Working at a company where the majority of employees are women is a unique experience for many of us. I recently had the experience of doing a series of client visits together with 7 of my amazing female colleagues and we had a blast! During this time, I had some moments where I stepped back and observed what was happening, how we were interacting, and the things we bonded over. In this blog post, we will discuss the observations from being at a mostly-women company.
Connection and Bonding
When you get a group of women together, just “being” women, we can sometimes start talking about our personal lives, such as kids, balancing school, being pregnant, or the challenges of nursing. Even things like hair styles, shopping, and more. Yes we talk about other less traditionally “woman-related” subjects like what are the latest best shows to Netflix and chill with. However, being able to unabashedly be a women with a group of like-minded women at work, I feel, helps create that bond and connection that many women need with other women and allows them to bring their whole selves to work.
It was so fun to just “be” when we are together and for me, it offered a sense of stress relief and made me feel a bond with other women. I didn’t feel like I was “at work” or under the traditional pressures that I’ve felt in past workplaces. Getting to bond on a woman-to-woman level is something that women really need with other women. It’s like having a tribe, where we can share our experiences, joys, and struggles. For me, it feels like belonging.
Many of us are with our families and focusing on day-to-day family life, and we are not able to prioritize girlfriends time. We get busy making lunches, making sure our kiddos remember to bring their library books to school, rescheduling the cleaners, making sure our kids have a birthday present to bring to their friends party, it can get daunting even thinking about trying to find time to get away and just be with “the gals”. Through the years, I’ve discovered how important this is. Having a girlfriends trip a few times a year, I’ve experienced them as “medicine for the soul”. And what I’ve felt by being surrounded by a group of women at work helps to have that outlet and sense of belonging. I believe it’s essential for our mental health, and it helps us to feel supported and understood.
I often try to imagine what our conversations would look like if it was not all women, which we often have the opportunity to do when we are in the presence of other colleagues, clients, partners, and such. I think about what if we didn’t have that outlet? When would we find the time to connect with other women and relieve this stress?
Weaving that outlet into our work life
Then I think about women who don’t have that outlet at work, and there are plenty! How much harder is it for people to feel like they belong somewhere? They have to go to extra means to find like-minded women and be able to connect about the things that make our experience uniquely woman. That’s even more work and many women just don’t have the time to do it. Being able to weave that into your day-to-day with work, I feel is a huge perk of having other women at work.
It’s not a surprise that having a company owner be a woman with a young family, designed a workplace that attracts and meets the needs of other women in similar situations. These are women that had a lot of challenges with the cultures at the previous companies being too stiff, not giving the same kind of flexibility, ownership, and freedom we have and perhaps just not being able to relate to others around them as much.
Designing your work environment to fit the people you are trying to attract is important because different people have different needs and priorities. For example, parents with young children may need a flexible work schedule in order to balance their work and family responsibilities, while introverts may prefer a quieter and more private workspace. Additionally, individuals from diverse backgrounds and with different abilities may have unique needs that should be accommodated. By recognizing and addressing these varying needs, companies can create a more inclusive and supportive work environment that attracts a wider range of talented individuals.
It’s important to think about what your population needs. I think women need a degree of bonding time with other women and I think it’s important to include that in the culture. Do you agree?
In conclusion, working at a mostly-women company offers a unique experience that creates a bond, sense of belonging, and outlet that many women need. It’s essential to have a tribe that supports and understands us, especially during challenging times. How can companies create a similar environment for their women? It’s not a surprise that some of the best companies recognize the importance of diversity and inclusion as the workplace is designed.