Why Your Talent is Leaving, and How to Get Them to Stay

Droves of ambitious, talented, innovative women are leaving workplaces behind.

It has multitudes of CEOs, CHROs, and other leaders scratching their heads as to what the issue is.

Well… I have a few thoughts on why this is happening.

The workplace that provides little to no parental leave and zero flexibility is a failed experiment that forces women to choose between their careers and their children. 😬

A female attorney for an investment bank once told me she worked 12-hour days and arrived home around 10 p.m. She barely had enough energy to pack her daughter’s lunch for the next day. And while she could afford private schools and family vacations in Tuscany, she felt guilty about how much of her kids’ lives she was missing.

Guilt for having to choose kids or a career is something that all working mothers experience – and has severe mental and physical health consequences. It’s the pink elephant in the room that can cause insomnia, loss of appetite, and even depression. It’s time not only to talk about it – but do something about it.

What can companies do to not only attract but retain their working parents and therefore create a brain-friendly workplace?

✅Provide Paid Parental Leave. Pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding are physically demanding, and it takes about six months after giving birth for a woman’s hormones to return to normal levels. The brain-friendly workplace must acknowledge these undeniable facts and provide significant paid leave for working parents.

✅Be Flexible. If lockdowns taught us anything, it was that employees did not need to be at the office under constant supervision in order to be highly productive. Providing flexible work hours and more autonomy regarding when and where employees work helps create a neurosignature-diverse workplace culture.

✅Offer Concierge Services. Name a better way to help parents keep their heads in the game than to help around the house! Providing concierge services, such as picking up dry cleaning or hiring a dog walker, will automatically help your employees truly be down on their “down time” so they can balance their work and home life easier.

Our work should embrace a family-friendly environment that allows driven women (and men) a work/life balance that suits them.