According to US Chamber of Commerce, in February 2020, 59% of women over the age of 20 were participating in the labor force, compared to 71.4% of men. While labor force participation dropped 3% for both men and women during the height of the pandemic, men have returned to work at a higher rate than their female counterparts.
According to Stephanie Watson writer for WebMd, work stress tops the list of most common stressors. Forty percent of U.S. workers admit to experiencing office stress, and one-quarter say work is the biggest source of stress in their lives. It’s critical that employers prioritize caring for their employee’s well being so that more women are not forced to choose between returning to or staying in the workforce and caring for themselves or their families.
Work stress, compounded by other responsibilities, could result in women calling out of work at an increased rate and it’s not just the employee that pays the price. As reported by Amanda Martell in HROToday, “… an estimated 12 billion working days are lost every year to absenteeism from depression or anxiety at a cost of one trillion U.S. dollars per year in lost productivity…”
To learn more about the ways one local employer is addressing this topic, I sat down with Janine Atiyeh, Senior Director of People & Culture at CBL Properties. In addition to her day-to-day role, Atiyeh serves as an active member of CBL Fit, an employee-led committee that takes a holistic approach to employee wellbeing by focusing on nutrition, physical fitness, financial health, and mental wellness.