Berkeley Lab

Molecular Foundry IDEA Seminar: Women in the Workplace: Impacts of COVID, and Where to Go from Here – October 5, 2021

An IDEA Seminar: Megan Greenfield, McKinsey & Company

Date: Tuesday, October 5, 2021
Time: 11:00 am
Talk Title:  Women in the Workplace: Impacts of COVID, and Where to Go from Here
Zoom Link

This seminar is presented by the Molecular Foundry Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accountability Committee


Abstract:

The evidence is clear that COVID-19 has had an outsized impact on women. A recent Women in the Workplace report with LeanIn.org reports that:

  • Women are more burnt out than men – and more than last year. (42% of women and 35% of men reported feeling burned out often or almost always in 2021, compared to 32% of women and 28% of men last year.)
  • Women are rising to the moment as stronger leaders, but their critical work is going unrewarded and unrecognized.
  • There has been limited improvement in the day-to-day experiences of women of color. Furthermore, 1 in 4 women are considering downshifting their careers or leaving the workforce due to COVID-19.

In this seminar, we will talk about how we continue to address challenges that women face through COVID, including hybrid work. Organizations need to act now to retain and attract diverse talent amid this rapidly changing context. Join the conversation with Dr. Megan Greenfield to explore the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on women in the workplace and in STEM organizations in particular. Together, we can implement strategies to build diverse teams, make mentoring work, and build a strong and inclusive workforce.

Biography:

Megan is a leader in McKinsey’s Marketing & Sales, Healthcare, and Private Equity Practices. A biotech researcher by training, she brings an exceptional understanding of the technical and business complexities of healthcare to her client work. Megan has extensive experience in designing and implementing pricing and go-to-market strategies, as well as in making efficiency-driven operational improvements. She is adept at helping clients build the processes, tools, organizational structures, and individual capabilities to actualize those strategies.

Megan’s clients include providers (ranging from large health systems to ancillary service providers), pharmaceutical and medical-device companies, and private-equity firms. Her work with investors primarily involves portfolio-company transformation, but she also helps evaluate potential assets for investment.

An advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion in business, Megan leads McKinsey’s diversity and inclusion initiatives—both within the firm and beyond. She regularly presents insights from Women In the Workplace, an annual research study conducted by LeanIn.Org and McKinsey. In partnership with local organizations in Massachusetts, Megan leads executive roundtables on how to recruit, promote, and retain women leaders. She is committed to ensuring that clients and corporate leaders not only understand gender issues in the workplace but also are taking actions to close the gender gap.