Verizon has announced Verizon Women’s CoLab, an attempt to support women in the current crisis of women leaving the workforce at an increased pace due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This initiative will involve Verizon’s key stakeholders, customers, employees and the general public.
These actions by Verizon follow a recent survey by Morning Consult, ordered by Verizon, which found that women were leaving work due to burnout because of the Covid-19 pandemic, and having to take on additional responsibilities in their personal lives and at home.
Verizon Women’s CoLab will be released later this year. It is a synergetic engine for women’s careers, wherever they might be. This initiative unites resources for women to succeed in an increasingly digital world, during and after the pandemic. Participants will gain access to leaders, top-notch development resources, and a wealth of tools that will assist them to stay and prosper in the workplace.
Verizon Business is launching this effort by encouraging action on social media on March 10, with the hashtag #WomenOwnWednesday, in order to call attention to women who do remarkable things and to highlight women-owned businesses every Wednesday.
Furthermore, as part of the Women’s CoLab and Women Own Wednesday social campaign, Verizon also announced that it will be hosting the Verizon Business Women’s Leadership Digital Summit later this year. This summit will unite women in the global workforce, including executives, business owners, key employees and global decision makers.
In a letter to its employees, Tami Erwin, chief executive officer of Verizon Business, Christy Pambianchi, Chief Human Resource Officer of Verizon and Rima Qureshi, Chief Strategy Officer at Verizon, said that these difficulties caused by the pandemic can undo hard-earned progress and that women’s careers should not be sacrificed in times of crisis.
Additional survey findings include: 68% of women who left work during the pandemic blamed burnout as the cause; 73% of working women believe that employer-sponsored resources are important in supporting workers who balance personal and work responsibilities in a pandemic, but only 39% say their employers currently offer this; 80% of women planning to re-enter the labor force in the future are concerned about the economic situation, which limits their opportunities; 72% are worried that it will be difficult to find a job that matches their skill set.
