gender barriers.

The Future of Work is Flexible. Let’s Ensure it’s Equitable, Too

In December 2020, Mercer released their final survey in a series designed to measure the impact of COVID-19 on the workplace. It asked the question, “How are companies addressing flexibility, inclusivity, and the continued impact of the pandemic?”

The data on flexible working is clear, but while it shows that employers are more focused on inclusion than ever before, culture changes aren’t happening. We have the opportunity to form flexible work practices focused on being inclusive from this point forward.

Women + Burnout: A Conversation with Dr. Casen of Drugless Doctors

We’ve been talking a lot about burnout recently—from our review of the 2020 Women in the Workplace report, a deep dive on what organizations can do to retain their female talent, and our new workshop topics on Navigating and Managing Burnout.

Last week I had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Casen DeMaria of Drugless Doctors on this topic. As a chiropractor, Dr. Casen works with many women and helps them to identify the gaps and challenges they may be facing, finding the right place to begin and helping her patients get their gusto back.

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Retaining Women During COVID-19

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As we continue to wrap our heads around concerning data points from the Women in the Workplace 2020 study and recent research from Deloitte, we ask ourselves what can be done to retain women in our organizations to avoid a reversal of the representation progress that has been made in recent years.

We’ve explored recommendations from a variety of sources and are guiding our clients to focus on 7 things to benefit all employees, but with a specific emphasis on the challenges and biases women in your organizations may be facing.

Women in the Workplace 2020: Spotlight on COVID-19

In years past, when the Women in the Workplace study by LeanIn and McKinsey and Company was released, I had been excited. Excited to see progress being made (even slowly) and new insights uncovered on how women can be better supported by their organizations.

The 2020 Women in the Workplace report was released last week, and like many other 2020 headlines, it did not bring with it this sense of excitement or hope. Despite my awareness that women are being disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, I did not anticipate some of these jarring data points.

Case Study: WE Lead Class 15

WE Lead Class 15 started during the pandemic. So rather than a two-day overnight, the team at the Cincinnati Chamber made adjustments to keep Gild Collective facilitators and participants safe while still finding a way to gather together in an outdoor space for the important work that kicks off the program. The class was able to make connections and begin benchmarking where they were currently in their career and develop objectives for where they want to go throughout the program.

We know COVID-19 has thrown the best laid plans into a state of unknown, but we’re grateful that our ongoing partnership with WE Lead could continue through the pandemic and we know that learning from this unique format will only make future programs even stronger.

A Roundup of Expert Career Advice for Navigating COVID-19

No matter where you live – or if your local COVID-19 cases are rising or falling – it clear that as a country we are going to be navigating this pandemic for months to come (if not longer). For many of us, that means that our employers are choosing to continue remote work, or some hybrid form of it, for the foreseeable future. For some, this is great news – we have thrived working in a remote environment. For others, this reality feels professionally paralyzing.

COVID-19 Impact on Diversity & Inclusion

Since we often work with Diversity & Inclusion leaders within organizations, we were curious about the impact COVID-19 has had on the roles and responsibilities for these leaders and their plans for the rest of the year. In connecting with our network, we identified a couple themes and how to address each one.

Fostering an Inclusive, Equitable Environment During COVID-19

Managing inclusion efforts, or simply being inclusive in managing your team or engaging with your colleagues, has most likely shifted to the lower end of your consciousness and priority during this season. However, many employees who are working from home for the first time are struggling now more than they ever did in a traditional work environment, and need support more than ever.