Women at Work

Women at Work

Harvard Business Review

Women face gender discrimination throughout our careers. It doesn't have to derail our ambitions — but how do we prepare to deal with it? There's no workplace orientation session about narrowing the wage gap, standing up to interrupting male colleagues, or taking on many other issues we encounter at work. So HBR staffers Amy Bernstein, Amy Gallo, and Emily Caulfield are untangling some of the knottiest problems. They interview experts on gender, tell stories about their own experiences, and give lots of practical advice to help you succeed in spite of the obstacles.

We’re Asking for (and Getting) What We Want

We’re Asking for (and Getting) What We Want

What’s on your work wish list? A conference or training? A higher performance rating or salary or job title? Feedback from someone you respect? A project you’d like to lead? Clearer communication from your boss? Or maybe an extension on a deadline? These are the sorts of things that Amy Gallo and four listeners asked for (and mostly got) when they did Alison Fragale’s “nos challenge” from our episode “To Get What You Want, Be Both Assertive and Warm.” Th

Dec 9, 2024 • 43:19

How to Leap Mid-Career from One Industry to Another

How to Leap Mid-Career from One Industry to Another

Changing jobs is hard. Changing sectors is daunting. You’ve built a network, a reputation, skills, expertise, a firm grasp of how that industry operates. Maybe you even got a related degree or two! And to just leave all that behind…except that, you really are stuck or unfulfilled or simply underpaid. When it comes to shifting your career, the stakes are high, but so is your potential to succeed. Executive coach Nina Bowman regularly guides people through the process, with all of its

Dec 2, 2024 • 54:30

Consumed by Caregiving

Consumed by Caregiving

Marti Bledsoe, a past guest of the show, recounts how she burned out, quit her job, intended to get a new job after taking a breather, and then wasn’t able to for over a year. That’s because someone in her family kept getting sick or hurt, she had to move twice, and all of the logistics and emotional support fell to her (because who else was going to do it?!). These ever-expanding, relentless set of responsibilities is the norm for lots of women in the U.S., especially mothers. Socio

Nov 25, 2024 • 40:39

Working While Parenting a Teen: Not What I Expected

Working While Parenting a Teen: Not What I Expected

Do you expect and hope that you’ll have more time for yourself and for your career as your kids become teens and young adults? Amy G did. However, she didn’t fully anticipate the emotional intensity of being a working mom of a teenager. Responding to seemingly urgent texts, keeping track of an ever-changing after-school schedule, and being an on-call problem-solver would affect anyone’s ability to focus, including hers. There’s little research on or conversation about thi

Nov 18, 2024 • 52:33

Chats, Bots, and Prompts: Make GenAI Work for You

Chats, Bots, and Prompts: Make GenAI Work for You

How much are you using ChatGPT or Claude or one of the other LLMs in your job? Have you, like the Amys, largely avoided it because you haven’t been impressed with what you’ve seen it do? Or you haven’t thought of a compelling use case? Or maybe you feel professionally threatened? The Amys have gone from being skeptical dabblers to skeptical enthusiasts. Why? They heard several listeners describe how they’ve gotten surprisingly good results, not to mention mental relief, g

Nov 11, 2024 • 56:17

When Anxiety Interferes with Work

When Anxiety Interferes with Work

Worrying is a fact of life; it comes and goes—usually. But what do you do when it doesn’t go away? And starts to disrupt your work? Women are twice as likely as men to develop an anxiety disorder, which can show up as physical symptoms like dizziness and nausea and as mental symptoms like repetitive and catastrophic thinking. If you’ve been worried for a while, wondering if you should see a therapist, take time off, tell your boss, or even quit your job, clinical psychologist M

Nov 4, 2024 • 41:15

To Get What You Want, Be Both Assertive and Warm

To Get What You Want, Be Both Assertive and Warm

When you’ve gone after something you want, like a promotion or less boring work, did you follow the typical advice to lean hard into your confident, forceful side? When you’re interacting with people at work, how often do you find yourself deflecting praise, downplaying your accomplishments, or responding “busy!” when someone asks how you’re doing? We often make a tradeoff between being likable and being strong, but is it possible to be both assertive and warm? Alis

Oct 28, 2024 • 37:30

What a Woman in the White House Could Mean for Us

What a Woman in the White House Could Mean for Us

How would having a woman in the most powerful position in the United States affect how Americans perceive women as leaders? What changes have resulted from this type of representation in other countries, like Pakistan, Brazil, and New Zealand? Political scientist Farida Jalalzai and organizational psychologist Laura Morgan Roberts unpack the symbolic and practical effects of having a woman in a top leadership position. They explore how Kamala Harris’s potential presidency could challenge and shi

Oct 21, 2024 • 39:51

Season 10 of Women at Work Starts October 21

Season 10 of Women at Work Starts October 21

We’re back with another season! How are women using GenAI to transform their work? What can we learn from the listeners who identify as “AI power users” about how to boost our productivity, creativity, and confidence?  Why is working while parenting a teenager so much harder than Amy Gallo expected, and how can she and other moms navigate this emotionally demanding phase of motherhood? If you’re mid-career and thinking about switching industries, what should you know

Oct 14, 2024 • 4:57

Ground Your DEI Efforts in Data

Ground Your DEI Efforts in Data

Do you know how your company’s DEI efforts are going? What data does your company collect  to track and shape these efforts? In this episode, DEI strategist and consultant Lily Zheng explains why data-driven efforts are everything. The way people make lasting progress on diversity, equity, and inclusion is to measure outcomes. During this year’s Women at Work Live event, DEI strategist Lily explained the opportunities that data can create for DEI. They give examples from differe

Aug 12, 2024 • 42:12

How to Manage: Rising from Middle to Senior Management

How to Manage: Rising from Middle to Senior Management

No matter how ambitious and talented you are, rising up and out of mid-level management can be slow going for reasons beyond your control. Maybe it’s because your company doesn’t have a business need—or budget—to upgrade your job title and salary from senior to executive. Or maybe it’s because the person in the position you want has been there forever—and has no plans to leave any time soon. Still, there are plenty of factors that you can control, and Amy B an

Jun 24, 2024 • 51:52

How to Manage: Selling Your Ideas to Leadership

How to Manage: Selling Your Ideas to Leadership

Think back to the last time you pitched an idea to upper management on how to change the way your company does business. Perhaps you proposed an improvement to an existing process, a new technology that would help things run smoother, or a different market you all could break into. How’d that go over? As a mid-level manager, your involvement in day-to-day operations positions you to propose change that’s innovative and achievable. Amy B and her two guests, Sue Ashford and Ellen Baile

Jun 17, 2024 • 35:08

How to Manage: Executing Strategy

How to Manage: Executing Strategy

Your company’s executive team has just announced their new master plan for growing the business. Now it’s your job, as a mid-level manager, to put it into practice. Deep breath. Apart from the inevitable interpersonal and operational drama that change management causes, this is an opportunity to show that you know your stuff. Strategist Andrea Belk Olson spells out how to make the most of a plan that you may or may not agree with and that you may or may not have had any input into. S

Jun 10, 2024 • 46:03

How to Manage: Getting Out of the Weeds

How to Manage: Getting Out of the Weeds

Before you became a mid-level manager, you were probably doing some individual contributor work: designing, producing, or selling something. Now your workday is likely focused on people and project management, including ensuring that everyone and everything is fulfilling a vision. Filling this more strategic role can feel  uncomfortably abstract, making you want familiar and tangible tasks—to meddle in what used to be your business. Amy B and her three guests have been there, and they

Jun 3, 2024 • 44:36

Attend Women at Work Live May 16

Attend Women at Work Live May 16

We’ve planned a half-day of learning, guidance, and inspiration—all virtual. Here’s the agenda: Executive coach Dorie Clark on working with the ambition you’ve got right now, whether you’re making every effort to get promoted or are taking a break from striving. She’ll help you recognize when it’s best to slow down or ramp up. Organizational psychologist Ruchi Sinha’s latest research findings on trust: how to measure the amount felt between team m

Apr 16, 2024 • 2:35

The Essentials: Handling Fierce Criticism

The Essentials: Handling Fierce Criticism

If you’re in a leadership role, or any role where you’re putting yourself and your ideas out there in an outspoken and visible way, chances are that at some point people are going to criticize you, sometimes fiercely, sometimes publicly. Are you ready for that? Two women who’ve felt the heat because of decisions they’ve made or arguments they’ve put forward—or simply because of who they are—reflect on the ways they’ve steeled themselves for harsh c

Mar 25, 2024 • 35:27

The Essentials: Setting and Maintaining Boundaries

The Essentials: Setting and Maintaining Boundaries

We all need to set boundaries, even in the most structured jobs, because work has its way of encroaching on the rest of our life. Ashley, a senior analyst for the federal government, recently shifted to a schedule that helps her do her most important work and have some alone time before her family gets home. Now she’s trying to figure out how to further minimize interruptions, deal with slow and busy stretches, and get out of unproductive meetings. Amy G and executive coach Melody Wilding

