The Second Shift Solution

 

 

While explaining the exodus of women out of the workforce and how that exacerbates the current labor shortage, U.S. Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Suzanne Clark said “It is one of the biggest problems threatening the country. When demand outpaces supply, then any CEO has got to think about what they’re doing to retain workers, to be sympathetic to their workforce, to be a best-in-class employer—whether that’s wages, benefits, flexible schedules, access to childcare, better training.”

It’s a vicious cycle– without affordable childcare, paid leave and a pathway to better pay and future success, women are leaving the workforce in critical numbers and adding fuel to an already burning fire.

The Second Shift is one solution for companies to employ in their toolbox:

  • We provide opportunities for women to work flexibly and remain in the workforce.
  • We provide fill-ins for parental leaves– a proven way to attract and retain working parents when it costs employers  150% percent of a full-time salary to replace an employee.  
  • We consult with companies on their diversity, flexibility and hybrid work strategies.
  • Our Let’s Be Human: Parenthood at Work platform supports companies by creating ESG groups for parents and training employees and managers on best practices around parental leave.
  • We work with political advocacy organizations to fight for government policy and funding to support working mothers and families.
  • We help many female founded start-ups get off the ground by connecting them with high-level project-based talent to grow and scale quickly.
  • We help women make work work for themselves! 
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Paid Leave is Important– Make Some Noise!

 

 

 

Nearly 3 million women dropped out of the workforce in the past year and a half as families were hit the hardest in COVID.  A jobs report that came out last week surprised many who thought back to school would alleviate the child-care burden on mothers and families–but we knew the truth– school is one pillar keeping women in the workforce and without easy access to affordable childcare, universal pre-k and paid leave the balance tips and it falls, primarily and historically, on women.

Our friends at PL +US are pushing for paid leave to be part of the Biden Build Back Better bill and they need our help. The Second Shift community is made up of working women and families who understand first hand the critical need for government policies to help women regain the momentum we’ve lost in the fight toward gender equity in the workforce.  The private sector can’t do it alone, families can’t do it alone– we are the ONLY industrialized nation without paid leave and it’s up to the federal government to show up for women. We need to make some noise so our voices can’t be ignored!

 

Here’s what to do:

  • Post Post Post!
    •  From IG stories to Twitter to TikTok, every bit helps.
  • Tweet at Members of Congress and TAG them.
    • Especially if you live or know people in key states like Arizona, West Virginia,  New York, Washington, & Oregon.
  • Share your own story and experience with Paid Leave.
  • Be sure to tag @paidleaveus
  • Contact us if you want to do an IG Live or collaborate on content!
  • If you have a podcast or a blog talk about paid leave and encourage your followers to make noise! 

 

We are doing an event with PL+ US on Oct 26th to walk through what the bill means and why it is so important to speak up, now!

Join us on Zoom: https://bit.ly/pfml-briefing

 

 

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Future Thinking with Josh Newman of GroupM

 

We are excited to partner with GroupM, a giant in the advertising industry and a leader in the way that we think about what work looks like today and in the future.  Josh Newman is their Global Head of People Experience and Communications and their go-to person for employee experience and cultural transformation- he’s also the person  working with us to reimagine what the workplace looks like. GroupM is working with The Second Shift to bring in our experts, as needed, to innovate the hiring of talent. Josh wrote an amazing article about Future-Proofing Your Workforce Through Upskilling and Reskilling and it’s a must read for anyone interested in where the workplace is going.

Josh answered some of our questions about what he thinks about the future of talent and what brought him to The Second Shift.

HR leaders have long spoken about “the future of work”, but because of COVID the future is now. Do you think we are in the midst of a modern work revolution that’s focused on people? 

As someone who’s long been obsessed with workforce cultural trends, it’s clear that the “future of work” must be people-led. That means intentionally designing work experiences that start with the needs, expectations, and desires of employees. The past 18+ months has made clear that work is a part of life–not the other way around. What’s been fascinating to watch is the speed at which organizations (large and small) have had to move from talking a big game to implementing structural and behavioral change. This acceleration has thrust Chief People Officers into the spotlight and extended the “people-first” conversation beyond the echo chamber of progressive People teams and into boardrooms and C-suite agendas.

 

You mention companies that don’t adapt to changes quickly enough and get left behind– Blockbuster video for example– do you think that those who don’t adapt will go the way of VHS? 

We’re in the midst of a talent crisis. Companies that don’t adapt–or are slow to adapt–to the evolving needs, expectations, and desires of their workforce will have a hard time retaining talent and attracting the next generation of talent. Blockbuster disappeared because of the expectation of cultural permanence. The past 18 months have shown us all that very little is permanent–both in our personal and professional lives. Adapting doesn’t necessarily equate to getting everything right, but it does mean showing employees that you’re willing to listen, iterate and change.

