Empowering women at work with flexibility

This International Women’s Day, I’m reflecting on the balancing act of juggling motherhood while climbing the corporate ladder.

As a mother of three, it was challenging being a working mother for the first 10 years of my career. I experienced the highs and lows of balancing a career with raising a family and had to make tough choices – working part-time, taking a demotion, and putting in extra hours. I remember feeling lost and not “good enough,” and at times, I wanted to sideline my career completely.??

Fortunately, we’ve come a long way and have learned that the old way of working did not work for many people. Furthermore, the COVID pandemic was a catalyst for turning points in our societies, changing the way people look at and live their lives.

I believe one of the best ways a company can support the progression of its women employees, and employees in general, is understanding the nuances that emerge during different life stages in their careers. There has to be a supportive and inclusive culture along the full talent cycle that enables women to build careers and empowers birthing parents to return or stay in employment and continue to fulfill their career aspirations.

Fostering and focusing on equity and inclusion means making sure our tools and resources meet the needs of our employees, so they know and feel supported to the fullest of their abilities in the workplace.

Across industries, we’re seeing more employees leave the workforce mid-careers or embrace alternative working arrangements at some point in their careers. A 2022 LinkedIn survey of 23,000 workers found that 62% had already taken a career break and 35% would potentially take one in the future. Furthermore, in a Harvard Business Review survey , roughly 90% of employees who identify as female, caregivers, LGBTQ+, or as having a disability consider flexible work options an important factor when deciding whether to stay in or leave their job. That is 30% higher than employees who did not identify with these categories. Thus, fostering equity and inclusion means making sure our tools and resources meet the needs of our employees, so they know and feel supported to perform to the fullest of their abilities in the workplace.

As we think about our workplace, and the culture we’re trying to build at 百事 , flexibility is key to creating an inclusive and collaborative environment, which enables employees to more effectively fit work into their lives. I’m proud that at PepsiCo, we have programs that support this flexible approach to work-life balance like our Work that Works initiative, which empowers employees to define their own working balance to achieve greater success. Employees, along with their managers, choose what work can be done remotely and what needs to be done at the office.

Claudia Goldin, the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2023, wrote that the wage gap between women and men is almost entirely due to the fact that women with children demand flexibility — in when, where, and how much they work — more than men or women without children. Women have remained underrepresented at the top of organizations due to the “broken rung,” the tendency for women to miss out on key promotions earlier in their careers, due in part to career disruption with starting a family during the key years for career advancement. PepsiCo’s Ready to Return program is an amazing opportunity that I wish I had during those challenging times in my early career. Through direct hire or returnships, the program is designed to provide onboarding support, mentoring and resources to individuals who took a step back from their careers, so they can return to the workforce with confidence and success.

Being ambitious and driven does not have to be at the expense of sticking to your commitments outside of work.

There is more and more research supporting the idea that we need to be building ways of working that work better for everyone. Flexible work arrangements and hybrid models can be instrumental in closing the gender wage gap, Goldin’s research suggests. By allowing both men and women to share caregiving responsibilities more equally, these practices enable women to pursue higher responsibility, better-paid roles. Such workplace flexibility is key to ensuring that both genders can access the same opportunities without sacrificing family commitments or career advancement. In other words, being ambitious and driven does not have to be at the expense of sticking to your commitments outside of work.

As we look to our own goalpost at PepsiCo to advance gender parity in managerial roles globally, with progress currently at 45%, this will include – among other areas – continuous evaluation of our flexible work programs for both our office-based and frontline associates in addition to building a workplace that embraces diversity and models inclusive behavior.

As a mom first and PepsiCo’s Chief People Officer, I have set the course for our People function to put people at the heart of everything we do. Whether that’s Work that Works or Ready to Return, or relieving financial burden with debt-free degrees and certification programs through our myEducation benefit, or raising awareness of our benefits ranging from financial wellness to mental wellness and offering support services for menopause, we will always make the conscious efforts to meet people where they are and support them through every phase of life. Because to ensure equal experience, we need to create equal opportunity for anyone who walks through the doors of PepsiCo to thrive.

Happy International Women’s Day, and may we always champion that progress for women – for our girls, sisters, and daughters – benefits us all. Thank you to the many women and men allies who have inspired and supported me on my career journey. Today is an opportunity to commit to keep opening the doors for this generation and those to come.