Mar 18, 2024 • 41:42

The Essentials: Building and Repairing Trust

The Essentials: Building and Repairing Trust

Trust smooths the way for collaboration, conflict resolution, and influence. But how do you build this asset? And how do you repair it when you’ve missed a series of important deadlines or otherwise messed up? Organizational psychologist Ruchi Sinha talks with a listener who’s struggling to restore skeptics’ confidence in her and her team. Ruchi shares the three elements of trust and how to convey each one. She also offers advice on what to do if you’ve failed to acknowle

Mar 11, 2024 • 46:29

The Essentials: Executive Presence

The Essentials: Executive Presence

Executive presence is a mix of gravitas, communication skills, and appearance. But how do you learn to command a room if you only have a few opportunities to be in front of your colleagues, except for the occasional video call? This is the situation that one of our listeners is in. She joins Amy B and two other women who’ve each cultivated a strong executive presence, Megan Bock and Laura Sicola, to get advice on what hers can look and sound like. In this episode, you’ll learn how to

Mar 4, 2024 • 43:24

Sexism Is Everywhere

Sexism Is Everywhere

Sexism is everywhere in workplaces, from people’s expectations about how women look and act to companies’ inadequate or unfair parental leave policies. Still, it can be shocking when you realize—or suspect—that you’re the target of that bias. Perhaps you sense someone is interrupting you over and over because you’re a woman. Or, you receive an end-of-year rating that just doesn’t align with your actual performance, and no one can (or will) explain the di

Dec 4, 2023 • 47:45

Is Entrepreneurship Right for Me? (from New Here)

Is Entrepreneurship Right for Me? (from New Here)

It’s a question that so many of us are grappling with. Should I quit the corporate life that may not feel quite right for me, and pursue my passion project? You may have worries about the financial risks, stability, and what your future looks like with less of a roadmap. Today we’ll help you think through the possibilities and trade-offs, as we learn from one woman’s experiences leaving corporate life to build her own business. This episode is from New Here, a new podcast for y

Nov 30, 2023 • 43:09

Ever Consider Joining a Board?

Ever Consider Joining a Board?

Being on a board is a chance to grow—your mind, your skills, your network, your impact. It’s also another time commitment to fit in, and, for some women, another environment where they have to fight to be heard. So, is the payoff worth the effort? Yes, according to the eight women who volunteered to speak about their experience serving on boards of companies, nonprofits, and schools. They share how they landed a seat, gained confidence in the role, and found unexpected personal and p

Nov 27, 2023 • 47:20

Ask the Amys

Ask the Amys

What if one of your first assignments at a new job was to fire people? What should you do if the person leading a project you’re on isn’t giving clear direction, demands that you work nights and weekends, bristles at your feedback—and leadership tells you to fall in line? These are two of the five situations that Amy B and Amy G talk through in this episode. They offer advice to the women who wrote in with their questions, with the hope that it will help them and anyone who&#82

Nov 20, 2023 • 35:05

So Many Feelings. Too Many?

So Many Feelings. Too Many?

Holding in anxiety, anger, or despair for the sake of appearing professional can feel impossible. When the emotions are just too much—your boss’s dismissive tone infuriates you, a direct report unloads, you can’t hold back tears in a meeting, a tragedy happens and you’re leading an all-staff tomorrow morning—what do you do? Liz Fosslien believes “the future of work is emotional.” The Amys revisit our 2020 conversation with her and fellow organizational c

Nov 13, 2023 • 58:41

Should I Change My Last Name?

Should I Change My Last Name?

If you’re engaged, this question is probably going to come up. Have you ever thought about what you would do (if you have plans to marry), or reflected on the decision you made (if you’re already married)? To what extent did your professional accomplishments and aspirations factor into your decision to keep or change your last name? Our associate producer, Hannah Bates, is engaged, and she talks out the rationale behind her decision to keep her name with three recently married women

Nov 6, 2023 • 46:53

ADHD Is Different for Women

ADHD Is Different for Women

ADHD can mess with a person’s ability to remember responsibilities and deadlines, start and stop projects, and show up as the on-top-of-everything employee that a boss expects. For women, these symptoms are also in direct contrast to what society expects us to be: attentive, organized, self-controlled. If you have ADHD, getting practical support from colleagues and emotional support from others in the same boat is essential to reaching your potential at work. Two women who have ADHD—one’s a psyc

Oct 30, 2023 • 57:23

Navigating Your Career When You Have a Disability

Navigating Your Career When You Have a Disability

Meredith Koch and Nicole Bettè are engineers who’ve bonded over conversations about their apparent and non-apparent disabilities. They recount how at different moments in their careers they’ve gotten the understanding and assistive technology necessary to do their jobs—and when they haven’t, all with the hope that you’ll be able to better advocate for yourself and your colleagues.

Oct 23, 2023 • 50:12

Let’s Talk About Our Failures

Let’s Talk About Our Failures

Have you had something go wrong at work? Like really wrong? How much of it do you feel was your fault? And are you still trying to move past it? The Amys and their former co-host Sarah Green Carmichael revisit times they majorly messed up, in hopes that you’ll feel better about your experiences with failure. We’re not talking about honest mistakes with simple solutions; we’re talking about larger problems that were difficult and costly to correct. They share what happened, how

Oct 16, 2023 • 43:48

October 16, the Amys Are Back

October 16, the Amys Are Back

In this ninth season of the show, these are some of the big questions they’ll explore: How do you recover from a failure? What’s it really like to serve on a board? Do our careers influence the decision to keep or change our last name? How does going through a divorce affect us at work? If we have a disability, how can we get the understanding and assistive technology we need to do our job? Amy G and Amy B will talk with women who’ve been there, bringing in advice, stories, and expertise.

Oct 9, 2023 • 6:03

Women Who Are Making Work Better for Women

Women Who Are Making Work Better for Women

When you see potential for your company to improve in some way—whether it’s to overhaul an outdated policy, round out benefits, or to make jobs more workable, how can you instigate change? Three women who Amy B interviewed during Women at Work’s April 27 live virtual event saw that potential and carried it through, to programs and policies that are making a difference: Myra Orndoff, a senior manager at Capital One, campaigned for the company to create more part-time tech jobs a

Jul 17, 2023 • 35:13

Communicating Effectively When You’re Running on Empty

Communicating Effectively When You’re Running on Empty

Communicating clearly and persuasively sets you up to have the impact and influence you’re after. But what if you’re running on empty? Expressing your ideas and giving direction when you’re sleep-deprived, burned out, grieving, or in perimenopausal brain fog…can feel nearly impossible. So, what then? Leadership development coach Muriel Wilkins talks us through communication techniques that meet you where you’re at mentally and emotionally so that you can rise to the

Jul 3, 2023 • 34:16

How to Manage: Finding Yourself Again

How to Manage: Finding Yourself Again

Assuming responsibility for someone else’s professional development and happiness changes you. But is it for the worse or for the better? The feelings can be mixed until you’re able to build your identity and confidence back up. Somehow this self-discovery has to happen while you’re meeting deadlines and feeling pressure to commit to more. How will you ever fit time in for your own professional development? Should career growth really feel this overwhelming? Jen Dary regularly

Jun 26, 2023 • 39:31

How to Manage: Negotiating for Your Team

How to Manage: Negotiating for Your Team

When you manage people, they ask you for things: to extend a deadline, to make an exception, to give them a raise or more resources. Maybe they don’t even have to ask; you notice the need and start thinking about how to meet it. As successful as women tend to be at advocating on behalf of others, knowing which approaches research shows are most effective will only strengthen your case. Negotiations professor Martha Jeong explains the mindset, framing, timing, and tone that enable us to att

Jun 19, 2023 • 28:56

How to Manage: Conflict

How to Manage: Conflict

People management consists of a fair amount of mediation and diplomacy, and you can’t expect to get the hang of it right away. You’re in the middle of a lot now. Initiating difficult conversations, and then getting all the way through them, takes planning and practice (and sometimes even a breather). Holding tension takes restraint. Amy B and Kelsey interview Amy G about the types of conflict that new managers should expect to handle, as well as options for responding. They talk thro

Jun 12, 2023 • 40:03

How to Manage: Being Taken Seriously

How to Manage: Being Taken Seriously

Becoming a boss is a step up and should feel like one, but for so many women it doesn’t, at least initially. Too often, the people we’re newly responsible for ignore our direction and question our judgment. We end up deflated and puzzled. Why won’t anyone follow my lead? Am I not cut out for this? Did my boss make a mistake in promoting me? There are still a lot of biases in society against women’s leadership abilities, and it’s maddening how they can cause us to question ourselves. As difficult

Jun 5, 2023 • 37:36

Coming in June: How to Manage

Coming in June: How to Manage

Are you a new manager? You may have some—er, a lot—of questions. How do you gain your employees’ trust and respect? How should you handle the inevitable conflicts that come up? And how much power do you actually have, and how do you use it for good? In this special series, we’ll address these questions and many others—including any you send our way.

