Highlighting International Women’s Day 2025: How to lift other women up in the workplace

In collaboration with Frances Nichols, AWS Strategy and Operations Director, Devoteam EMEA

“Women supporting women” has become a popular phrase, yet it risks becoming an empty sentiment if it does not translate into active behaviour shifts and proactive measures to elevate and advance women in the workplace.

As we progress through our careers, and personal lives, our support needs change drastically. I no longer need the same support at work as I did when I joined the workforce, nor when I re-entered the workforce after having children; I now find myself with a new set of support conditions and accommodations I require as a late diagnosed neurodivergent person. 

Regardless of the stage you are at in your career, or your needs and wants, there are actions and behaviours that can build you up to develop and progress in the way you want. 

I have been built up in my career by both female and male colleagues. Some campaigned on my behalf to get me a contract that allowed me access to maternity leave, some pushed me to consider promotions, some spoke favourably about me in strategic conversations, some provided me space in meetings and others simply encouraged me through listening, kindness and empathy.

Unfortunately for all of the things that have built me up, I would say there continues to be as many that could bring me down. I believe that there are subtle but significant ways that professional women are undermined in their performance, potential, recognition, and attainment. I think we can all take action to reward professional women with the fulfilling careers that they want. 

Three keys to lifting women up in the workplace

Lifting women up in the workplace requires observation, insightful responses and actions, and constant attention. Below are just three of the things that come to mind when I think of behaviours that can develop, elevate, accelerate, and build women up, or to combat systematic disadvantages, microaggressions and misjudgments that amount to long term detrimental impacts

• Challenge the invisible workload

I have experienced and observed in my career that female colleagues tend to inherit, create, and perpetuate additional tasks that serve the team or organisation, but ultimately do not result in the type of activity that advances their experience, credibility, or profile. We can probably all think of a time where we have been landed with the team away day organisation, flowers, birthday card circulation, or more demanding diary management. 

I would suggest that if you look at the ‘stretch’ goals or workload of male peers, there may be tasks with more relevant activities surrounding data and information gathering, presentations, and management delegations – activities that are more likely to enhance their skills and reputations. 

I am always conscious of challenging this task distribution to ensure women don’t end up with a disproportionate share of ‘soft’ tasks. This protects their capacity and allows them to engage in equivalent activities to their male colleagues, addressing both capacity and capability imbalances. 

• Perfectionism

I still need to remind myself to avoid spending too much time perfecting the formatting, transitions, semantics, and data in order to achieve 100% on a task or output. 

Whilst it is important to deliver something to spec, to a suitable level of quality, it is good to think about the value of the output to you and the organisation. If you spend a disproportionate amount of time perfecting something then you can ultimately compromise its value as your time could have been better spent on other tasks. Striving for excellence doesn’t mean sacrificing productivity.

I would encourage my female colleagues to challenge themselves on the value add activity, rather than closing the last 10%, which is the least visible and rewarding.

• Encouragement and recognition

Women often struggle to internalise positive feedback. We tend to dismiss or downplay praise, hindering our ability to recognize our achievements and contributions. I am just as bad as receiving praise and good feedback, so much so that a manager once said to me ‘I know you don’t like good feedback’! 

I was shocked that I had given that impression, everyone likes recognition of a good job done. It might be a perception that professional women thrive on constructive criticism; whilst this is hugely valuable, continuing to recognise accomplishments is equally essential, even when it seems to not be received. 

Openly acknowledging good work, both to the individual and to the wider organisational network, not only only raises the profile of female colleagues, but it also fosters a culture of appreciation and growth. Failing to acknowledge achievements can lead to misunderstandings around the value of our contribution, potentially harming our self-esteem and professional development.