Helping Women Stay Employed Through Covid-19 Downturn

Covid-19 has drastically affected the service and hospitality industry globally, a sector of the economy which is dominated by female employees. Beyond this, the inability for family members and friends to take up the slack of helping to care for children, and the shutting down of schools and daycare have greatly exacerbated the problem for single mothers who are forced to play the role of breadwinner and primary care giver.  

An interesting article, well worth reading, by BBC columnist Corinne Purtill outlines how Pandemic driven economic downturn disproportionately affects women in the workplace, and how companies can take steps to help mitigate these factors. 

As highlighted by Purtill’s article, some of the main strategies organizations can adopt to help mitigate the added burden on employees, especially women include: 

• Making a switch to simpler communication platforms such as Slack instead of more antiquated email platforms can save time for those juggling multiple roles at home 
• Consolidating schedules into predictable chunks of the day and planning meetings trying to accommodate to organizing care for children and dependents 

• Companies should also revise and put new thought into what constitutes a full weekday or workweek, and how employee productivity is evaluated. What works for a formal office space, may not for those working from home 

The Covid-19 Pandemic has added immense strain to the world’s population. Some groups have been disproportionally effected by this global disaster. Long term, companies and organizations which adopt strategies that help reduce this burden on their employees will see greater retention and long term success.