Apr 13, 2023 • 2:02

The Essentials: Making Sound Decisions

The Essentials: Making Sound Decisions

Do you find it tough to make decisions? Do you get stuck coming up with options (or overwhelmed by too many of them)? Or maybe you worry about how people will take your decision and if they’ll disagree with it? Do you often grapple with guilt or regret after making a final call? A dentist who directs a public health clinic wants to gain confidence in her ability to make sound decisions. Behavioral scientist Leslie John shares methods for not overthinking, preempting pushback, and making pe

Jan 30, 2023 • 40:50

The Essentials: Getting the Feedback You Need

The Essentials: Getting the Feedback You Need

What do you do when no one will give you actionable and useful feedback? That’s the situation our guest, an aerospace engineer, has been in for years. And while she’s managed to move up within her company, she feels like she’s missing out on information that would clarify her standing there and secure her future success. Ella Bell, an expert on interpersonal communication and organizational behavior, shares creative ways to draw out people’s perceptions of your performanc

Jan 23, 2023 • 43:07

The Essentials: Managing Projects

The Essentials: Managing Projects

We’re in a project economy, where so much of our work is developing something new — a product, a service, an event. That means that many of us manage projects, even if “project manager” isn’t in our official job title. And we’re typically doing this work alongside others, on a deadline, often with multiple stakeholders involved, while objectives and circumstances continuously change. It’s not easy, and it’s no wonder that people get certified in pr

Jan 16, 2023 • 35:06

The Essentials: Playing Office Politics

The Essentials: Playing Office Politics

Everyone at work has their own priorities, concerns, and agendas, and knowing what those are allows us to navigate projects and meetings more deliberately and successfully. But how do you get the intel you need to achieve the results you want, especially if you’re the odd woman out in a male-dominated company and industry? What exactly does “political capital” mean? And how does one begin to change exclusionary and toxic politics so that they’re inclusive and healthy? Org

Jan 9, 2023 • 35:59

Season 8 Highlights — and a Host Reunion!

Season 8 Highlights — and a Host Reunion!

Former co-hosts Sarah, Nicole, and Emily reunite with the Amys to discuss the insights and advice that most resonated with them from this season, from how they gained their team’s trust as a first-time manager to how they’re now thinking about retirement. They also talk about their related personal and professional experiences, and share how they’ve been doing since they left the show and HBR. If you haven’t listened to Season 8 in full, this episode also serves as an ove

Dec 5, 2022 • 40:11

How to Push for Policy Changes at Your Company

How to Push for Policy Changes at Your Company

When you have an idea for a change that would make your workplace better for women, where do you begin? How can you push for a childcare stipend, a company-wide pay audit, a more comprehensive health care plan, or an ombuds office? If you instigate the change, do you have to be the face of it? What are the other roles you can play? Two experts in systemic, organizational change explain the behind-the-scenes strategizing, relationship building, and risk management that should happen before approa

Nov 21, 2022 • 53:45

Working While Managing Your Child’s Mental Health

Working While Managing Your Child’s Mental Health

When your child is struggling—whether it’s with anxiety, anger management, or depression—focusing on anything other than how they’re doing can be difficult to nearly impossible. Yet so many parents are straining day after day to support their children while trying to keep up at work. And so many lack enough flexibility, understanding, and paid time off from their employer to take care of everything they need to do, from finding their children a therapist to taking them to

Nov 14, 2022 • 41:54

When Your Partner Isn’t Giving You the Support You Need

When Your Partner Isn’t Giving You the Support You Need

Before you got engaged, or had a child, or moved across the country for your partner’s job, did you sit down and ask each other questions like, What makes for a good life? and How much work is too much? Yeah, neither did we. These are the sorts of conversations that researcher Jennifer Petriglieri says lay the foundation for couples, especially working parents, to have a mutually supportive relationship and satisfying, if demanding, careers. A woman named Rebecca remembers talking with her

Nov 7, 2022 • 48:19

Respect for Any Body Size

Respect for Any Body Size

Have you ever hesitated to take on a particular role or get up in front of other people because you felt self-conscious about your weight? Or worried that others would see you as unprofessional or “not equipped” for leadership positions? Perhaps you’ve made offhand comments about a colleague’s eating habits? Weight bias is everywhere, including at work, and yet it’s rarely discussed openly or made part of efforts to create equitable and inclusive workplaces. It shou

Oct 31, 2022 • 43:17

Have You Started Thinking About Retirement?

Have You Started Thinking About Retirement?

Retirement is a major decision that takes planning and reflection. Ideally, you want to make the transition in a way that leaves you feeling happy and engaged, not lonely, lost, or bored. So, let’s talk about the seeds that should be sown before your last day in the workforce. Two women who very recently retired recount their decision-making process, describe how the transition has been so far, and share lessons from their personal experiences. We then hear from Ann Bundy, who’s an e

Oct 24, 2022 • 51:02

The Ups and Downs of Being a First-Time Manager

The Ups and Downs of Being a First-Time Manager

Learning to lead other people is a stressful stretch assignment. Much of that stress stems from the misconceptions many people bring into the job. They think they know what the role will entail, and then they start doing the work and realize they don’t know what they’ve gotten themselves into. Gender bias often makes the transition more painful for women since a lot of people, unfortunately, still don’t see us as cut out for leadership, even if they’d never say so to our

Oct 17, 2022 • 45:24

Getting Along (Live in Boston)

Getting Along (Live in Boston)

To cap off our Getting Along series (see the last four episodes in our feed if you missed them), Amy Gallo offers advice, in front of a live audience, on how to deal with “difficult” colleagues. She talks with Amy Bernstein about the different types of difficult coworkers (from the tormentor to the know-it-all) and then answers questions from several members of the audience about the specific situations they’re facing. If you’re navigating a tough work relationship right

Oct 10, 2022 • 46:12

Getting Along with an Insecure, Know-It-All Pessimist

Getting Along with an Insecure, Know-It-All Pessimist

Kim’s boss hired her to run operations and human resources at the company he founded, where he is one of four partners. Six months in, she’s baffled by his mix of behaviors, all of which have made her job much harder than it should be. He attacks nearly every modification or upgrade to a process, policy, or program she suggests. He refuses to listen to feedback. The other partners don’t dare to intervene. If it’s his (outdated) way or the highway, why did they bring her i

Oct 3, 2022 • 34:42

Getting Along with a Biased Tormentor

Getting Along with a Biased Tormentor

One of the managers Sherri reports to has a history of acting as if widespread bias in the healthcare industry doesn’t exist. In addition to those subtle acts of exclusion, there are the more overt, personal slights. The manager recently led Sherri to believe she was going to secure a new leadership opportunity only to withdraw it the same week, without ever acknowledging the about-face. Then, a tirade over email in response to what Sherri thought was a straightforward request. Sherri othe

Sep 26, 2022 • 36:27

Getting Along with a Political Operator

Getting Along with a Political Operator

Part of Olivia’s job is to facilitate communication and cooperation between her former boss and senior management. Since Olivia transitioned from being a direct report to a liason, her former boss has been shutting her out of precisely the conversations she’s supposed to be supporting. In addition to excluding her, her former boss often demeans her and dodges her attempts to reset the relationship and connect like they used to. Olivia’s concerned that this politicking is underm

Sep 19, 2022 • 42:32

Getting Along with a Passive-Aggressive Gossip

Getting Along with a Passive-Aggressive Gossip

Lynne has a colleague in a different department whose work is interdependent with hers, and he’s been surreptitiously encroaching on the scope of her role. He’s also been criticizing her behind her back. During their regular one-on-one meetings, he says everything’s fine, and he never mentions the work he’s doing that falls outside of his responsibilities. When she raised these issues to him, he changed the subject. Lynne worries that the ongoing bad-mouthing and overstep

Sep 12, 2022 • 33:21

Introducing Getting Along

Introducing Getting Along

Ever worked with somebody who can’t make a decision? Or who complains about anything and everything? Is there a person on your team who explains things that others already clearly understand? Does your boss put down your accomplishments? No one should have to put up with rude, unprofessional, or hostile behavior from a colleague. You can counteract and even preempt it by using certain tactics and phrases. Amy Gallo will teach you which ones, plus how and when to deploy them, through coachi

