Future of Work

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Achieving Balance With Better Benefit Design

Employers are at a critical reflection point where we can look back at the last two years and evaluate what has worked and what hasn’t.

The Integrated Benefits Institute’s recent analysis estimates that the cost associated with the loss of work hours due to COVID-19 is $213.1 billion, and the number of lost hours attributed to the pandemic totaled 6.6 billion. Employers have also faced challenges with attraction and retention, along with quiet quitting and burnout. Where do we go from here to recover from these losses?

A company culture that fosters flexibility and transparency is key to employees feeling comfortable, valued, and supported. According to the Pew Research Center, 45% of people surveyed say they left their job because of a lack of flexibility. Trust, safety, and inclusion also have heightened importance.

In IBI’s recent survey, employers stated that cost mitigation, and attraction and retention are the most influential factors in benefit design decision-making. Mental well-being continues to be top of mind and has a significant influence on productivity.

Looking ahead, employers should consider the following in benefit plan design strategy: Understand your workforce demographics

Consider employee feedback; engage with and listen to your employees

Educate employees on the benefits offered and how to use them

Proceed with caution on cost mitigation and use empathy when considering changes to your benefit plans

Improve workplace culture and reduce stigma with peer-support networks and education

Facilitate peer-support as an important part of mental well-being

Jennifer Santisi, M.S. Director of Communications, Integrated Benefits Institute

Why a TikToker Wants More People to Talk About Money

Salary

On this social media app, where an estimated 1 billion videos are watched each day, person-onthe-street videos with hosts querying passersby about what they earn have become a dime a dozen.

One influencer, Hannah Williams, has garnered a following of 1.2 million on TikTok by doing just that. As CNBC reported, Williams quit her job as a senior data analyst in May 2022 to start the video series, which eventually developed into a business, Salary Transparent Street, with her fiancé, James Daniels.

Since inception, the business has raked in a reported $600,000 and the two live off of a $200,000 salary per year. (Williams had earned $115,000 per year in her previous role, according to a Salary Transparent Street video.)

Through her new business, Williams’ ultimate goal is empowering job seekers through education. “Through our interviews, we teach them things about the laws in their state, or things that they’re able to do in

their career, like negotiation advice — things that have worked for people,” Williams said. “And I think by seeing that, it gives them some form of inspiration, but also, like, I have these next steps and I know how to move forward.”

Ultimately, salary transparency can help even the playing field for job seekers, Williams noted. “We have so many pay gaps right now that really affect marginalized communities: anyone that can be a victim of bias, whether you’re a woman or minority, someone with a disability or a member of the LGBTQ community. When you leave money up to a person and not fact, you leave room for pay gaps to occur.”

More than money

In her experience interviewing numerous employees across the country, Williams has also

created by Mediaplanet and did not involve USA Today.

learned a thing or two about what they are — and aren’t — seeking out of work. Believe it or not, money may not always be their top priority, Williams said — empathy and flexibility are sometimes more important.

“Whenever I ask people the best parts of their job, they always say the people,” Williams said. That starts with good managers, who can detect when workers need support or feel burnt out. “I think it’s really important to understand what your team needs. You shouldn’t be in the dark about how they feel.”

Benefits, Williams said, are another big draw. “Before [my fiancé] quit his job, he had the best health insurance we’ve ever seen before — it was completely free; his company paid for it. And I was like, ‘Wow, that’s novel in this country,’” Williams said. “So I think that taking those steps to really support your employees, maybe not through raises but by providing better benefits that make their lives easier and give them that balance — that’s the best thing you can do.” n

Melinda Carter

Jodyann Buchanan, Samuel Joyner, and Christopher Giorgio

and Joanna Tronina

Director Julia Colavecchia Lead Designer Kayla Mendez Lead Editor Dustin Brennan Digital Success & Production Manager Taylor Daniels Cover Photo Nhu Nguyen Photography All photos are credited to Getty Images unless otherwise specified. This section was

transparency isn’t a given. In recent years, though, that information is becoming easier to access, thanks in large part to TikTok.

The gender gap in tech remains due to a number of factors including lack of job security, gender bias, and work-life balance issues. However, there are potential solutions that can be put into place to increase access and opportunities for women in tech.

Ensuring equitable wages and adopting flexible working hours are two key measures that can help make the tech industry more inclusive for women. Additionally, increasing support structures, such as mentorship programs, is vital to helping women succeed in a male-dominated field.

By implementing these solutions, we can begin to close the gender gap in tech and create a more equal workplace for all.

Job Insecurity

In recent research and a survey of nearly 5,000 professionals conducted by WomenTech Network, an alarming 69.2% of the tech employees who were recently laid off are women — a worrying trend that highlights the unequal impact these layoffs have had on female professionals. This data highlights the fact that women are more vulnerable in the tech industry, particularly during times of economic downturn.

The lack of job security can be disconcerting to women, who may opt out at a higher rate than men due to lack of flexibility, gender bias, lack of support, and other reasons.

Lack of representation in leadership

Women in the IT industry are confronted with an imbalance that can be incredibly discour-

How to Make Work Work for Women in Tech and Leadership

In addition, we see a current trend where bosses are demanding their employees to come back to the office fulltime, which definitely doesn’t contribute toward helping women be more flexible.

