Jason Wingard* says men’s response to the #MeToo movement poses a threat to women’s advancement to senior leadership.
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Mario Batali, the celebrity chef and restaurateur, has formally exited the restaurant industry.
His departure follows accusations, more than a year ago, of sexual harassment and assault.
Although the powerful #MeToo movement has brought immeasurable positive — and hopefully permanent — change, it has also triggered unforeseen negative consequences.
One is a potential threat to women’s advancement to senior leadership, as some men have become wary of forging professional relationships with female colleagues.
Some 82 per cent of men, in fact, are worried about false allegations of harassment — more than any other workplace gender issue.
Almost half of male managers are now uncomfortable mentoring, working alone, or socialising with women, according to a LeanIn survey.
These unnecessary fears and preoccupations could slow the progress of female leadership, which is contrary to what #MeToo survivors and allies wanted.
It is also the opposite of what organisations need, as research indicates that the presence of female executives leads to greater productivity.
Here are three ways leaders can combat this backlash and continue helping women ascend the career ladder.
Expand workplace flexibility
A necessary condition for women’s ascension to leadership is their ongoing engagement at work even when presented with the demands of family life.
More than half (58 per cent) of millennial mothers, according to Pew, say being a parent makes it harder for them to get ahead at work.
Only 19 per cent of fathers feel the same way.
“When women in leadership have partners, they are five times more likely than men in the same situation to do all or most of the household work,” stated a report from McKinsey and LeanIn.
“So perhaps not surprisingly, among senior-level employees who don’t want to be top executives, 42 per cent of women say it’s because it would require too much of their families, compared to 35 per cent of men.”
The onus is on employers to expand workplace flexibility and accommodate families.
Research suggests that women would remain in the workforce in greater numbers with stronger policies allowing them to meet demands at work and at home.
As Roxana Maddahi wrote at Forbes: “An employer that understands the challenges mothers face and allows for flexibility such as longer maternity leave, flexible work arrangements and child care, could have the key to helping retain their great female employees, leaders and future leaders.”
Create sponsorship programs
Another strategy to help advance women to leadership roles is to formalise the relationship between male leaders and female subordinates through sponsorship programs.
Sponsorships are different than mentorships because they are more official, with senior leaders advocating for women in a way that does not put people in a precarious position because it’s all within a work context.
Catalyst, a women’s leadership organisation, defined sponsors as senior leaders who “use their influence or leadership status to advocate for the advancement” of an individual by helping them “obtain high-visibility projects or jobs.”
Both sponsors and proteges benefit from these relationships.
Research from the US Center for Talent Innovation found that sponsors are more satisfied with their careers across a range of benchmarks, including their rates of advancement, ability to deliver on difficult projects, and career legacies.
As for the women being sponsored, 68 per cent are satisfied with their career advancement — an increase of 11 per cent over women without sponsors.
Furthermore, 85 per cent of mothers with sponsors continue to work full-time and strive for leadership roles, reported The Globe and Mail, whereas only 58 per cent of those without sponsors do.
While this could be correlation and not causation, the numbers remain impressive.
Clarify the organisation’s policies
A 2018 Pew survey revealed that 55 per cent of American men think #MeToo has made it harder for them “to know how to interact with women in the workplace.”
As Kellie McElhaney, Director of the Center for Equity, Gender and Leadership at UC-Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, told USA Today, this confusion has negative ramifications for women.
“It’s further disconnecting women from networks that we’ve already been excluded from,” she said.
“I think right now men are a bit paralysed.’’
To create more clarity, employers should delineate (and potentially update) their sexual harassment policies.
McElhaney urged employers to define policies regarding romantic relationships, recommending they discourage them between employees who work in the same department and ban them between managers and subordinates.
When men understand what is and is not allowed, they can feel confident that responsible behaviour will not be misconstrued.
“Yes, it can be confusing and you don’t want to cross any lines that you’re not sure about,” wrote Henna Inam, CEO of Transformational Leadership Inc. in Forbes.
“You want to help, but you’re not sure how.”
“If you have any questions about what is appropriate (in meetings, lunches, dinners, informal interactions) just ask them.”
“Don’t make any assumptions.”
Regardless of which strategy organisations choose, they must take action now.
They cannot allow unexpected reactions to the #MeToo movement to thwart women’s leadership.
As Nina Shaw, one of the cofounders of Hollywood’s Time’s Up movement, told Forbes: “We’re in this moment in time where we have to choose our sides.”
“This is, for many people, a much harder fight than they had anticipated, but the fight to move the culture is always difficult.”
Employers must demonstrate they are on the right side of history by creating policies that support and advance women — no matter the challenges and no matter the era.
* Jason Wingard is Dean and Professor of the School of Professional Studies at Columbia University.
This article first appeared at www.forbes.com.