Sep 5, 2022 • 2:22

When a Relationship with a Colleague Goes Sour

When a Relationship with a Colleague Goes Sour

Say someone on your team who had previously been friendly turns on you and is now making your life miserable and collaboration nearly impossible. Maybe they won’t respond to your emails or even look you in the eye? This is the distressing situation that “Cindy,” a listener of Conferences for Women’s Women Amplified podcast, found herself in. Host Celeste Headlee, invited Amy Gallo on to help give Cindy advice as part of the show’s series “That’s a G

May 16, 2022 • 34:25

The Essentials: Delegating Effectively

The Essentials: Delegating Effectively

Delegating is a leadership skill that benefits you and your team. But determining when and how to delegate which tasks to whom can be overwhelming. And the discomfort many of us feel around assigning responsibilities to others or making requests of our colleagues can lead us to falsely believe it’s easier to just continue doing everything ourselves. To learn how to delegate in a way that delivers the results you’re hoping for, we’re bringing in an aerospace engineer who wants t

Apr 25, 2022 • 45:22

The Essentials: Managing Up

The Essentials: Managing Up

Having a healthy, mutually beneficial relationship with your boss doesn’t require accommodating their every quirk, demand, and weakness. There are respectful, constructive ways to meet in the middle, set boundaries, and help them achieve their goals while making your competence known. Amy G sits down with a woman who recently left retail for her first office job and a fintech executive with a marketing background to discuss managing-up practices that have helped them maintain positive, pro

Apr 18, 2022 • 40:15

The Essentials: Persuading People

The Essentials: Persuading People

We all need to be persuasive. Maybe you’re trying to get clients to buy into your idea, trust your expertise, or sign on with your company. Or perhaps you want to convince colleagues to start a new initiative, or kill one you think is doomed to fail. Which persuasion tactics are most effective? How do you know if someone is starting to be swayed by your reasoning and what else might you try to win their full support? If you’ve failed to persuade but still believe in the cause, what&#

Apr 11, 2022 • 32:56

The Essentials: Retaining Talent

The Essentials: Retaining Talent

Every manager worries at some point that their best employees are eyeing the door. What can you do to convince your team members to stay? How do you assess whether they’re engaged? What actions can you take and conversations can you have to head off thoughts of leaving? And when a valuable employee says they have another job offer, will countering really keep them around? Two managers share their approaches to retention and some lessons they’ve learned. One leads a team dedicated to

Apr 4, 2022 • 35:39

Stacey Abrams and Lara Hodgson on Starting and Scaling a Small Business

Stacey Abrams and Lara Hodgson on Starting and Scaling a Small Business

Entrepreneurs Stacey Abrams and Lara Hodgson share hard-won lessons from starting and running three companies together. They reflect on what makes their long-term partnership work and how they manage self-doubt and guilt. They also give tips for networking, hiring and retaining employees, learning the ins and outs of finance, and developing an exit strategy.

Feb 21, 2022 • 40:25

Forging Ahead — or Plowing Through

Forging Ahead — or Plowing Through

Just like 2020, this past year didn’t turn out like we expected. And, yet, we got through it. In this episode, we reconnect with three women who were on our show during the height of the pandemic to find out what they’ve been up to and how they’re making sense of the big shifts in society, our workplaces, and our lives. The questions they’re asking themselves are important ones: Is the path I’m on the right one? What does a “healthy and happy me at work”

Dec 16, 2021 • 46:35

Keep the Challenges of Freelancing in Check

Keep the Challenges of Freelancing in Check

What are the psychological and social skills freelancers need to achieve the self-made career they envisioned? Two researchers break down the common existential and interpersonal challenges that come with working in the gig economy. They share routines and practices that help independent workers keep themselves motivated, productive, and developing professionally.

Dec 6, 2021 • 34:43

What’s Changed About How We Show Up at Work

What’s Changed About How We Show Up at Work

Which feelings (and shoes) are work-appropriate these days? What happens now with the transparency and informality that, for many professionals working from home, became more normal and acceptable? How do return-to-office mandates compromise the authenticity of employees who prefer to stay remote? Tina Opie, an expert on authenticity, joins us to share impressions of how notions of professional behavior and dress have changed. She also gives advice for expressing yourself as expectations of prof

Nov 29, 2021 • 25:24

Becoming a Leader When Everything Is Shifting

Becoming a Leader When Everything Is Shifting

Once you’ve committed to a leadership role — formally and officially or simply in your mind and heart — getting everyone else at work to buy in requires relationship management. How do you successfully shift the role you’re playing on your team? What sorts of conversations help clear the way? Which steps shouldn’t you skip? Is this transformation harder to make over Zoom? To address these questions, we revisit a 2019 interview with two leadership development experts

Nov 22, 2021 • 40:00

Take Control of Your Onboarding

Take Control of Your Onboarding

How are women who started a job remotely during the pandemic faring? Have they been receiving the support and making the connections necessary to succeed in their role? What lessons can they pass on to other women who are about to join an entirely remote or hybrid organization? We highlight findings from our survey of new hires. Then, Emily speaks with management professor Beth Schinoff and HR executive Amelia Ransom about their own experiences starting new jobs — the challenges they faced

Nov 15, 2021 • 39:18

If We Want Equity, Work Needs to Be Less Greedy

If We Want Equity, Work Needs to Be Less Greedy

One way to help close the gender earnings gap? Deliberate redundancy at work, according to economic historian Claudia Goldin. Claudia expands on this idea and shares other insights about the U.S. female labor force. Emily and the Amys reflect on the career-family decisions they’ve made (or plan to make) and imagine what it would be like to have a colleague who could fill in for them whenever they needed time off.

Nov 8, 2021 • 41:22

So You’re Thinking About Quitting Your Job…

So You’re Thinking About Quitting Your Job…

We all go through periods at work when we think, I am done with this job and ready to move on. But are you really ready to leave your team and your company? You owe it to your career and your future self to make that decision carefully. Amy G talks through essential questions to consider. And if you decide that bowing out is indeed the right move, she gives advice for doing that conscientiously, including how much notice to give. Then we hear from a listener in New Zealand who recently gave her

Nov 1, 2021 • 29:44

Dealing with the Feels After an Employee Quits

Dealing with the Feels After an Employee Quits

If you’ve invested in someone you manage, it’s natural to feel hurt when that person tells you they’re leaving. Yet the classic management advice is: Don’t take it personally. Be professional. Acknowledging your feelings and working through them — for yourself and with your team — is actually part of being an emotionally intelligent, compassionate leader. Five managers, including Amy B, share their experiences of losing team members and how they’ve learn

Oct 25, 2021 • 27:03

Leaders to Learn From

Leaders to Learn From

In leading their teams and organizations through a crisis, women have repeatedly stepped up to the plate. How have they done it? By flexing the leadership capabilities that set them apart, such as taking initiative and communicating powerfully. We asked our listeners to tell us about bosses whose management approach they admire and whose values and skills have had a positive impact on them personally. Here we’re celebrating and learning from four of these women: the managing partner at a l

Oct 18, 2021 • 44:22

What It Takes to Make a Major Change

What It Takes to Make a Major Change

It’s one thing to know you want to upgrade your work life. It’s another to take the steps necessary to establish a new routine and career outlook. There are three phases to any major life change, according to management research findings: separation, experimentation, and reintegration. Making a change is possible, manageable, and worth the effort. As proof, two women who are well into the process reflect on the steps they took to come as far as they have, as well as the payoff they&#

Oct 11, 2021 • 36:59

Introducing Season 7

Introducing Season 7

So many of us are either at a turning point professionally or managing life on the threshold. We’re weighing whether or not it’s time to change jobs. Grappling with team members resigning one after another. Trying to settle in and succeed as a new hire. Finding our way as a freelancer. This next season is about making the most of these transitional and initial stages, leading positive change, and forging ahead in our careers. Email the show team: womenatwork@hbr.org Sign up for the W

Oct 4, 2021 • 2:30

The Essentials: Negotiating Strategically

The Essentials: Negotiating Strategically

How can we get better at negotiating? We hear from a butter maker and entrepreneur about a sensitive deal she recently navigated and then use that experience to draw out the principles and practices essential to any negotiation. Ashleigh Shelby Rosette, a professor who studies and teaches negotiations, gives advice on achieving our objectives in a deal, no matter the context.

