Supporting women in the workplace is not rocket science

The work of women has always been an important piece of the economic puzzle. While workplace progress has fluctuated, that truth has remained.?

In 2019, more women were in the labor force than ever, and the wage gap narrowed as women’s earnings increased by 3% to men’s 2.1%, according to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research . Also that year, U.S. Census data showed 30.5% of top executives were women, up from 28.5% in 2018. That’s still far from where things should be, but after spending more than two decades in corporate America, often finding myself the only woman in the room, I welcomed the palpable progress. After all, data and numbers are just that until change is felt.

And then came 2020, a year few of us will ever forget.

What we witnessed at the beginning of the pandemic was the mass exodus of women from the workforce as they sacrificed their own careers to desperately keep families functioning. Zillow research found in 2020 that women were more likely than men to be unemployed, carry a heavier caregiving load, and be cost-burdened by housing. Thankfully, the world has opened back up, daycares and schools have found normalcy, and highly capable and qualified women are rejoining the labor force . But I can say from personal experience, women have raised their expectations and it’s time to push progress to the next level.?

Job-seeking women particularly revere remote work . At Zillow, we’ve seen proof of this firsthand. In the first couple of years after we committed to a location-flexible workforce — what we call Cloud HQ — Zillow had almost 200,000 women applicants, up 60% compared with the previous period.?

Women are now 48% of Zillow’s workforce, up seven percentage points from 2019. More women are in leadership roles, too: 40% of roles at the director level or above are held by women, compared to 34% in 2019.??

It’s clear that Cloud HQ is working for women.?

One big reason: The typical 9-to-5 schedule structure doesn’t work for everyone, especially those who are balancing their career with child care or other obligations — and, disproportionately, that’s still women . Being able to flex hours where possible eases that burden so employees can wrap work around their lives and not the other way around. More than half of Zillow employees flex their schedule, saying their main reasons are personal appointments and providing care. Just last week, I took my 7-year-old to his soccer practice after school, and I volunteered for the morning car line. Both would have been impossible for me to do in 2018 with my commuter work schedule. As a working mom, offering this time to my kids is a gift to both of us.

Not being tied to a single location and being headquartered in the cloud has also opened more opportunities for connection within Zillow’s Women’s Impact Network (WIN) affinity group. Before Cloud HQ, the majority of WIN events would be held live at our Seattle office, and the handful of members tuning in remotely had a major case of FOMO. Cloud HQ has leveled the playing field and allowed WIN members to build community with colleagues across the country who they might not have typically met in an in-person setting, and that geographic diversity has created space for new people, ideas and perspectives.

It’s also helped Zillow grow careers no matter where employees live. I have managed global teams for more than a decade, but there was always a common theme prior to 2020. Those in satellite offices did not get the visibility, opportunities, or access to information at the same rate as those in the “main office.” No matter how hard we tried to combat location bias, disproportionate influence and power was found by those who came to headquarters and sat physically in the room. Now, in Cloud HQ, everyone is equal and the dynamics are normalized. At Zillow, location has zero impact on an employee’s ability to grow and thrive in their career.?

This isn’t an argument that women can only thrive in a virtual-first environment; it’s about the power of choice. Treating your employees like adults who are capable of making their own path and finding their own rhythm empowers them to do their best work. Some women may hike before logging on to charge up for the day. I have a direct report who lives in Wyoming and loves to cross-country ski during her lunch break. Some may prefer to finish up after dark to spend precious daytime hours with little ones. As a creative by profession, I personally thrive on each day being different. My creative “magic hour” is 10 p.m., and Zillow gives me that choice to make every day unique and leverage what I know about myself to do my best work.?

Flexibility is just one piece of the puzzle. Companies must build inclusive cultures, foster a sense of belonging, and strive for equity along all dimensions — including pay. Women in the U.S. earn $0.82 for every dollar earned by men, but at Zillow, that number is $0.99. It’s not perfect, but boy are we close, and we’re committed to closing the gap entirely.?

Competitive and inclusive benefits are another way to enhance women’s experience at a company, simply by supporting what matters most to them. When our employees told us what they wanted in caregiving benefits, we listened. Zillow now offers 20 weeks of paid parental leave for delivering parents and 12 weeks of paid parental leave for non-delivering, our employees have coverage and access to fertility specialists and care, and we added pregnancy loss to our formal bereavement leave policy.?

This isn’t rocket science. Supporting women enhances and strengthens your workforce, and that’s good for business. I encourage leaders to take steps to make their workplaces more inclusive for women.?

First, offer spaces, such as affinity networks, for women and allies to have tough conversations, build community, encourage career development and support each other. Zillow’s WIN group has done just this. We knew that women needed a place to seek guidance and open up about the emotional and mental impact of current events. And what has been the result of leaning into tough conversations? Members of the WIN community tell us they feel seen, heard and supported. That’s what matters.

Second, give your employees flexibility in their routine. Even if a company can’t embrace location flexibility like we do at Zillow, they can consider working norms like core collaboration hours to help give people more autonomy over their time. And do what you can to make the use of flexible hours normal, sanctioned, and void of judgment. Better yet, have leaders at your company openly demonstrate autonomy over their time.

And finally, strive toward and embrace a workforce that’s more representative of the customers you serve. These strategies have not only enhanced Zillow’s culture, but they’ve been key to the success of our company. In short, if you want to be customer-led, it’s even more critical to hire people where your customers are.

The impact of the pandemic can just be a blip in advancing gender equality in the workforce, but only if we make intentional investments in workplaces to be more supportive of women. This isn’t hard; it just takes an honest and real commitment to allow everyone, not just women, to craft a life they want to live while trusting they will show up as more dedicated, connected, and productive employees.