Bold Action Spur Women’s Careers & the Bottom Line
Have you ever been job-hunting or researching potential clients, checked out a company’s leadership page, and seen a wall of dudes smiling back at you? I have. My initial reaction: that is not a company I want to work for or do business with.
In some ways, it’s hard to believe this is still a point of discussion in 2022, but with the repeal of Roe v. Wade and other civil rights under threat, women can use inclusion, advocacy, and support anywhere they can find it — especially in the workplace. And as a female leader of a majority-female company, I can tell you that supporting women is a constant initiative, and it should be a constant initiative. It’s more than the right thing to do; it’s good for business.
Jordan Digital Marketing is certainly not perfect, but we’ve taken a series of bold and intentional steps to support the women on our team. Before I get to those steps, some stats on the company:
60% of the overall team are women
60% of the leadership roles are women
75% of managers are women
Our eNPS (employee net promoter score), measuring satisfaction in the workplace, have been steadily increasing and stand at 68, which falls into the “excellent” range
Bold steps we’ve taken
Remote always
One of our boldest moves was created upon the company’s founding: we have always been, and always will be, remote. In addition to the obvious benefits like lifestyle and flexibility that helps us retain great talent, there are many communities that remote work also serves.
Parents and caregivers are a common group who benefit from remote work. We also have military spouses who never have to worry about finding new jobs if they get relocated.
Acting on feedback
We pride ourselves on not only encouraging and asking for feedback, but taking action quickly on that feedback too.
Our initial parental leave policy was created when we were a small team of 5 and only had a footprint in California. As we added people in states with less generous parental leave programs, we updated our policy to ensure a more equitable level of support for everyone on the team no matter their location.
When the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade was leaked, we quickly addressed it with the company, announced we would be working on a plan, and welcomed any thoughts team members had. We quickly worked to implement a new policy that would reimburse travel expenses if team members or immediate family had to seek medical care not available in their state or within a 100-mile radius from their homes. This is especially important for a company with a workforce spread across many states.
Leading by example
Of course, these policies are only valuable if people feel comfortable using them. Before I went out on my parental leave, I felt a crushing level of guilt. On top of dealing with growing, birthing, and raising a brand-new human for the first time, I was worried about my career being held back, missed opportunities, and how I would be perceived for taking time off.
Despite the pressure I was feeling due to society’s outdated views about mothers in the workplace, it was very important to me personally and as a leader to make sure I took the full time allowed. I wanted to make sure when the time came for someone else, they would feel comfortable and supported to use their leave to the fullest. No one should feel guilty for having a family and a career, and no one should think you can only have one or the other.
This is where it’s important for men to be allies as well. It’s not enough for men in leadership positions to say they support parental leave when they don’t take it themselves. I’m happy to report that JDM’s founder and CEO, Tyler Jordan, just came back from taking his parental leave after welcoming his first child. Fathers taking leave shows the importance of family and equal partnerships and helps shift the perspective that family duties don’t fall on one person, especially when both partners have careers.
Posting salary ranges
There are many reasons companies should post salary ranges, as we do at JDM, but it especially helps women who historically undervalue themselves and/or are less likely to negotiate higher salaries out of the gate.
The amount of job postings on LinkedIn showing salary data is up 44% year over year. Microsoft is one of the biggest names who recently made this commitment to transparency in June 2022. Posting salary data has a larger impact beyond the people applying for the role or working at that company. Women who hold similar positions in other companies will be armed with more data to see if they’re undervalued at their current company and help them drive conversations or search for new roles.
Why all of this matters for business
It shouldn’t be a surprise by now: creating a supportive, inclusive working environment is good business. A McKinsey study from 2020 showed that companies in the top quartile of gender diversity on executive teams are significantly more likely to be more profitable than their competitors. The stakes have only risen since then, as more DEI-focused younger generations join and ascend through the workforce ranks.
It helps with employee retention, especially top talent. It also has a domino effect. This all trickles down into better service for our clients and ultimately has a positive impact on our bottom line.
On a practical level, it’s also good for operational efficiency. Getting additional perspectives while creating policies and processes is a lot easier than trying to go back and fix broken policies later.
We certainly aren’t perfect, but we’re dedicated to continuous improvement through transparency, psychologically safe feedback loops, and a commitment to consider all suggestions we receive and take action. Personally, I’ve found it to be a virtuous loop: the JDM culture enabled me to become a leader, which means I’m in a position to improve the culture for the whole team and the next wave of leaders. I cherish the responsibility, and can’t wait until these perspectives are part of the corporate norm.
Gina Race, Head of Operations at Jordan Digital Marketing
Gina has over a decade of experience in digital marketing, with expertise in paid acquisition, social media, analytics, and more. She joined Jordan Digital Marketing in 2019 as an Account Manager and quickly took on strategic and operational responsibilities as the agency added services and expanded its client portfolio. A 2012 graduate of San Diego State with a degree in Marketing and Advertising, Gina has built her career on a combination of results and processes that allows her teams to scale performance without compromise. Please connect with Gina here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/burgessgina/