May 24, 2021 • 40:20

The Essentials: Being Productive

The Essentials: Being Productive

Why is it that we often wake up with big plans — and seemingly enough energy to complete the tasks on our to-do list — and go to bed lamenting all the unfinished work? A social worker joins Emily to pose questions about productivity to Alice Boyes, a former clinical psychologist. Alice shares the planning, creativity, and decision making that her success and satisfaction hinges on — and how she manages to ignore everything else. She highlights mental mistakes that pre

May 17, 2021 • 26:10

The Essentials: Dealing with Stress

The Essentials: Dealing with Stress

Stress affects everyone, but we all express and experience it differently. Hearing how a nurse practitioner responds to the various stressors of her job reveals how stress works at a fundamental level. Workplace well-being researcher Mandy O’Neill says that we’re more likely to feel stressed when there is an imbalance between the threat we’re facing and the resources we have to prevent damage or danger. When the current threat feels greater than our available resources, we beco

May 10, 2021 • 30:31

The Essentials: Giving Feedback

The Essentials: Giving Feedback

This is the first episode in a new series called The Essentials, where we invite women from essential sectors (think health care and education) to join us in interviewing experts on essential career topics (think negotiating and managing stress). In this episode, we tackle giving feedback — something we know is important to being a good manager, somebody people look up to and not just report to. But very few of us actually like to do it. So how can we get better at this critical skill? How

May 3, 2021 • 31:48

Family Management: Looking to a Post-Pandemic Future

Family Management: Looking to a Post-Pandemic Future

As more and more people get vaccinated against Covid-19, how do you lead your family through this safer but not coronavirus-free new world? Two parents in Israel — a child psychologist and an infectious disease doctor — describe the approach they’ve been taking with their three kids. Because when only one child is old enough to receive the vaccine, making your way out of lockdown is even more of a process. Guests: Orit Yafeh is a clinical child psychologist. Ran

Apr 26, 2021 • 29:31

Family Management: On the Cusp of Parenthood

Family Management: On the Cusp of Parenthood

We get inside the head of a woman whose due date is just days away. She shares with Erica her worries, hopes, and questions about how having a baby will change her career. Erica offers practical advice for managing a new identity and new work-family demands. Guest: Elainy Mata is a multimedia producer at HBR. Resources: “A Working Parent’s Survival Guide,” by Daisy Dowling “New Mothers, Let’s Talk About Your Professional Identity Crisis,” by Janna Koretz “How to Return to Work After Taking Pa

Apr 19, 2021 • 22:09

Family Management: Everyday Joys

Family Management: Everyday Joys

Before Kevin had kids, he believed they’d bring him pure joy. So after the birth of his first child, he was blindsided by how little joy he actually felt. The big emotions, which people had gushed to him about, never arrived. Instead, he felt exhausted, overwhelmed, and confused. But, over time, he’s learned that joy — at work and at home — is bite-sized and to be savored.   Kevin reflects on the presence of joy in his life and what keeps him from feeling it. Th

Apr 12, 2021 • 28:11

Family Management: Meet the Parents

Family Management: Meet the Parents

Erica and Kevin show snapshots of life for them these days — basically, frantically working when not giving their all to childcare. They discuss how they’re handling the latest challenges working parenthood has thrown at them, highlighting tools and tips that are helping them cope. Resources: “A Way Forward for Working Parents,” by Daisy Dowling “How to Talk to Your Kids About Work During the Pandemic,” by Jacqueline Zeller “Navigating Pandemic Fatigue

Apr 5, 2021 • 18:32

Introducing a Pick-Me-Up for Moms and Dads

Introducing a Pick-Me-Up for Moms and Dads

By this point in the pandemic, parents are running on fumes. Amy Gallo introduces two HBR editors who want to help lift spirits and keep careers advancing through a four-episode series we’re presenting called Family Management. Erica Truxler and Kevin Evers will talk openly about moving in with their parents to get help with childcare, hiding from their toddlers during Zoom calls, and feeling like bad parents when they’re overwhelmed with work and their kids are crying for attention.

Mar 31, 2021 • 5:11

May We Recommend…Coaching Real Leaders

May We Recommend…Coaching Real Leaders

When we’re trying to make a career move or overcome a professional challenge, certain habits and behaviors of ours can prevent us from growing and succeeding. In Coaching Real Leaders, longtime leadership coach Muriel Wilkins takes you inside real-life coaching sessions with executives who’ve hit a bump in the road on the way to reaching their goals. Listen in, and leave with insights and guidance that’ll help you grow and succeed too. In this episode, Muriel speaks with Grace,

Feb 1, 2021 • 40:09

We Answer Questions from Early Career Listeners

We Answer Questions from Early Career Listeners

What should I do if I’m left out of important meetings? How do I balance assertiveness and persuasion? Should I talk to my boss about infertility? How do I set myself up now if I want to be CEO someday? We respond to questions from listeners early in their careers who are looking for advice on their workplace quandaries. Our colleague Paige Cohen joins Amy Bernstein to share her experience and talk through answers to these questions. Paige is a senior editor at Ascend, a new vertical at HB

Dec 21, 2020 • 22:15

Welcome Back to Remote Work, New Moms

Welcome Back to Remote Work, New Moms

We’re delighted to have our colleague Erica back at work. She had her second kid in June and was on parental leave until December. She and her husband recently relocated to her parents’ house to get help caring for their 5-month-old and 3-year-old until a new nanny starts. Erica’s grateful for the support — and acutely aware that this transition is still going to test her stamina. On Erica’s first day back, she talked to Amy Gallo about how she’d been preparin

Dec 14, 2020 • 41:05

When You Need Time Off for Health Reasons

When You Need Time Off for Health Reasons

When an acute or chronic health issue disrupts our work life, how do we let our bosses and coworkers know? How vulnerable should we be? And, as managers, how do we best support an employee who discloses a diagnosis? We talk with two women who’ve had to consider these questions while navigating illnesses, and they share advice on disclosing and discussing health issues with colleagues. Guests:  Maureen Hoch is the editor of HBR.org and the supervising editor of Women at Work. Laurie Ed

Dec 7, 2020 • 30:37

Has Anything Changed for Black Women at Work?

Has Anything Changed for Black Women at Work?

This year many companies made public commitments to fight racism in their workplaces. But what progress have these organizations made in the six months since the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and countless other Black people furthered efforts toward racial justice? And how are these high-level promises and internal actions affecting individual women’s lives and careers? We hear from four Black women about their goals, their work experiences over the last several months, and the

Nov 30, 2020 • 54:41

When You’re Ready for a Big Career Move

When You’re Ready for a Big Career Move

Sometimes you want to make a career change, like a big one. We hear from a woman who is in the process of navigating a bold transition. Then we talk with an expert about how to clarify your goals and ask for what you need to make your next move.

Nov 23, 2020 • 29:31

Let’s Take Our Side Gigs Off the Back-Burner

Let’s Take Our Side Gigs Off the Back-Burner

Investing time and energy in a hobby, project, or side gig — what a healthy idea! We know that pursuing interests outside of work can help stave off burnout, prompt us to pursue career goals, and guard against the belief that our value lies solely in our full-time jobs. In practice though, these projects often leave us feeling guilty instead of fulfilled, especially when they gather dust. In this episode, Emily faces up to her neglected personal projects and makes progress, with the help o

Nov 16, 2020 • 36:21

Now Is a Good Time to Take Care of Ourselves

Now Is a Good Time to Take Care of Ourselves

Are you exhausted? We are. Between the long hours working from home during a pandemic, the mental load of worrying about the outcome of the election, and the lack of sleep that all of this has brought on, it’s no wonder that we’re tired and stressed. Emotional exhaustion, as workplace well-being expert Mandy O’Neil explains, is one sign of burnout. She shares antidotes and ways to protect ourselves from experiencing it in the first place. Not having enough time for the people a

Nov 9, 2020 • 57:42

How Women Who’ve Lost Work Are Coping

How Women Who’ve Lost Work Are Coping

The pandemic has taken jobs, gigs, customers, and contracts from countless women. And many still aren’t sure when their industries will reopen or when clients will be ready to hire them again. Three women — a massage therapist, an opera singer, and a small business owner — who lost work in March open up about how they’ve been coping with the changes to their employment and finding a way forward. Resources:   “When Losing Your Job Feels Like Losing Your Self,” by Aliya Hamid Rao “How Unemployme

Nov 2, 2020 • 25:13

Going Back to the Office

Going Back to the Office

If working from home intensified the invisible labor women do and put even more pressure on us professionally and personally, what should we expect from life split between home and office? And without much of the interaction and amenities that being in an office used to offer us, is going in worth the trouble of wearing a mask all day, navigating the new rules, and taking the potential health risk? And what about those of us who can’t go back? Women who’ve returned to their workplace

Oct 26, 2020 • 31:54

Too Shy to Be a Leader?

Too Shy to Be a Leader?