 

What led you and GroupM to partner with The Second Shift?  

We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape how work gets done. Everything from how we define “employee” to how we define “work.” Partnering with The Second Shift is a great example of how we are bringing that to life. This partnership gives us the ability to expand our capacity and reduce burnout. We’re also leveraging this solution to help with parental leaves. When an employee went out on leave in the past, their workload would distribute to peers who were already at – or over – capacity. We can now proactively identify a resource through The Second Shift to step in and fill the gaps. While we’re just at the beginning of this partnership, we’re already seeing the impact in our business and our people, and excited to see how it scales up over time.

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2021 Women in the Workplace Report

 

 

The 2021 LeanIn and McKinsey Women in the Workplace report is out and, unsurprisingly, it’s paints a pretty bleak picture.  Here are the highlights:

The Bad

  • 1 in 3 women are thinking of leaving the workplace or downshifting their careers (last year it was 1 in 4).
  • 42% of women say they are “often or always” burned out and 35% of men agree.
  • Women of color are not being promoted at the manager level at the same rate as men leaving a critical hole in the pipeline to more later promotions.

The Good

  • For the first time Women of Color were promoted to manager at about same rate as all other women.
  • Women managers are stepping up at higher rates than men to support their teams and focus on DEI efforts.
  • Women managers are showing up as strong leaders while steering employees through this tumultuous time.

The Takeaway

This is nothing we didn’t already know– women are stepping up! We are taking on additional emotional labor at work and at home.  Women managers care for the welling being of their teams and are managing overworked and overburdened employees. Women understand the critical need for DEI in the workplace and they are spending extra time at work on these efforts. Working mothers historically take on 3-6 hours a day of unpaid labor at home. Add in the lack of affordable childcare and stable in person schooling and it’s no surprise that so many working women are burned out and thinking about leaving the workforce.

If that sounds all too familiar– don’t walk, join us! Hire part-time expert women through The Second Shift  to take some of the burden off your employees, and ultimately you! If you are thinking of leaving or going to a part-time role, consider joining our membership to find high-value flexible work with companies who value your experience and expertise.

 

Let us make work work for you!

 

 

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Success Story!

 

The Client:

Club Franchise Group is a boutique fitness organization looking to build their fast growing company on a solid foundation. They turned to The Second Shift to find an HR expert to recruit and onboard new hires as well as create and implement new policies and benefits for the rapidly expanding team.

The Quote:

“The ability to have a partner with access to professionals with a wide variety of backgrounds, skills, and abilities is critical in today’s ever-changing business landscape. Knowing we have professionals to partner with has really been a game-changer. Being flexible about our hiring means we can achieve our corporate goals and continue to expand in seamlessly.”

Nancy D. CFO Club Franchise Group

The Hire: 

Club Franchise Group hired HR veteran Erin B. to recruit and onboard new hires in new locations as well as create and implement new policies, handbooks and benefits for the rapidly expanding team. As they expand, CFG  particularly liked  Erin’s prior experience working for a company opening new locations across the country.

The Quote: 

“Working with The Second Shift has allowed me to form relationships with companies that I wouldn’t have had access to or met otherwise.  The team at TSS is supportive, friendly, and easy to work with. They take building their community seriously and once you are in, they are serious about providing you with the support and tools that you need to be successful in working with clients. I cannot recommend them enough and have had a great experience being part of their team!”

Erin B. The Second Shift Member/ HR Consultant

Want your own success story? Post a job now! 

 

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Webinar: Susan McPherson on the power of networking in person– remember how?

 

Susan McPherson is a communications strategist and author of the book The Lost Art of Connecting: The Gather, Ask, Do method for Building Meaningful Business Relationships.  She joins us on Oct 22nd to talk about how important it is to create and re-connect with your network OFF-LINE. That’s right ladies, it’s time for a refresher course in how to get out there and re-engage with our professional networks! And yes, we see the irony in doing this talk on Zoom…

October 22nd at 1pm EST.

Register HERE! 

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The Second Shift- The White House- The CARE Economy

 

Exciting day at The Second Shift! We are thrilled to be working with Vice President Kamala Harris to pass the Build Back Better infrastructure plan that would invest heavily in home- and community-based services, higher caregiver wages and Medicare expansion. The Second Shift was quoted along with leaders of companies such as Microsoft, Airbnb, Etsy, Salesforce and Reddit in a White House press release supporting CARE spending as a way to promote equity in the workforce by supporting working parents and caregivers. As a company whose mission is transform the workplace by giving women control over their own careers we are proud to continue this fight on the federal level to #makeworkworkforyou!

