Women across the globe are still battling the effects of the pandemic, both at home and at work.
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Careers quickly stalled for those required to care for children or ailing parents, causing about 2 million women in the U.S. to leave the workforce in the first year and a half of the COVID-19 pandemic - nearly twice the shortfall seen among men. No previous recessions have so disproportionately affected women.
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Women began to return to work as schools reopened, children became eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations, and companies began embracing a variety of additional benefits - likely in response to the Great Resignation.
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But things are still on shaky ground, with 1.1 million fewer women in the American workforce than before the pandemic began. Data shows that it could take a generation to regain those jobs and reach an equitable spread of women in the workforce.
That means businesses have an opportunity to reverse the effects of the "Shecession," and it's in their interests to do so. It's been proven that gender-diverse organizations are more profitable. Sales teams, in particular, can greatly benefit from recruiting and retaining women. While sales remains a male-dominated industry, women in B2B sales roles tend to outperform their male counterparts.
Retention and recruitment go hand-in-hand - think employee reviews, company awards, and social sharing so companies should focus on both avenues to get real results.
Here's what to prioritize to recruit and retain more women to your sales team and organization.