We all have preconceived notions about which personality types are fit to be in positions of power. And as a result, a lot of incompetent men become leaders because of the confidence they give off. But being self-assured doesn’t make you good at the job. Imagine if there were more reserved but truly competent women in leadership? So what if your boss blushes easily, as long as she’s emotionally intelligent and inspires her team? One woman’s struggle with shyness prompts us to e

Oct 19, 2020 • 39:17

How Mothers WFH Are Negotiating What’s Normal

How Mothers WFH Are Negotiating What’s Normal

Many months into the pandemic, we examine the effects working from home is having on the ways housework and childcare get done there. Forced togetherness and relentless negotiations for space and time are creating a more even division of labor within some families, which may lead to career gains for mothers. Harvard Business School professor Kathleen McGinn highlights findings from her ongoing research on how working parents are reconsidering and shifting their roles and responsibilities. Then,

Oct 12, 2020 • 51:01

All the Help We Can Get

All the Help We Can Get

We’re going to need all the help we can get to make it through this pandemic. But asking for help isn’t easy, especially when everyone around you is also maxed out. We assume that our request will be an imposition, or we worry that it’ll make us look like we can’t handle our jobs. Fortunately, the research shows that these fears are largely unfounded. Social psychologist Heidi Grant says asking for the help you need can convey confidence and strengthen your relationships

Oct 5, 2020 • 47:16

Introducing Season 6

Introducing Season 6

Women at Work returns October 5 with candid conversations and practical advice that’ll help get you through the messiness of 2020. Plus, we have a new host! Sign up for the Women at Work newsletter. Email us: womenatwork@hbr.org

Sep 24, 2020 • 1:53

Starting Your Career in a Pandemic

Starting Your Career in a Pandemic

Starting out your career is a formative, fragile time — in the best of circumstances. It’s even more challenging during the intersecting crises we’re living through. Many young women are navigating work relationships and cultures without strong networks, sponsors, and other kinds of support that take time to build. So we’ve pulled together perspectives and practical advice for women who are new to the workforce or entering it now. First, two women early in their careers t

Jun 22, 2020 • 48:39

Unpause Yourself

Unpause Yourself

The pandemic and its economic fallout have caused many of us to feel like we’ve lost control over our professional lives. But there are steps you can take to get where you want to be, whether that’s restarting a career move, protecting a job you love, or finding a new one. Kathleen McGinn, a professor whose specialty is career mobility, reflects on what moving ahead means these days and gives advice on when and how we should be pushing ourselves to advance. Then Daisy Wademan Dowling

Jun 15, 2020 • 42:23

Sisterhood Is Critical to Racial Justice

Sisterhood Is Critical to Racial Justice

Work is among the many places where white people have long been indifferent to the hardships black colleagues face. One way white women can advance racial justice is by building trusting relationships with black women. This week, we’re revisiting two episodes from Season 2 that explore women’s solidarity at work: “Sisterhood Is Scarce” and “Sisterhood Is Power.” We talk with professors Ella Bell Smith and Stella Nkomo about how race, gender, and class play into the different professional experie

Jun 8, 2020 • 1:03:19

Helping Men Help Us

Helping Men Help Us

Gender equity at work won’t happen without men. But what exactly should men be doing? How should they support the women they work with? And in what ways can women shape those efforts so that they actually help us? We speak with three experts on diversity and inclusion about how men can become effective allies. Brad Johnson and David Smith share best practices for men trying to build stronger relationships with women, and Lily Zheng joins us to talk about allyship on a systemic level. Our H

Jun 1, 2020 • 46:34

Working Through Menopause (at Work)

Working Through Menopause (at Work)

In most workplaces, menopause is a taboo topic. Every woman’s transition is different, but it’s a shared experience worth talking about. But how do you tell your boss that your mood swings and brain fog are related to perimenopause? What do you say to colleagues when you break into a sweat—or tears—during a meeting? These and other menopause symptoms can cause many women to feel less confident and competent, but being able to talk about your symptoms with colleagues and a

May 25, 2020 • 37:46

Advice for Less Than Optimal Circumstances

Advice for Less Than Optimal Circumstances

With half my department furloughed, how can I keep from burning out and losing ground in my career? How can I best lead a large team that’s half remote? We respond to these questions and others from listeners looking for advice on their common workplace quandaries. These are problems and solutions we can all learn from. Our HBR reading list: “How Working Parents Can Support One Another,” by Stewart D. Friedman and Alyssa F. Westring “Global Teams That Work,” by Tse

May 18, 2020 • 40:16

When Your Career Is Suddenly on Hold

When Your Career Is Suddenly on Hold

The coronavirus crisis immediately disrupted day-to-day work. And it’s increasingly disrupting women’s careers, with layoffs, hiring freezes, and promotions on hold, as well as entrepreneurial endeavors possibly lost forever. These setbacks raise a lot of questions: Why was I in the first round of layoffs? How realistic are my aspirations now? What conversations should I be having to help myself recover and set myself up for the future?  We hear from two women whose professional

May 11, 2020 • 50:23

A Time for Women Leaders to Shine

A Time for Women Leaders to Shine

Healthcare workers are overwhelmingly women, but few are in positions of leadership. We hear from Sheila Davis, who became a nurse in the 1980s and is now CEO of Partners In Health. She talks about decision making and leading a team through the coronavirus crisis, as well as what she and her organization are doing to help fix the gender imbalance in healthcare leadership. Our HBR reading list: “How Women Manage the Gendered Norms of Leadership,” by Wei Zheng et al. “Fixing the

May 4, 2020 • 32:44

So Many Feelings

So Many Feelings

Many women feel pressure to hide their feelings in order to be seen as professional. But now, in the midst of this crisis, it may not be feasible — or even preferable — to force ourselves to keep it together or to expect other people to do so. What’s the right level of emotional disclosure these days, and what’s the next best step to take when emotions spill over? We speak with organizational consultants Liz Fosslien and Mollie West Duffy about the good that can come from being vulnerable with c

Apr 27, 2020 • 49:50

Making the Most of This Mess

Making the Most of This Mess

A lot has changed in the past few weeks. The coronavirus crisis has affected everything from our well-being to our ability to do our jobs. But are there things about how we are working and living now — in the midst of a pandemic — that will benefit women in the future? Are there opportunities to redefine how women navigate their work and home lives and rewrite what it means to be a woman in the workplace? Is it possible that the recent shift toward more authenticity in professional s

Apr 20, 2020 • 30:08

We’re Beyond Stretched

We’re Beyond Stretched

This pandemic is affecting men and women differently. Women are bearing an even greater burden at home, in their communities, and at work—and many aren’t sure how to cope with the increased emotional and logistical load. We hear from women around the world about how the coronavirus crisis has intensified the invisible labor they do and put even more pressure on them professionally and personally. Aliya Hamid Rao then shares her macro-level insights based on her research about economi

Apr 13, 2020 • 38:17

Season 5 Is on the Way

Season 5 Is on the Way

Women at Work is back April 13 with stories, conversations, and practical advice about being a woman in the workplace. Expect to hear from us every Monday through the spring.

Mar 31, 2020 • 3:19

Nicole’s Got News

Nicole’s Got News

Our dear co-host is leaving the show.

Mar 10, 2020 • 7:29

Seeing Ourselves as Leaders

Seeing Ourselves as Leaders

The shift from being part of a team to leading one isn’t like flipping a switch; it’s a process, and often an awkward one. Not only do you have to convince other people that you can and should lead, but sometimes you have to convince yourself. That’s not always easy for women, given that leadership has long been defined by how men act. Finding a style that’s authentic and resonates with others requires reflection and patience. We talk to two leadership coaches about what

Dec 16, 2019 • 57:52

When You Work in a Male-Dominated Industry

When You Work in a Male-Dominated Industry

Being treated like an outsider. Feeling like you have to prove yourself. Struggling to make your voice heard. Whether it’s overt discrimination or more subtle forms of bias, male-dominated industries like engineering can pose challenges for women. Research shows that even well-meaning mentors direct female engineers into less technical, less valued roles. It’s no wonder so many women end up leaving the industry. We talk to a professor and two students at Olin College of Engineering a

Dec 9, 2019 • 56:21

Aging Up, Not Out

Aging Up, Not Out

Starting sometime around our mid-50s, work presents us with a new set of biases. Coworkers assume that older people are tired and uninterested in professional development. Eventually they start asking when you’re going to retire. But experience and maturity can give women an advantage in the workplace. Amy B. and Amy G. interview aging expert Nancy Morrow-Howell about putting in the effort to stay current, how to assert yourself when you feel overlooked, and what to say when people ask tha

Dec 2, 2019 • 53:00

Navigating Conflict

Navigating Conflict

We all face conflict at work. Maybe it’s a boss who took all the credit for your project or a colleague who keeps going over your head to get more resources. In these situations, some of us shy away from having a disagreement, and some of us dig right into the difficult conversation. Whatever your natural tendency is, dealing with conflict is a crucial skill to succeed at work. It can lead to higher job satisfaction, stronger relationships with colleagues, and innovation. In this live show

Nov 25, 2019 • 30:43

How to Make Part Time Work for You

How to Make Part Time Work for You

There are a lot of reasons working part time might make sense: among them, you have more hours in the week to take care of kids or parents, take on freelance work, go back to school. But working part time can stall career advancement, and oftentimes women end up doing a full-time job for half the pay while taking on more responsibilities at home. We speak with Linda Duxbury about the problems she’s seen some professional women run into when they work part time. She suggests factors to cons

