Post-COVID, companies need to prioritize retaining and promoting women leaders

The pandemic has set back efforts to increase gender equality and women’s progression in the workplace. Taking meaningful action to prioritize work-life balance and increasing efforts to remove unconscious biases around women’s leadership will help companies get back on track, says Sara Gay, Head of Group Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Unicredit.

The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed tens of millions of women out of the workforce and impacted their career ambitions and leadership progression. This is not only damaging for gender equality in the workplace, but can negatively impact the performance of companies. Research shows women demonstrate higher levels compassion than men, meaning employees who work for women leaders are often more engaged and productive.

A lack of work-life balance and an increased workload are among the top reasons cited by women considering leaving their current employers. Nearly 80% of women say their workloads have increased because of the…