Elevating HR Newsletter

In July, we highlighted the impending crisis for working parents in the new school year. The labor participation rates from January show that the story has only gotten more dire, particularly for working mothers.

In this newsletter, we look at some of the latest, eye-opening stats and how employers can help mitigate the pandemic's long-term effect on women in the workforce.  

Mother Overload

Tired Coffee GIF By Minnesota State University Moorhead via GIPHY.

Women's labor force participation hit a 33-year low in January, according to a new analysis by the National Women's Law Center.

• 275,000 women dropped out of the labor force last month, accounting for nearly 4 out of 5 workers over 20 who left the workforce during that time.
  
  
• More than 2.3 million women have left the labor force since February 2020. The current women's labor force participation rate now sits at 57% — the lowest it's been since 1988. 
  
  
• Less than 1.8 million men have left the labor force in the same period. Not a number to scoff at, but the difference is notable. It indicates a major reversal in U.S. labor participation trends. Remember back in January 2020, when women outnumbered men on U.S. payrolls for the first time?

A driving factor in this reversal has been child care falling heavily on working mothers' shoulders.

• 32% of unemployed women said child care, not job loss, was the reason for their unemployment. 
  
  
• And 69% said they'd experienced adverse health effects due to worry and stress during the pandemic. Only 51% of fathers reported the same.

The severity of the crisis has flown under the radar for many employers.

• Working mothers tend to keep their work-life struggles under wraps. Primarily because they're twice as likely to worry their performance is judged negatively because of their caregiving responsibilities compared to fathers.
  
  
• And for good reason. When working non-standard hours or flexible work arrangements, working mothers often face wage penalties, lower performance evaluations, and being "mommy-tracked" into lower-level roles.

Women of color have been hit especially hard. In total, the unemployment rate for women 20 and over was 6% in January.

• For white women, the unemployment rate was below the average at 5.1%. For Asian women, it was 7.9%. For Black women, 8.5%. And for Latinas, 8.8%.

What can businesses do to help? Acknowledging the struggles working mothers face is the first step. Next is thinking through systems that can alleviate the burden.

• Talk with your employees. Because working mothers are reluctant to share their work-life struggles, leaders must reach out to understand their stresses and how best to address them.
  
  
• Make flexibility foundational to your organization. The top non-health-insurance benefit employees want most in 2021 is time away from work. But offering flexible work arrangements is only the start. Acceptance and encouragement from management is critical to reducing flexibility stigma.
  
  
• And watch out for executive optimism. As we've discussed before, many leaders feel they are providing exceptional remote-work support during the pandemic. But most employees disagree.

Bottom line. The pandemic has significantly altered the diversity of the U.S. labor force. Without a concentrated effort to create workplaces that address the realities of working mothers, a significant portion of this demographic may never return.

What Else Caught Our Eye This Week

Salesforce goes WFA-forever. What do they plan to do with their millions of office sq ft? Ditch the desks and redesign in-person experiences for collaboration. Read.

Zoomed out team building. Tired of gallery mode and virtual happy hours? Check out these ideas from Fast Company to connect with staff beyond video chat. Read.

C-suite self-care. Execs have rethought their businesses to mitigate the stresses of the pandemic. But few have taken the same approach to their personal lives. Read.

Right seats win championships. What helped Tampa Bay win the Super Bowl? Recruiting "wrong fits" from other teams and placing them in the right roles. Read.

Safety savings. As of this week, MIOSHA has issued $200,000+ in COVID-response-related fines. Many for lack of a response plan and safety training. Read.

Talent Watch

Current searches. We lead searches for a variety of positions across a variety of industries. Check out a few of our open ones below. See any that would interest your network? Please, share with them!

• Associate Financial Planner / Paraplanner, Midwest Capital Advisors. Link.
• Chief Financial and Operating Officer, Frey Foundation. Link.
• Senior Buyer, Natural Choice Foods. Link.
• Business Intelligence & Research Manager, The Right Place. Link.
• Vice President of Finance, Bouma Corporation. Link.

Additional Resources

[WEBINAR] Creating Safe Office Environments. Join our own Julie Burmania on Tuesday, February 23, at 7:30 am for this free panel discussion from EPI. Register.

Safe workplace toolkit. Need a COVID response plan? Safety training for staff? A way to conduct daily health screenings? We've got you covered. Learn more.

Elevate your HR. Ready to go from transactional to transformational HR? But not sure where to start? Reach out to us about an HR Discovery. Contact us.

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