Conclusion

Companies have the potential to significantly grow the number of women in tech roles with some conscious efforts, such as tapping into untapped pools for recruitment, providing training on cutting-edge technologies (e.g., AI, machine learning, data science), offering mentorship programs, and supporting employees in developing technical skill sets while adapting workplaces to women’s needs.

To ensure the world is designed by and for those who use it, we need to close the gender gap in tech. Enhancing diversity creates better safety standards, office culture, and job satisfaction in our workplaces — a win-win that leads to employees staying with companies longer.

aging — they make up only 26% of the entire workforce. The scarce female representation makes it difficult for them to climb higher on the career ladder and leaves little room for younger women who seek inspiration from professional figures.

Female representation in the tech leadership space is still alarmingly low, often ranging between 15-25% (depending on the data set). Although progress has been made, the rate of improvement is much too slow and requires greater acceleration.

Gender bias

Women’s professional pro -

gression is too often hindered by gender-based prejudice, which can take shape in various ways. This could be anything from being bypassed for promotions or executive roles to having their decisions and results held up under greater examination than men.

Moreover, women’s accomplishments are routinely overshadowed by those of male colleagues — a phenomenon that needs to change.

Work-life balance

Technology is an incredibly fast-evolving industry that demands loads of hard work. As such, it can be difficult to recognize when one should

step away from their tasks and take some time for themselves — especially now with hybrid working models making the line between “on” and “off” hours less clear. Working mothers often find such trying circumstances particularly disheartening.

Family responsibilities

Women who have family responsibilities, such as childcare or caring for elderly parents, have to balance these demands with work obligations; this can create additional stressors on top of already demanding jobs, leading many women to opt out of the workforce altogether.

What’s more? Women bring invaluable perspectives when problem-solving; encouraging their participation helps restore balance and accelerates innovation.

When women are empowered to excel in tech, everyone benefits. Together, we can create a brighter future where women and men are equally represented in tech and leadership roles — one that recognizes the talents of each and every individual. n

Anna Radulovski, Founder and CEO, Coding Girls and WomenTech Network

The gender gap in tech is persistent, but it can be addressed by offering resources, fostering inclusive workplaces, and implementing policies that promote equity.

Job One of the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act: Closing the Digital Divide

coding award in foundation-sponsored science fairs, and is partnering with afterschool Code Clubs in collaboration with the Raspberry Pi Foundation to offer free online coding instruction for students, teachers, and afterschool providers.

For more than 50 years, U.S. businesses outsourced manufacturing overseas rather than investing at home. For example, engineers invented the semiconductor in the United States, but the nation produces about 10% of the world’s supply today.

The supply chain crisis caused by the COVID pandemic awakened our national consciousness to the importance of bringing manufacturing home when ubiquitous foreign-made goods — such as cars, washing machines, and cell phones — were no longer readily available. Simultaneously, the COVID lockdown exposed huge pockets of the United States that do not have access to modern tools nor technology to educate our young. Urban, rural, rustbelt, and tribal communities united in their outcry over the educational plight of our children.

Much of our country is

depending on an aging manufacturing and communications infrastructure developed decades ago during the American Century when other nations were digging out from World War II.

We are about to change all of that, because our greatness as an economic superpower — as well as our national security — depends on reestablishing technology primacy and preparing a modern workforce to drive it forward.

Bringing it back home

The United States is taking bold steps to reinvigorate the economy and it must build a new-era workforce to fuel it.

Funding national broadband through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2022 promises to close the digital

divide, which will transform the country much like the National Highway Act did in the Mid-‘50s. Simultaneously, the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act will revitalize domestic manufacturing by building industries of the future in semiconductor, AI, and consumer manufacturing that will put a “Made in America” sticker back on consumer products.

To achieve this heavy lift, it is imperative to execute the national education strategy set forth in the CHIPS Act, which states digital literacy for all is a primary goal. Billions of dollars in CHIPS Act funding are available to educate and deploy a diverse, STEM-driven, digitally literate workforce to fill “the highly skilled jobs of the emerging industries built on technologies of the future.”

Creating opportunities

To facilitate this goal, the CHIPS Act designates STEM Learning Ecosystems as Federal Entities because of their well-established state and regional platforms upon which CHIPS (National Science Foundation) grants can provide digital literacy resources and training to underrepresented youth in urban, rural, and tribal communities throughout the United States.

Because the CHIPS Act encourages businesses to lean in by providing STEM spaces and equipment, offering scholarships, promoting employee volunteerism, funding competitions, and creating internships and apprenticeships, Broadcom Foundation is doing its part. Broadcom Coding with Commitment™ offers a special

Broadcom Foundation is focusing on grades 5 through 8 because learning to code in middle school will help encourage girls, underrepresented and under-resourced students to stay engaged in STEM through high school and reverse the trend of declining interest in pursuing mathematics, science, and engineering.

The CHIPS ACT gives us a once-in-a-generation opportunity to rebuild and restore greatness as an economic superpower with an unparalleled national workforce, but all hands must be on deck. Learn what your company, your nonprofit, your organization, your schools, and YOU can do to help bring digital literacy to young people in your community. n

Paula Golden, President,

Broadcom Foundation

To learn more, visit the National Science Foundation summary on the CHIPS Act, beta.nsf.gov/chips

The United States is taking bold steps to reinvigorate its economy through game-changing investments in hightech research and manufacturing.

A Broadcom Inc. volunteer at Renaissance Youth Center’s “Code the Bronx”