In the wake of the #metoo campaign, much change is afoot in the work environment. It’s about time.
But one of the negative consequences has been the recoiling of executive men when it comes to their mentoring of rising women executives. This is an important issue across business, and plays, for PR in particular, into the reputation of a business as well as its success. Let’s explore that in a bit more detail.
In a recent CNBC article, results of a study conducted by LeanIn and Survey Monkey finds that male managers are twice as uncomfortable working alone with a woman after the uptick in harassment reports. It points to a new initiative from LeanIn.org which aims to connect women with “the high-quality mentorship that advances careers.”
At LeanIn.org/mentorher there is a full explanation about why male mentorship matters, and how men can be effective mentors and treat men and women equally. Bu
t from a PR perspective, the need to develop trust within organizations is extremely important and plays directly to the reputation each company continues to build.
In fact, Katrina Lake, the CEO of Stick Fix, recently disclosed that she asks every vendor about the diversity of their executive leadership before determining whether to do business with them or not.
Two of the stats from the LeanIn survey really set me reeling:
- Senior men are 3.5X more likely to hesitate to have a work dinner wit
h a junior-level woman than a junior-level man–and 5X more likely to hesitate to travel for work with a junior-level woman. - 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.
People with mentors are more likely to get promoted. So, where are women to be mentored? How can we ever get beyond the dismal 6.4% of women in CEO positions on the Fortune 500 list if we do not have access to the executive floor?
We need men to step up. This is what stops sexual harassment. When more
women are employed – and in leadership positions – harassment is less prevalent.
We have all seen the stats: Organizations with diverse leadership realize higher profits.
It’s good for women. It’s good for men. It’s good for business. It’s good for economic development.
If you or your company is stepping up during this important cultural turning point, contact Fluent PR. We’ll help you stake that claim in a manner that builds your brand and contributes to your corporate stature.
Commit to #MentorHer.
