Empowering women in the workplace - use employee monitoring for success!

Women in the workplace have shown incredible achievements, putting remarkable effort into their careers while balancing other responsibilities. Despite past challenges, during Women's History Month, we acknowledge the progress made and reflect on the inspiring journey of women at work fighting for their rights. From challenging labor conditions and demanding fair wages in the 19th century to landmark movements in the 20th century, women have continuously battled against barriers and discrimination. Countless women have paved the way for improved labor laws, workplace protections, and opportunities. Modern workplaces are increasingly flexible and employee-oriented. They often offer new opportunities for women to thrive professionally while managing personal obligations. In this article, we will explore the history of women in the workplace and women in the workplace statistics. Most importantly, we will explore what role employee monitoring can play in creating equal opportunities for women in all roles, including leadership positions within companies.

We are WorkTime, a software company with 20+ years of expertise. Specializing in non-invasive employee monitoring and productivity tracking, we prioritize creating respectful work environments for all.

The evolution of women in the workplace

The study of women in the workplace history reveals the gradual evolution of gender roles and the challenges women have faced in various industries over time. According to the women in the workplace statistics, in the early 1900s, women comprised approximately 20.4% of the labor force in the United States, reflecting limited opportunities and societal norms. However, since then, there has been a notable upward trend. By 1948, women's labor force participation began to rise steadily, reaching a peak of around 60% in 1999. Despite a slight dip in subsequent years, the participation rate remained substantial, with 57.4% of women engaged in the labor force in 2019.

In the early 1900s, women comprised approximately 20.4% of the labor force in the United States, reflecting limited opportunities and societal norms.

Source: Our World in Data

Concurrently, women's educational attainment has experienced remarkable progress. According to the research, in 1970, only 11% of women aged 25 to 64 held a bachelor's degree or higher. However, by 2019, this figure had surged to 45%, indicating a significant expansion of educational opportunities for women over the past five decades. Moreover, the proportion of women without a high school diploma has drastically declined from 34% in 1970 to just 5.4% in 2019, highlighting the strides made in educational accessibility and achievement. Women-owned businesses are not only crucial for economic growth but also reflect the increasing presence and impact of women in the workplace. Despite the progress made, gender inequality remains prevalent in executive leadership roles. Studies reveal that men are disproportionately represented, being 2.5 times more likely than women to occupy top leadership positions. Among the top 100 companies in the S&P 500, women at work make up only 28% of executives, and a mere 9% hold the position of CEO.

Among the top 100 companies in the S&P 500, women make up only 28% of executives, and a mere 9% hold the position of CEO.

Source: Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance

Addressing this gap requires reevaluating career paths and examining promotion practices for women in business, particularly women of color, at various stages of their careers. By prioritizing diversity and inclusion initiatives and fostering equitable pathways to leadership, you can cultivate a more representative and effective workforce, ultimately driving better financial outcomes and sustainable growth.

By prioritizing diversity and inclusion initiatives and fostering equitable pathways to leadership, you can cultivate a more representative and effective workforce, ultimately driving better financial outcomes and sustainable growth.

Women's success stories across industries

Thanks to significant advancements, women across diverse industries are shattering barriers and accomplishing extraordinary feats. Business professional women bring a ton of expertise and leadership to their respective fields, driving innovation and success in today's dynamic business landscape. In this spotlight, we highlight three exemplary women. Women's dedication, innovation, and perseverance have propelled them to greatness in their respective fields, including IT, STEM, and unconventional domains traditionally not accessible to women.

Women's dedication, innovation, and perseverance have propelled them to greatness in their respective fields, including IT, STEM, and unconventional domains traditionally not accessible to women.

Kate Maxwell

General Manager and Industry Lead, Microsoft Worldwide Education, Microsoft She is a tech industry leader, known for her strategic acumen and commitment to leveraging technology for organizational advancement. As a former Chief Technology Officer at Microsoft, Maxwell's expertise in digital transformation has left a lasting impact, while her advocacy for STEM diversity underscores her belief in equal opportunities.

Katalin Karikó

A biochemist who specializes in ribonucleic acid-mediated mechanisms She is a pioneering figure in STEM, particularly in mRNA research. Her groundbreaking work at BioNTech paved the way for the development of transformative COVID-19 vaccines, inspiring future generations of biomedical researchers with her relentless dedication to scientific advancement.