Here is what our founders Gina Hadley (she/her) and Jenny Galluzzo had to say:

“As a company founded by working mothers, representing thousands of working women across the country, and dedicated to giving women control of their career journeys, we know that funding for CARE is a crucial component to re-building a strong and equitable workforce. The pandemic exposed the structural fault lines in the lives of working families and with federal government action, along with cooperation from the business community, we will create a solid foundation to support women in the workplace today and for future generations.”

Thank you to TIME’S UP for including us in the CARE Economy Business Council and your continued work for women and equity!

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Holistic Nutrition to Prevent and Fight Women’s Cancers

 

 

Amy Cohen Epstein started the Lynne Cohen Foundation for Ovarian Cancer Research more than 20 years ago with a specific focus on preventative care. She is also the founder of The SEAM podcast about all things women and wellness. Amy introduced us to holistic nutritionist Elissa Goodman who believes what you put in your body can fight and prevent women’s cancers.

 

Our summer webinar is available to watch here. There is tons of information about everything from how hydration is key to cellular regeneration to what supplements to take and how you can drink and eat carbs and still live a healthy lifestyle. Bring a pen and paper and enjoy!

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Featured Member: Alicia King

 

You may have noticed The Second Shift has a new look and feel and that is due to the help of our mighty team with our newest team member Alicia King! Alicia is a seasoned HR pro who recently started her own DEI consulting business. The secret to our success at The Second Shift is working with our own members– you are the rock fuel to our growth! Alicia joins us with new insights and strategy from both the HR and DEI lens. We can’t thank her enough for helping us to #makeworkworkforyou!

 

Tell us your work story : Who are you and what do you do?

I consider myself an innovative, dynamic, and strategic human resource practitioner with more than 10 years of specialization in the development and implementation of HR programs, broad experience including recruitment, onboarding, employee and labor relations, career coaching, diversity and inclusion, talent development, succession planning, and organizational design.

 

What is your proudest professional accomplishment?

I reimagined the talent review cycle for both a Fortune 50 company’s technology division and a leader in the food services industry targeted at retaining 85% of our top talent and increasing our diversity pipeline by 5% for minorities and 5% for women each year.

 

If you could change one thing about how your given field operates, particularly with regards to women, what would it be, and why?

An overwhelming majority of employees in the human resources field are women. It’s because we are “deemed” nurturing, can handle conflict, and make clear judgements about potential. Yet many HR female leaders are viewed less strategic as their male counterparts. I would redirect HR’s attention and female leaders to be strategic advisors or human capital curators. Our focus would be on adding value to the business from a people and performance perspective and less on tactical aspects of the role.

 

What advice do you have for other women looking to make a career change but are afraid or lack confidence? How is it on the other side?

My best advice is to not be afraid and to follow your instincts and passion. I graduated from The Ohio State University with a degree in Chemical Engineering. After entering the workforce, I learned that talent management and talent acquisition were my passion through ancillary work. I decided to take a risk and make the career transition. I had to start over by taking a lesser role, but I quickly caught back up and can’t be happier today for pursuing my purpose.

 

What continues to draw you to your chosen field and what do you hope to accomplish in the years ahead?

I decided on a career in HR because I wanted to be a Human Capital curator. I recently heard this term as someone who develops leaders, hires the best-in-class diverse talent, and builds the employee value proposition (EVP). In the future, I’d like to focus on HR Consultant opportunities and partner with my clients to create talent transformations or visions that are agile, flexible, and responsive.

 

What is the best piece of professional advice you’ve ever received?

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love Oprah. In a Forbes report, it was said that Oprah has been known to rely on a leadership philosophy that prioritizes people, vision, and values. She is open to new experiences, she is conscientious in everything that she does, and she cares about others beyond her circle…she believes “the greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change [her] future by merely changing [her] attitude.”

 

If you could tell your younger self one thing about what this professional journey would be like, what would you tell her?

My best advice to my younger self is that your career will not be linear. It’s important to maintain a positive attitude, be flexible and curious, and seek trusted advisors. Change will be constant, but you’ll continue to add to your toolkit if you are excited about new opportunities and welcome challenging roles.

How do you make work work for you? 

I’ve created 5 mantras to make work work for me.

  1. Maintain a positive attitude
  2. Be an innovative and creative visionary
  3. Be authentic and transparent
  4. Value relationships and seek trusted mentors
  5. Be accountable and collaborative
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