What Women Really Want From Their Employers

Last year, I received the iconic Turquoise pantone 1837 Blue boxas a bonus gift from a Fortune 500 company.Insidewas a handwritten, congratulatory note and a gift certificate for $1,500 toTiffany & Co. It provided awoman’s name and phone number to call for personal concierge service, along with an option to take the gift certificate directly into a store to select a piece of my liking. It was the mostmemorable bonus gift I had ever received.

I emphasize memorable because I have earned a performance bonus of $1,500 or more several times throughout my professional career, and while it’s incredible to receive “unexpected” cash, or achieve a bonus that you have been chasing, it was the creativity and personalization of this gift that made me feel appreciated and empowered.

It’s no secret thatworking women seek flexibility and want to be rewarded and judged on deliverables, as opposed tohow much time we spend at the office. We also seek equal pay, in particular for women of color. While these issues continue to play out, it is promising to see more companies shifting their efforts to prioritize company culture, as evidenced by examples likethis terrific, supportive notethat a Chicago-area CEO sent to his employees to demonstratedthat he understood they have personal lives.

So, what else do womenreallywant from their employers? I checked in with fourfemale business leaders, authors and TV personalities on the topic, and here are their ultimate insights.

1. Go beyond meeting my expectations.

“Enlightened employers go beyond meeting the basic needs of their employees and seek to truly understand how to engage them,” saysDenise Lee Yohn, brand leadership expert and author of the bookFUSION: How Integrating Brand and Culture powers the World"s Greatest Companies. “By connecting what’s personally important to someone with the purpose and values of the organization, companies create meaningful relationships with employees and align their efforts with the brand.”

Yohn elaborates, “An example would be how Airbnb opens the café in its headquarters to employees" families, even for dinner.This helps working parents, as they don’t have to worry about rushing home to prepare a meal or to spend time with their children.And it is a terrific expression of Airbnb’s brand mission -- to help you feel that you belong anywhere --and its core value of hospitality.

2. The value of my work is personal to me.

Carrie Bobb, president ofCarrie Bobb & Co, a real estate firm that works with women-focused brands such as Soul Cycle, DryBar and Sephora, remarks, “Exceptional employees, the most valuable assets for an employer, want to know they matter and that the work they are creating is meaningful and will last beyond their time spent at the company. It must be personal. During extremely difficult situations or in the midst of managing a crisis, it is critical to have empathy. 54003这是不同的。Often in large corporations, there are so many people involved in the messaging itselfthat the heart can get lost in translation. 员工希望被倾听和理解，他们可以分辨出经理表达公司想要传达的信息与经理实际表达他们关心的想法之间的区别。”

3. Ask my opinion.

Jenna Wolfe, the host of Fox sports showFirst Things Firstand a former Todaylifestyle correspondent, offers a sincere and direct perspective. “I’ve worked in television for 23 years, the bulk of which have been as a sportscaster in a male-dominated field," she explains."The happiest of them have been when I felt appreciated, respectedand valued.I want to know that you need me, that you want meand that I make a difference. Ask me my opinion, let me sit in on content meetings, listen to my ideas and show me you’ll actually implement the ones which can help us grow.Don’t get me wrong —a raise is nice. An extra vacation day never hurts. And I’m always down for a gift card to any sports apparel store.But for me, as a woman who comes to a sports office every day well read and well prepared, there’s nothing that makes me happier than commanding the respect of the people I work with.”

4. Everyone likes to feel included.

Gina Smith is the president of Rauxa,a woman-founded and led advertising agencyownedby publicis Groupe,and says sheprioritizes being empathetic to a perse group of women.她说，“我们一直从这样一个角度来运作，即每个员工都值得同情、透明，并知道每个人的想法都是有效的，无论他们是谁。因此，这不仅仅是为了满足女性员工的需求——尽管这一点非常重要——而且还涉及年龄、经验、性别、取向、肤色以及其他所有方面。”

每一个证词都强调，女性希望感到自己受到重视、尊重和理解，雇主有很多方法来证明这一点。有意义的、深思熟虑的和个人的姿态将大有帮助，并创造持久的印象。作为一家女性中介公司的创始人，我个人喜欢给我的团队一些他们自己不会花的私人礼物或自理用品，比如按摩或瑜伽会员，并赋予他们更多的领导权。

出于好奇，我用蒂芙尼的礼券买了一条帕洛玛毕加索项链，上面写着“爱”，这是我在工作和日常生活中优先考虑的价值。我几乎每天都戴这条项链，我永远不会忘记它是从哪里来的。在当今快节奏的商业世界，关键是要像对待人一样对待员工，而不是像对待交易一样对待员工，因为每个人都可以用多一点的爱，同时提升领导地位。