Marion Godwin

Static steam engine driver She defies stereotypes in an unconventional field as a static steam engine driver at Blists Hill Victorian Town. Her diverse responsibilities highlight her adaptability and commitment to preserving historical heritage, showcasing the transformative power of passion and perseverance.

Do more: 4 strategies to empowering women in the workplace

Employee monitoring can serve as a tool in fostering equality and empowering women in the workplace. You can ensure that all employees are evaluated based on their actual performance by tracking various metrics such as productivity levels, active time, and attendance. This data-driven approach enables fair and transparent decision-making processes. Employee monitoring allows you to identify and address disparities in workload distribution, ensuring that opportunities for advancement and recognition are distributed equitably among employees of all genders. Nevertheless, it's important to emphasize that this approach should not be about control, but rather about respect. To empower your employees and achieve optimal results, choose non-invasive employee monitoring techniques. This means refraining from intrusive methods like taking screenshots or video recording and instead focusing on respectfully tracking work progress.

To empower your employees and achieve optimal results, choose non-invasive employee monitoring techniques.

1. Break the bias

What can still stand in the way of opening opportunities for women in the workplace? Bias against women at work often impedes the recognition of their contributions, while biases against remote work and flexible schedules hinder the creation of more comfortable work arrangements. However, these challenges can be addressed by relying on monitoring data. WorkTime offers reports on the productivity levels, active time, and attendance of both men and women in your team. After analyzing monitoring reports, you can make management decisions and promotions based on genuine results, thus avoiding reliance on stereotypes. Comparing productivity in-office versus remote work, also, can ensure that everyone remains focused on their tasks, even with flexible schedules.

WorkTime offers reports on the productivity levels, active time, and attendance of both men and women in your team.

2. Ensure flexibility

Flexible policies empower women to balance their professional and personal responsibilities effectively. The research underscores the importance of flexibility in retaining female employees, with 20% of women highlighting flexibility as the primary reason for staying in their jobs, while 38% indicate they would consider leaving if flexibility options were not available. To ensure that women do not face barriers to advancing in their careers or fields of study, implement flexible policies to support them during various life stages, including: • Pregnancy • Childcare responsibilities • Remote work situations Employee monitoring can help you optimize flexible work arrangements by tracking productivity and performance metrics. WorkTime offers a monitoring feature for both in-office and remote employees. By analyzing data on work habits and outcomes, you can identify best practices for flexible work and ensure that all employees, including women, can fully benefit from these arrangements.

WorkTime offers a monitoring feature for both in-office and remote employees.

3. Share internal goals and metrics

Awareness is a potential tool for driving change within the company. When employees are informed about both opportunities and challenges at work, they become more engaged in finding solutions. Communicating performance expectations to female employees is key. Through WorkTime employee monitoring, you can establish clear productivity or active time goals and track the results in achieving them. Sharing these statistics with female employees can provide motivation and encouragement to meet these objectives.

Through WorkTime employee monitoring, you can establish clear productivity or active time goals and track the results in achieving them.

Transparency with metrics sends a powerful message to employees from traditionally marginalized groups, indicating that they are valued and supported within the organization.

4. See the real leaders

Recognition creates a positive work environment, especially for women who may face additional challenges and barriers in the workplace. With employee monitoring, you get a real leaderboard based on employee performance, providing a tangible way to recognize and motivate female employees. The WorkTime leaderboard feature showcases the best employees based on productivity, attendance, active time, and distraction score, highlighting their contributions and achievements. Besides that, the ability to identify underperforming employees offers an opportunity for support and motivation. Whether it's offering training, providing a break, or offering work advice, employee monitoring gives you a chance to intervene proactively and help struggling women employees improve their performance and overall well-being.

The WorkTime leaderboard feature showcases the best employees based on productivity, attendance, active time, and distraction score, highlighting their contributions and achievements.

Bottom line

Over the past century, women have transitioned from being significantly underrepresented in the workforce and facing limited educational opportunities to emerging as famous businesswomen, and leaders in science and technology. This transformation is attributed not only to the dedication of women but also to the increasingly welcoming work environments that have evolved, and continue to improve today. To sustain and further enhance such a supportive workplace environment, it is essential to reject stereotypes and biases and recognize the genuine contributions of all employees. Employee monitoring facilitates this process by providing accurate tracking and generating comprehensive performance reports, making it much easier to acknowledge and appreciate the valuable input of talented women.