A leader cannot be seen as effective until he/she is able to satisfy all demographics that relate to them. With COVID-19 on the rise, leaders have to really prove themselves in these times of crisis while simultaneously make sure to keep all peers satisfied and focused.
One that arose tremendously was the witnessing of female discrimination during the initial outbreak of the crisis. While companies sought to downsize on the workforce in a panic to try and manage the work around the situation, women were centered at the target to be left jobless.
It was reported by the NPR that almost 60% of layoffs were accounted for women. Apart from this, women were centered on domestic violence cases as well as they could not escape their homes. In situations as such, leaders must step in and help in ways that they can. Here are some ways you can help women at your organization or institute in these trying times:
Help With Childcare And Education
Single mothers or working mothers can be offered childcare by chipping in for a part-time nanny. This will help take the continuous load off and also help women to focus better on working from home knowing their child is being looked after.
Similar to this you can also offer to pay for tutors if the mother is unable to work her potential due to being busy with the child’s online schooling. Other options might include offering business loans or introducing emergency programs.
Subscription Services
Help with tasks at home in ways like offering a meal plan or food/grocery delivery services. Also, allow for pro versions of apps related to work in order to ease the workload, reduce work hours, and also make sure all resources are provided for her to excel.
Finding Effective Mentors
Introduce new experts to women that will act as a good counselor and mentor or who are trying to educate and attract potential workers. This will help to highlight that you understand the situations women have to go through and you care for them outside of the business as well.
It also helps to achieve new sources of funding and opens the possibilities for women to move to roles that will help them develop their careers even if your enterprise has downsized.
Shift Men to Work from Home
Move the men to work from home as well, allowing women a little help around the house and support in child care. Women and men can then divide the workload rather than women working and balancing office and work and household chores.
Appreciate and Reassure
Women realize how tough it is for them to keep afloat in the workplace and remain competitive in the business game. Therefore, they tend to worry about their emotional health and performance way more than men do.
Ergo, you need to make sure that you ensure them every now and that they are being recognized and so are their efforts amidst all the chaos they have to temper with. Such practices will help to relieve plenty of the emotional fatigue that women experience.
