Women in corporate roles face unique stresses, from juggling multiple responsibilities to navigating negative cultures. By tackling these challenges, we can empower women to thrive and create a more supportive workplace.
As a woman in corporate, the challenges I have come across are likely, all too familiar to many. Yet, we often take them in stride, instinctively finding ways to manage and navigate these obstacles.
Working in the financial industry and investment space, I’ve seen a strong emphasis on your wealth journey and on aspects like saving for retirement, leaving a legacy, and choosing the right investment assets. However, we often overlook the fact that we ourselves are our most valuable asset so why not focus on that as part of our investment journey.
Below, I’ll break down each challenge and suggest potential solutions or strategies to address them.
1. Work-Life Imbalance
This has been a significant challenge and is closely related to some of the other issues mentioned below. Balancing work and personal life often feels like walking a tightrope, with each step feeling risky and stressful.
Multiple Responsibilities: Balancing demanding work responsibilities with family and household duties can lead to chronic stress. Many of us experience the heart-wrenching guilt of not giving enough to either our professional duties or our family responsibilities. It is the late-night worries about unfinished tasks or the moments of feeling overwhelmed by the weight of expectations.
Lack of Flexibility: Inflexible work hours and lack of remote work options can aggravate stress for women who need to manage both professional and personal commitments.
Encouraging flexible work arrangements such as remote work or flexible hours can ease the problem of balancing professional and personal responsibilities. It is also important to set clear boundaries between work and home life, which can help in managing stress. Additionally, we as women can consider delegating or outsourcing household responsibilities when and if possible, allowing us to focus on both work and family without feeling overwhelmed.
2. Role Overload
Multiple Roles: Women often juggle multiple roles, such as employee, caregiver, wife, mother, and homemaker, leading to role overload and stress. Added to this stress factor we tend to take on additional responsibilities at work without adequate support which can lead to burnout. High workloads and expectations to work long hours can lead to physical and mental exhaustion.
It is essential to prioritise tasks and learn to say no to avoid taking on too much. Developing support systems within the workplace, such as colleague networks or support groups, can provide much-needed encouragement and help share the load. Time management can also be beneficial, enabling us to manage our multiple roles more effectively and reduce the risk of burnout.
3. Limited Support Systems
Lack of Mentorship: The lack of mentors can leave us without guidance and support, making it harder to navigate corporate challenges. We seldom see other women in roles we aspire to be in, making it more difficult to circumnavigate our career journey.
Insufficient Peer Support: Women might feel isolated if they lack a network of peers who understand their experiences and challenges. As women, we often view each other as competition rather than one of mutual support. This view can stem from societal pressures and stereotypes that pit us against one another. Instead of encouraging a network of encouragement and collaboration, we might subconsciously undermine each other’s efforts and achievements.
Without champions advocating for us, women might miss critical career advancement and opportunities.
Establishing formal mentorship programs can provide the necessary guidance and encouragement for women navigating corporate challenges. Creating or joining women’s networks within the company or industry can promote peer support, making it easier to share experiences and offer mutual encouragement. Additionally, implementing initiatives, where senior leaders actively advocate for high-potential women, can help ensure women do not miss out on critical career advancement opportunities.
4. High Expectations and Perfectionism
Pressure to Perform: Women often feel they need to prove their competence continually, leading to elevated levels of stress and self-imposed pressure. We often find ourselves comparing our performance to that of our male counterparts, leading to a tendency to critically judge ourselves when we believe we are not meeting the same standards.
Addressing high expectations and perfectionism involves shifting focus from perfectionism to a growth mindset, where mistakes are viewed as learning opportunities rather than failures. Regularly recognising and celebrating our accomplishments, both individually and within teams, can also help reduce the pressure to constantly prove oneself.
5. Unclear Career Path
Glass Ceiling: Persistent barriers in career advancement despite qualifications and performance can result in women feeling helpless and burnt out. Women are often perceived as being more emotional, a stereotype that can adversely impact their prospects for job opportunities.
To address this, companies can take proactive steps by creating clear and transparent career development plans that offer opportunities for skill enhancement and leadership training. Encouraging women to advocate for themselves and pursue leadership roles is equally important, as it highlights their contributions within the organisation. By providing leadership training, companies can empower women to overcome barriers and advance confidently in their careers.
6. Workplace Culture
Toxic Environment: A non-inclusive or discriminatory workplace culture can create a hostile environment, increasing stress. A culture that is not inclusive or supportive of diversity can create a hostile environment for women. Frequent microaggressions and subtle biases can accumulate, leading to a feeling of being undervalued and targeted.
Improving workplace culture starts with adopting comprehensive diversity and inclusion initiatives that go beyond superficial measures, creating a truly supportive and inclusive environment. Regular training on unconscious bias and microaggressions is vital for raising awareness and reducing discriminatory behaviour.
Prolonged stress from these challenges can lead to burnout and mental health issues like anxiety and depression. To combat this, we must foster a supportive approach at work and in our personal lives. Advocating for flexible work, building strong support networks, and promoting inclusivity can make a meaningful difference. Recognizing our contributions and setting healthy boundaries, while seeking mentorship, can create a more balanced and sustainable work environment for everyone.
Remember, taking care of yourself isn’t a luxury—it is a necessity for sustaining our well-being and effectiveness in all spheres of our life. As the popular saying goes, "Put your oxygen mask on first before helping others"; this powerful metaphor reminds us that we must first care for ourselves to be truly effective in supporting those around us. By embracing even, the smallest of the recommendations I have mentioned above, we women can empower ourselves.