Nov 18, 2019 • 50:58

How We Take Care of Ourselves

How We Take Care of Ourselves

Despite what we see on Instagram, self-care isn’t just about face masks and massages (although those are nice). It’s about spending your time, including your workday, in ways that prioritize the things and people you care about. Studies show that this kind of self-care makes us happier and more focused in our jobs. But it can be a challenge to take care of ourselves when we’re on deadline, traveling too much, or reporting to a boss who emails at all hours. We speak with researc

Nov 11, 2019 • 36:21

May We Recommend…The Anxious Achiever

May We Recommend…The Anxious Achiever

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., where the culture tells people who suffer from anxiety and depression that they can’t succeed. But Morra Aarons-Mele, host of The Anxious Achiever podcast, is trying to reframe the way people think about and deal with mental health at work. She’s doing that through candid and oftentimes emotional interviews with leaders and experts. In this preview of an upcoming episode, Morra gets advice from former clinical psycholo

Nov 7, 2019 • 9:15

Work Friendships Are Mostly Amazing and Sometimes Messy

Work Friendships Are Mostly Amazing and Sometimes Messy

Say you get along especially well with a colleague. You find yourself hanging out at each other’s desks, texting instead of emailing, meeting up for lunch over the weekend—you’re friends. That’s all well and good…until work puts your friendship to the test. Maybe you disagree over how to approach a project (and hesitate to tell her), or you want to offer her an assignment (but worry how that would come off to others), or she scores a promotion (that you wanted). We

Nov 4, 2019 • 46:43

Sponsorship: Defining the Relationship

Sponsorship: Defining the Relationship

Having a sponsor — someone who can use their influence to push your career forward — is invaluable. But how exactly they do this, and what your role is in making it happen, isn’t always clear-cut. Who should we be seeking to sponsor us? Should sponsors be candid with their proteges about what they’re doing on their behalf? We pose these questions and others to Rosalind Chow, a researcher who studies sponsorship. She clarifies some of the ambiguity and talks about what sho

Oct 29, 2019 • 1:05:02

Networking Doesn’t Have to Be a Drag

Networking Doesn’t Have to Be a Drag

If you hate networking events, it may be comforting to hear that experts don’t think they’re a great way to build strong relationships anyway. There are more natural, less transactional ways to connect with people, especially inside your company. Getting to know colleagues in different units and at different levels gives us perspective on our work and helps us get more done across the organization. We talk with Inga Carboni about the characteristics of a strong network, common challe

Oct 21, 2019 • 40:51

Let’s Talk About Money

Let’s Talk About Money

One of the primary reasons we work is to earn money, but many of us feel uncomfortable telling others how much we make. This fear may be working against women, because research has shown that salary transparency can help narrow the gender pay gap. With the help of experts, we explore the complexities of talking about our salaries. First, an economist walks through the pros and cons of disclosing your pay. Then, the host of a personal finance podcast explains why she encourages people to speak op

Oct 14, 2019 • 1:09:20

Introducing Season Four

Introducing Season Four

Women at Work is back Oct. 14 with stories, conversations, and practical advice about being a woman in the workplace. Expect to hear from us every Monday for the next couple of months. Sign up for the Women at Work newsletter. Email us: womenatwork@hbr.org Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.

Oct 7, 2019 • 2:05

Sisterhood Is Trust

Sisterhood Is Trust

Emotional vulnerability makes high-quality relationships at work possible. When we’ve built trust and understanding with colleagues, we’re more likely to be productive and engaged. But research suggests not all women feel that they can be vulnerable enough to develop these relationships. This episode continues our exploration of how women approach sisterhood at the office (see “Sisterhood Is Scarce” and “Sisterhood Is Power” from season two for previous discus

Jun 17, 2019 • 38:06

Why Things Aren’t Better, Yet

Why Things Aren’t Better, Yet

Since #MeToo became a household term, a lot of people have been trying to make work a safer place for everyone. But organizational change is slow, and it’s not always easy for individual employees to respond to and prevent sexual harassment. Marianne Cooper shares some findings from LeanIn.Org and McKinsey & Company’s “Women in the Workplace 2018” report. Then, we talk with Sarah Beaulieu about how to deal with inappropriate behavior in the office. Our HBR reading lis

Jun 10, 2019 • 50:21

When You’re Responsible for Eldercare

When You’re Responsible for Eldercare

Caring for sick or elderly family members is still mostly women’s work, according to research. The emotional labor and unpredictability of this work takes a heavy toll on caregivers; it impacts our wellbeing, finances, and careers. And while companies have gotten better about acknowledging and accommodating childcare, many could offer more support and flexibility to their employees taking care of adults. We talk with Anne Bardoel about what the research says about women and eldercare. She&

Jun 3, 2019 • 53:22

There’s More to Gender Than “Man” and “Woman”

There’s More to Gender Than “Man” and “Woman”

Research shows that people who don’t conform to the gender binary are often mistreated by their colleagues, their managers, or HR. Some get fired, demoted, or shut out of the labor market altogether. If fewer people thought gender was restricted to “man” and “woman,” there’d be less discrimination, and we could all express ourselves however we want to. Lily Zheng talks about what she’s learned from studying the workplace experiences of people who identif

May 27, 2019 • 48:06

When Women Compete

When Women Compete

Why is it that competing with a man to get a promotion, lead a project, or influence a decision can feel so satisfying, while competing with a woman can feel so uncomfortable? And why is normal, healthy conflict between women often seen as a catfight? First up, a listener revisits an experience from early in her career when she felt pitted against the only other woman on her team, who she had hoped would be a mentor, not a rival. Then, Leah Sheppard draws on her research to explain how stereotyp

May 20, 2019 • 38:01

Sorry Not Sorry

Sorry Not Sorry

Lots of us have heard the advice that we should stop apologizing so much, especially at work. But do women really say “sorry” too often? And will it actually help our careers if we stop? We turn to two experts for insight. Karina Schumann, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Pittsburgh, summarizes the findings from her study “Why Women Apologize More Than Men.” Then we talk with Sally Helgesen, an executive coach and a coauthor of the book How Women Rise. She explains that

May 13, 2019 • 40:00

No Partner, No Kids, No Problem

No Partner, No Kids, No Problem

If you aren’t married and don’t have kids, people at work might assume a lot of things: that you can stay late at the office, that you can’t possibly understand their stories about parenthood, that you just haven’t found the right partner (ugh). But those assumptions are often false. Single childless women have busy lives, close relationships with children like nieces or nephews — and many don’t want coupledom or motherhood. We talk to two women who&#8217

May 6, 2019 • 44:46

The Upside of Working Motherhood

The Upside of Working Motherhood

You’ve heard the story: Motherhood and work are at odds, and women who pursue both have to make endless trade-offs and compromises. And yet, lots of women go for it, with great results for themselves, their families, and their careers. In fact, research suggests that parenting can enrich our careers, and vice versa. Professors Danna Greenberg and Jamie Ladge talk about the benefits of being a working mom. They share advice around setting expectations, finding child care, asking for help, a

Apr 29, 2019 • 47:19

Step into the Spotlight

Step into the Spotlight

There are lots of ways to get visibility at work: give a presentation, speak up in a meeting, have lunch with a senior leader. When done well, in front of people with influence, these actions can lead to a promotion, a raise, or more resources for your team. But research shows there are sound reasons women sometimes decide to not be more visible and instead quietly push forward projects or stay behind the scenes. In this live episode, recorded at Sixth & I in Washington, DC, we get advice fr

Apr 22, 2019 • 41:01

Managing Burnout

Managing Burnout

Working long hours won’t necessarily burn us out, but getting too little sleep or feeling unappreciated might. Women commonly face extra stressors, like office chores or doing a “second shift” at home, that can leave us exhausted. And once we’re burned out, it usually takes more than a few yoga classes or going on vacation to feel like ourselves again. Mandy O’Neill, an expert on workplace well-being, explains the causes, symptoms, and repercussions of burnout. She suggests several antidotes (in

Apr 15, 2019 • 43:18

Introducing Season Three

Introducing Season Three

Women at Work is back April 15 with stories, conversations, and practical advice about being a woman in the workplace. Expect to hear from us every Monday for the next couple of months. Sign up for the Women at Work newsletter. Email us: womenatwork@hbr.org Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.

Apr 1, 2019 • 1:34

Meet Our New Co-Host!

Meet Our New Co-Host!

Amy Gallo is a contributing editor for HBR, an expert on conflict and difficult conversations, a prolific giver of advice — and now she takes up the baton of co-hosting the show from Sarah Green Carmichael. Sign up for the Women at Work newsletter: hbr.org/email-newsletters Email us: womenatwork@hbr.org Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.

