Yahoo! Finance Covers Thriving at Work Study

New Study Reveals: Work That Matters, Not Perks or Vacation Time, Is What Inspires Women to Be At Their Best

BOSTON, Sept. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Companies are stepping up their commitment to help their women employees thrive, but many have struggled to put it into practice. A new study has the solution. The Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership announced today survey findings about what women say causes them to thrive at work: It’s not vacations or perks, but making meaningful contributions.

In practice, what does thriving look like? A survey of participants from the Simmons Leadership Conference in March 2023, which included women in the age range of under 25 to over 75, defined thriving as making positive contributions, learning, and being valued and recognized. For managers, the study findings reveal the importance of delegating projects that have a significant impact, providing opportunities for formal and informal learning, and taking time to recognize women employees in the way that is most meaningful to them.

How important is it for women to thrive? 96% of respondents said that thriving at work was extremely or very important. Additionally, 42% of respondents reported that they felt like they were thriving most of the time, and 49% felt that they were thriving some of the time. 81% of respondents say that their organization is committed to supporting their ability to thrive at work. Respondents of color are more likely than white respondents to say that thriving at work is extremely important.

Why is thriving at work important to both the employees and the organization? For individuals, thriving at work makes them feel happier, and more confident, engaged, and inspired. According to the respondents, when they feel they are thriving at work, they are more productive, more likely to go “above and beyond,” and more effective. They also report being better positioned to do their best work. “This is a substantial finding. We know that women want to thrive at work and know what they need in order to do so. In addition, we know organizations WANT discretionary effort and high productivity. This is exciting and most importantly – very doable,” explains Susan MacKenty Brady, CEO of Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership.

What gets in the way? Participants identified an overwhelming workload as the number one issue preventing women from thriving in their careers. Respondents sent in feedback saying workload kills morale, depletes resources, and forces too many priorities with constant change.

What is the secret for managers to inspire women to thrive at work? Managers can give women employees a sense of autonomy, making it safe for them to take risks, and provide opportunities to learn and develop. They can prioritize sustainable workloads and the ability to use paid time off.

Individuals can promote their own thriving by building strong relationships and seeking out opportunities to learn and develop.

“The Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership knows that when women are thriving, they can help others to thrive as well. We are committed to creating a collaborative environment where women from all backgrounds can do their best work,” emphasizes MacKenty Brady.

To view complete results and discussion of the study, visit this link. To request an interview about the results with Elisa van Dam and Susan MacKenty Brady, please reach out to Rebecca Proulx (contact information below).

About Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership
Our mission is to develop the mindset and skills of leaders at all stages of life so they can foster gender parity and cultures of inclusion. We offer research-driven programming for individuals and leadership journeys for entire organizations. Learn more. 

About Elisa van Dam
ELISA VAN DAM is the Vice President for Allyship & Inclusion at the Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership. 

Drawing on her expertise in gender equity and women’s leadership, Elisa creates innovative programming that develops the mindset and skills of leaders at all stages of life so they can foster gender parity and cultures of inclusion. Elisa is a co-author of The Inclusive Leader’s Playbook: The Work of the Inclusive Leader™ with Susan MacKenty Brady. She is a co-author of several publications, including The Importance of Belonging in the Workplace (February 2022) and The Importance of Authenticity in the Workplace (July 2021). 

About Susan MacKenty Brady
SUSAN MACKENTY BRADY is the founding CEO of The Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership where she holds the Deloitte Ellen Gabriel Chair for Women and Leadership. 

As an expert in driving accountability, she teaches leaders, executives and leadership teams how to create high-performing cultures fueled by respect and has keynoted or consulted at over 500 organizations around the world. Susan has previously published four books, the most recent as lead co-author of the Wall Street Journal bestseller Arrive & Thrive: 7 Impactful Practices for Women Navigating Leadership (McGraw-Hill, April 2022), which debuted in April 2022 and landed on the bestseller list in the Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly, and USA Today. Her media appearances include “Good Morning America” on ABC-TV, Bloomberg Businessweek, Forbes and Inc. Magazine. 

About the Research:
362 participants from the Simmons Leadership Conference in March of 2023 completed our survey. Participants included women in the age range of under 25 to over 75. To create the definition of thriving, contributing a positive work impact was cited by 41% of participants, learning and development was cited by 28% of participants, and value and recognition was cited by 20% of participants. 

