Women at Work

One woman’s struggle with shyness prompts us to explore the seeming conflict between being shy and being a leader. We offer strategies for overcoming anxieties that may be keeping you from going after your career goals, as well as advice for supporting socially anxious colleagues. Guest: Alice Boyes.

We continue tracking the ways the pandemic is impacting women’s lives and careers, and discuss how to not only manage the challenges but also shape a more equitable future. Guests: Kathleen McGinn and Katherine Goldstein.

Women don’t always feel entitled to ask for help at work — even when we need it the most. But Heidi Grant says asking has psychological benefits for you and your colleagues. She explains how to approach your request strategically and why lending a hand to others can be good for you too.

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!

Young women who are wrestling with the impact of the coronavirus crisis on their early-stage careers share how they’re managing the unfamiliar and unexpected. Plus a career coach gives advice for young women striving to establish themselves at work in less than optimal circumstances. Guests: Rachel Bronstein, Nina Jones, Hana Ayoub, and Alex Hemmer. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.

We reflect on what moving ahead means now and give advice on when and how we should be pushing ourselves, as well as ways to protect a job you love. Guests: Kathleen McGinn and Daisy Wademan Dowling. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.

To push for a racially just workplace, white women must put in the effort to understand black women’s experiences. We talk about what has historically driven women of different races apart at work and about how we can stick together and support one another. Guests: Ella Bell Smith, Stella Nkomo, Tina Opie, and Verónica Rabelo. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.

We get an update on what men are doing or should be doing to support the women they work with. And we talk about our role in helping them help us. Guests: Brad Johnson, David Smith, and Lily Zheng. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.

We talk about why menopause shouldn’t be a taboo topic at work, how managers can be supportive, and what to say when you’re having a hot flash in the middle of a meeting. Guests: Dr. Heather Hirsch, Jeneva Patterson, and Tina Opie. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.

We talk through questions from listeners seeking advice on dealing with the challenges they’re facing right now—from how to handle pandemic-related burnout to how to increase their company’s diversity in hiring. Guest: Alison Beard. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.

We talk about the different professional setbacks women are facing because of the coronavirus crisis and offer advice for dealing with a promotion, project, career move, or entrepreneurial endeavor on hold or lost forever. Guests: Alexandra Kalev and Daisy Auger-Domínguez.

A nurse who’s risen to CEO talks about the leadership skills she’s learned through her experience managing global health crises and how she’s applying those skills to the Covid-19 crisis. Guest: Sheila Davis. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.

There’s often pressure to keep it together at work. But is that even possible right now when we’re all feeling so many intense feelings? Understanding when and how to express fear, anger, sorrow, and stress isn’t easy, but it’s crucial. Guests: Liz Fosslien and Mollie West Duffy. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.

A behavioral scientist gives advice on how to better muddle through working from home during the crisis. She also points out the long-lasting positive changes in women’s personal and professional lives that may come from having to reset expectations and boundaries right now. Guest: Ashley Whillans. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.

Women from around the world tell us how the coronavirus crisis is impacting them both professionally and personally. We share how we've been coping and give advice for handling all of this extra stress. Guests: Aliya Hamid Rao and Ruchika Tulshyan. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.

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.

Our dear co-host is leaving the show.

Stepping into a leadership role doesn’t always require permission — but it can require some soul-searching. We speak with leadership development experts on how to be seen as a leader by others and feel like one yourself. Guests: Muriel Wilkins and Amy Su. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.

For women in male-dominated fields like engineering, there are lots of stressors, both subtle and overt. As a result, many end up leaving the field altogether. But the ones who stay develop strategies to survive and to even challenge the status quo. Guests: Jessica Townsend, Ana, Elena, and Teresa Cardador. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.

As we grow older, we have to deal with not only sexism at work but ageism too. Still, age has its advantages. We talk with an expert on aging, and then we share personal experiences and answer questions from listeners. Guests: Nancy Morrow-Howell and Maureen Hoch. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.

Conflict at work is inevitable, and resolving conflicts can lead to higher job satisfaction, stronger relationships with colleagues, and innovation. But dealing with conflict becomes especially difficult when we feel pressure to be likeable or accommodate others. In this live show we talk through a general plan, as well as common situations. Guest: Linda Hill. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.

Going from full time to part time is a complicated career move. First we talk with a woman who’s made part time work well for her about how she set expectations and boundaries. Then we get advice from an expert on work-life balance on how to manage the risks of being part time. Guests: Kristin McElderry and Linda Duxbury. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.

At work, self-care might mean asking for a deadline extension, going to the gym in the middle of the day, or blocking off a few hours to prioritize tasks for the week. But that’s all easier said than done. We speak with a happiness researcher about how to find the time we need to take care of ourselves (and then actually do it). Guest: Ashley Whillans. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.

Anxiety comes up in our conversations on the show from time to time, and we think it’s important to think about and talk about mental health. That’s why we’re recommending you listen to The Anxious Achiever, a new podcast by HBR Presents that’s all about dealing with anxiety at work.