Mar 6, 2019 • 9:43

Self-Disclosure at Work (and Behind the Mic)

Self-Disclosure at Work (and Behind the Mic)

In this special live episode, we share stories, research, and practical advice for strategic self-disclosure, and then take questions from the audience. Guest: Katherine Phillips. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.

Nov 26, 2018 • 49:22

Sisterhood Is Power

Sisterhood Is Power

It takes time and care to develop trusting relationships with the women we work with, particularly women who are different from us in some way. But the effort of understanding each other’s experiences is worth it, personally and professionally: We’ll feel less alone in our individual struggles and better able to push for equity. We talk with professors Tina Opie and Verónica Rabelo about the power of workplace sisterhood. We discuss steps, as well as common snags, to f

Nov 19, 2018 • 51:48

Your Parental Leave Stories

Your Parental Leave Stories

We bring you three stories about parental leave, from listeners whose experiences with it changed them, for better or for worse. They talk about having to fight for more time off, go back to work before they were ready, care for sick babies, and try to hide their exhaustion and stress. Ultimately, they’re stories about how inadequate leave policies hurt families and companies.

Nov 12, 2018 • 20:26

Sisterhood Is Scarce

Sisterhood Is Scarce

The glass ceiling is the classic symbol of the barrier women bump into as we go through our careers. But for women of color, that barrier is more like a concrete wall. If we’re going to reduce workplace sexism and racism, women of all ethnicities need to work together. And it will be tough to do that unless we feel more connected to each other. We talk with professors Ella Bell Smith and Stella Nkomo about how race, gender, and class play into the different experiences and relationships wh

Nov 5, 2018 • 56:08

When We Make All (or Most of) the Money

When We Make All (or Most of) the Money

Women are increasingly supporting our families financially. It can feel empowering to be the sole or primary earner, but many of us feel pressure to be both an ideal worker and an ideal mother. We hear from a woman who supports a stay-at-home husband and three sons. Then, Alyson Byrne, an expert on status and gender, fills us in about the research on women as financial providers — for example, the more we financially contribute, the better our psychological well-being. (Yay.) She has

Oct 29, 2018 • 46:47

The Art of Claiming Credit

The Art of Claiming Credit

Have you ever offered up an idea in a meeting and been ignored — but then, 10 minutes later, a man repeated the idea and everyone called it brilliant? Or have you ever worked hard on a team project and been left off the thank-you email? If we aren’t thoughtful about how we present our ideas at work, we risk not being heard or, worse, missing out on the credit we’re due. Research shows that women get less credit when we work in groups with men. So, it’s important for us to

Oct 22, 2018 • 38:48

Perfect Is the Enemy

Perfect Is the Enemy

If you’ve worked your way up in a competitive field — or are anxious by nature — you may have perfectionist tendencies. Maybe you’re a hard-driving, obsessive worker who thinks a task is never quite done. Or maybe you’re avoidant, struggling to start a project because you want it to be done just right. We all know society holds women to a higher standard than men and rewards us for not making mistakes. But internalizing other people’s expectations —

Oct 15, 2018 • 36:59

We Deserve Better Than “Attagirl”

We Deserve Better Than “Attagirl”

Hearing your manager say you’re doing a great job is, of course, lovely. But without examples of your greatness in action, or suggestions for how to be even better, you don’t have the information you need to keep improving. Studies have found that women tend to get feedback that’s vague or tied to their personalities, which doesn’t boost our performance ratings. Meanwhile, men get feedback that’s specific and tied to business outcomes, which sets them up to develop

Oct 9, 2018 • 38:51

Making Great Decisions

Making Great Decisions

There’s a lot that goes into making a good decision at work: figuring out priorities, coming up with options, analyzing those — and several steps later, planning for what to do if you’re wrong. If you’re a woman, you are also factoring in how your colleagues expect you to ask for their opinions so you can create consensus. And if you do, they’re still likely to see you as indecisive and lacking vision. We talk with Therese Huston, author of the book How Women D

Oct 1, 2018 • 38:30

Managing Parental Leave (Yours or Someone Else’s)

Managing Parental Leave (Yours or Someone Else’s)

Having a baby is exciting — and exhausting. Figuring out how to take parental leave, or manage someone who’s doing it, can add an extra wrinkle. No matter how long you’ll be away from work, there’s preparation to be done: talking to your boss, making sure colleagues can cover your projects, handling unexpected needs and feelings. With the help of our guest expert, Daisy Wademan Dowling, we talk about how to effectively plan for your parental leave or the leave of som

Sep 24, 2018 • 59:26

Let’s Do Less Dead-End Work

Let’s Do Less Dead-End Work

Could you take notes? Would you mind ordering lunch? We need someone to organize the offsite event — can you do that? Whether you’ve just started your career or are the CEO of the company, if you’re a woman, people expect you to do routine, time-consuming tasks that no one else wants to do. We talk with University of Pittsburgh economics professor Lise Vesterlund about why women get stuck with — and even volunteer for! — tasks that won’t show off our skil

Sep 17, 2018 • 47:36

Introducing Season Two

Introducing Season Two

Women at Work is back Sept. 17 with stories, conversations, and practical advice about women and work. Expect to hear from us every Monday for the next couple of months. Email us here: womenatwork@hbr.org Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.

Aug 27, 2018 • 3:00

Back in September with Season Two!

Back in September with Season Two!

Hi team! Help shape our conversations by responding to these questions. You can answer as few or as many as you’d like: What work decisions do you struggle with? Do you overthink? Stress about making the best choice? Is there a strategy you’ve found useful in making complex decisions? Ever wonder if being a woman influences your decision making? Tell us about a time when a colleague took credit for your idea: What happened? How did it make you feel? Did you speak up about it? And

Jun 19, 2018 • 1:27

The Advice We Get and Give

The Advice We Get and Give

Don’t negotiate against yourself. It’s OK to drop the ball. Sleep. We get wisdom from women who are experts on how we work — and who have advice on how to ask for more money, achieve more by doing less, and avoid burning out. We talk with Duke University management professor Ashleigh Shelby Rosette about negotiating, Thrive Global CEO Arianna Huffington about sleep, Levo Chief Leadership Officer Tiffany Dufu about dropping the ball, and New Yorker writer Susan Orlean about

Mar 8, 2018 • 1:06:25

Work After #MeToo

Work After #MeToo

The hand on the thigh. The creepy come-on. The lingering leer. These are some of the milder forms of sexual harassment that women have been reporting in the wake of the #MeToo outpouring. Other women have made allegations of sexual assault and even rape at the office. While once such accusations would be met with — at most — a monetary settlement and a non-disclosure agreement, today they are more likely to be publicized and investigated. Some have welcomed this change but are worrie

Mar 1, 2018 • 54:30

Mind the (Wage) Gap

Mind the (Wage) Gap

Do you earn the same salary as your male coworkers? How certain are you? For women, the wage gap is a common concern, for good reason: the average, college-educated woman starts out earning close to what her male peers do, but over a lifetime, the pay gap widens. Even for women who graduate from college, get an MBA, and take a job at a high-paying firm — 10 or 15 years into our careers, we’re earning only 60 percent of what men are. There are a lot of complex factors that go into cre

Feb 21, 2018 • 44:10

Lead with Authenticity

Lead with Authenticity

As leaders, we know we’re supposed to be authentic, but for women, that can be tricky. For one thing, it can be hard to even know what our “true selves” want with all the demands competing for our attention. For another, there are different expectations about how women should look, and behave. In this episode, we talk with an expert on authenticity, as well as a woman trying everyday to bring her best self to work and help others do the same. Guests: Tina Opie and Candice Morgan. Our theme musi

Feb 9, 2018 • 1:00:34

Couples That Work

Couples That Work

Simmering resentments over whose career comes first. Bickering over household tasks. Arguments over who should pick up the kids this time. This is the portrait of two-career coupledom in much of the popular media. But for a lot of couples, the reality is much rosier. Mutually supportive relationships let us take career risks, help us be more resilient to setbacks, and even “lean in” at work. In this episode, we talk with three experts to help us paint a picture of what a truly supportive dual-ca

Feb 1, 2018 • 54:12

Make Yourself Heard

Make Yourself Heard

Have you ever been in a meeting and shared an idea, only to have it ignored? Then, 10 minutes later, a guy shares the same idea, and your boss says “Great idea!” (Grrr.) Or maybe you’ve been told you apologize too much, don’t speak up enough, or that you need more “confidence” or “leadership presence.” (Ugh.) In this episode, we tackle three aspects of communication: first, how and why women’s speech patterns differ from men’s; second, how women can be more assertive in meetings; and third, how

Jan 24, 2018 • 44:11

Introducing Women at Work

Introducing Women at Work

Conversations about the workplace, and women's place in it.

Jan 16, 2018 • 1:27

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