How will women get a Seat at the Table in Today’s Corporate Culture?

Recently, LeanIn.Org and SurveyMonkey partnered to understand what men and women are feeling in the wake of the widespread media reports of sexual harassment. Here’s what we learned.

• Almost half of male managers are uncomfortable participating in a common work activity with a woman, such as mentoring, working alone, or socializing together.1
• Almost 30% of male managers are uncomfortable working alone with a woman —more than twice as many as before.
• The number of male managers who are uncomfortable mentoring women has more than tripled from 5% to 16%. This means that 1 in 6 male managers may now hesitate to mentor a woman.
• Senior men are 3.5 times more likely to hesitate to have a work dinner  with a junior-level woman than with a junior-level man—and 5 times more likely to hesitate to travel for work with a junior-level woman.2
• Women and men feel similarly about the media reports of sexual harassment: 47% are not surprised, and 25% think this is the tip of the iceberg.
• About half of women and men say their companies have responded to the #MeToo movement by taking action against harassers, updating their policies, or offering employee guidance or training. (Shockingly, half of the companies have not.)

Having over 25 years of experience in Corporate America with Fortune 500 companies, I am well aware of the challenges women are confronted with.

Women are not receiving the "sideways" training and mentoring that men do. I believe strongly that “sideways” discussions are some of the most impactful conversations we have. Think about the things your children tell you in the car while you are grocery shopping, emptying the dishwasher together, doing a craft project together or playing video games on the couch. This is bonding time, where you learn what they are really concerned about with their friends, at school or with another family member.

In today’s corporate culture, women are less likely to play golf, going to ball games or out to happy hour one on one with a male leader. Many are not included in work travel or other opportunities where questions about harassment, sexuality or favoritism could arise. Most men are not willing to jeopardize their reputation or their career by being seen alone with a woman he works with.

What is a career woman to do? It is essential for women to receive the training and to develop their skill sets in order to further their career progression.

At Kimberlee Jo, we are developing the SMART is the New Perfect platform. We are creating career development courses and workshops, SMART Career Strategies. Training developed by women for women. We know women and we understand the challenges of the modern busy woman. We offer effective “micro-learning” moments that are powerful and applicable to today’s global interconnected working world.  

We would like to hear from you? What are your needs? What would help you get on the fast track? We want to know you and understand you so we can develop the most effective offerings providing streamlined best practices while optimizing your time.

Imperfectly Yours,