Having a close friend at work feels great. You have someone to laugh with, confide in, and exchange glances with during a meeting. But we often fail to anticipate how the conflicting demands of work can occasionally strain that relationship. We talk through common tensions and how to handle them, either to maintain the friendship or to ease off of it. Guests: Nancy Rothbard and Julianna Pillemer. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.

Sponsorship is when someone influential in your organization advocates on your behalf to get you where you want to go. But the sponsor-protege relationship isn’t always clear-cut. We talk about what sponsors really do and what the protege’s role is. Guest: Rosalind Chow. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.

Building relationships that benefit our careers isn’t about exchanging business cards at work events; it’s about getting to know people we can learn from. We discuss how to develop a strong network and what the very best women networkers do. Guest: Inga Carboni. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.

Talking with colleagues about how much we earn can help us figure out if we’re being paid fairly, but sharing those numbers is stressful. With the help of experts, we discuss the tricky practicalities of salary disclosure and what to do with that sensitive information once we’ve got it. Guests: Zoë Cullen, Gaby Dunn, and Amelia Ransom. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.

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. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.

High-quality relationships with other women at work, and the productivity and creativity those connections bring, are built on trusting one another with our emotions. Two researchers share findings from their recent survey about emotional vulnerability in the workplace. Guests: Beth Livingston and Tina Opie. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.

Many companies are still sorting out the right policies to put in place around sexual harassment. But even where good policies exist, we all need the skills and confidence to respond to and prevent inappropriate behavior at work. Guests: Marianne Cooper and Sarah Beaulieu. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.

Women are responsible for most eldercare, and it’s often an exhausting, isolating job that has to be done on top of your paid work. We talk with a researcher who’s gone through it herself; she shares coping strategies and advice on how to support the caregivers on your team. Guest: Anne Bardoel. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.

Thinking of gender as man/woman and masculine/feminine leaves out a lot of people. We talk about the problems the gender binary causes at work and get advice on how to support transgender and nonbinary colleagues. Guest: Lily Zheng. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.

We discuss how women think about and approach competition at work and get advice on how to keep our disagreements — and people’s perceptions of them — from turning negative. Guest: Leah Sheppard. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.

Do women really apologize more than men at work? We speak with a psychology professor and a leadership consultant about the impact that saying “sorry” and using other minimizing language has on job success, and what words and phrases to use instead. Guests: Karina Schumann and Sally Helgesen. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.

Just because some of us are single and childless doesn’t mean we don’t have problems at the office or responsibilities outside of it. We talk with a woman who’s been writing a series of essays about her singlehood, as well as a researcher who studies this demographic. Guests: Shani Silver and Tracy Dumas. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.

There are a lot of reasons women should feel optimistic about having both a career and children. Two professors tell us about the takeaways from their research on working motherhood and from their experience raising three kids each. They give advice about managing expectations, transitions, and difficult times. Guests: Danna Greenberg and Jamie Ladge.

Visibility at work is important for our professional advancement — and tricky, especially for women. In this live episode, we talk about navigating the risks and rewards of being in the spotlight, as well as the best ways to increase our visibility. Guest: Muriel Maignan Wilkins. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.

Stress can enhance our performance at work, but not if it leads to burnout. We talk with an expert on workplace well-being about how women experience burnout and how to manage its causes, symptoms, and repercussions. Guest: Mandy O’Neill.

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.

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. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.

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.

Women will be a stronger force against sexism and racism at work if we know and trust each other. We talk through best practices for listening to, learning about, and advocating for women who are different from us. Guests: Tina Opie and Verónica Rabelo. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.

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.

We hold ourselves back when we let differences like race or class divide us from other women. We talk about the very different experiences and professional relationships black and white female managers had in 1970s and 1980s corporate America, and how workplace sisterhood is still in short supply. Guests: Ella Bell Smith and Stella Nkomo. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.

If you’re your family’s chief breadwinner, research suggests that the pressure you’re feeling is different from what men have been dealing with for eons. We talk about the highs and lows of being in this role and examples of support at work and at home that can make it more manageable. Guest: Alyson Byrne. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.

Women have to work harder to be recognized for our ideas. And that recognition is essential for getting the assignments and the promotions we deserve — for moving our careers forward. We talk about how to present an idea in a group so that you come out owning it. Next, we cover how to respond when someone takes credit for your work. Guests: Amy Jen Su and Amy Gallo.

Perfectionist tendencies are a trap that can be difficult to avoid, but we’ll be more productive and advance faster if we don’t worry so much about making the occasional mistake. We talk about how perfectionists can get out of their own way, and how to effectively manage a perfectionist. Guest: Alice Boyes. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.

Both male and female managers tend to give women low-quality feedback. And when we don’t hear how we’re really doing at work and what we can do to improve — and men do — we’re put at a disadvantage. We talk about how to get high-quality feedback that is direct, specific, and focused on behavior we can change. Guests: Robin Ely and Ella Bell Smith.

Being a great decision maker is uniquely challenging for women. It’s not us; it’s sexism. Stereotypes about the way we make calls can be insulting and distracting. Knowing that we’ll be judged more harshly than men when we make mistakes is discouraging. We talk about how to make informed decisions that stick, despite gender bias. Guest: Therese Huston.