More News

The Institute for Inclusive Leadership Welcomes New Executive Board Members from Boston Children’s Hospital, Point32Health, RTX, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

The Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership recently appointed four new Strategic Advisory Board members: Peter Church, chief people officer at Point32Health; Shanda Hinton, chief diversity officer at RTX; Lori Spicer Robertson, vice president and chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital; and Valerie L. Ward, MD, MPH, senior vice president and chief equity and inclusion officer at Boston Children’s Hospital.

“I am honored to welcome these four incredible, mission-driven leaders to the Strategic Advisory Board,” said Susan MacKenty Brady, CEO of the Institute for Inclusive Leadership. “They each bring a diverse set of skills and expertise and share a deep desire to foster equity, inclusion, and gender parity in organizational leadership. They join a global dream team of change-makers who help guide the direction and impact of the Institute, and our Institute is proud to be the catalyst that unites the members.” Read more.

Institute Thought Leaders in the News as Authorities on DEI

Thought leaders at the Institute for Inclusive Leadership were recently interviewed by Boston media outlets about the use of the word “ladies” after the Easthampton, Mass., school committee rescinded the job offer of a superintendent candidate reportedly for using the word in an email exchange with two women.

Elisa van Dam, Vice President of Allyship and Inclusion at the Institute, shared her thoughts in a Boston Globe article that pondered if “ladies” can be considered a microagression.

“It’s tone deaf.* It seems that he hasn’t been paying attention to the way language use has been evolving and how we are talking about diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging,” she said. “He’s operating on a very old paradigm.”

Elisa, a nationally recognized authority on inclusion, has spent much of her career working with organizations and individual leaders to increase their understanding and practice of inclusive leadership behaviors, furthering the Institute’s mission to develop the mindset and skills of leaders at all stages of life so they can foster gender parity and cultures of inclusion.

*Reflecting on her quote in the Boston Globe, Elisa concluded that her word choice may have been offensive to some. “People who know me have likely heard me say that as part of my ongoing journey to be a more inclusive leader, I will inevitably screw up. Here’s a pretty public example — the term “tone deaf” is seen as ableist by many folks. I apologize to those I have offended, and will endeavor to use different language going forward,” she said.

Institute CEO Sees Missed Opportunities

Susan MacKenty Brady, CEO of the Institute, continued the conversation on WBZ Radio’s NightSide with Dan Rea, highlighting the complexity and nuances of language in a time when there’s no margin for error. She lamented the fact that the decision to withdraw the offer was a missed opportunity for learning and growth.

“What if he had the opportunity to learn that not everyone thinks that’s an appropriate thing to say, and then he was given the opportunity to think about that and reply?” Susan asked.

Susan said she believes that one must consider intention before cancelling a person for the use of a word. “What was his intention? Was he in any shape or form looking to put down or belittle the women? I don’t see any evidence of that…Cancelling people for a microaggression or for saying something you don’t like kills inclusion.”

Susan published three books on leadership. Her most recent, co-authored by Executive Chair of the Board of Deloitte US Janet Foutty and Simmons University President Dr. Lynn Perry Wooten,  Arrive & Thrive: 7 Impactful Practices for Women Navigating Leadership, debuted in April 2022 and landed on the best-seller list in the Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly, and USA Today.

Susan MacKenty Brady Honored by Her Alma Mater

Susan MacKenty Brady, CEO of the Institute for Inclusive Leadership and the Deloitte Ellen Gabriel Chair for Women and Leadership at Simmons University, has been named the recipient of the 2022 Marietta College Distinguished Alumna Award. The award was presented on October 15, 2022, during the school’s homecoming festivities.

“I’m thrilled—and honored—to be recognized by Marietta, and I can’t wait to travel back to campus to accept the award and reconnect with old friends,” Susan said. “I have so many fond memories from my time at Marietta.”

Susan graduated from Marietta in 1994 with a BA in Business Communications.

“We are excited about this year’s award winners, and we are pleased to honor them in this special way,” said Dr. Erika Cornelius Smith, Director of Alumni Relations and Engagement.