A seat at the table is not enough… What do women want in the workplace in 2025?
March 8 2025 is International Women’s Day —a call to action, not just celebration. Women aren’t asking anymore; they’re demanding real change in the workplace. This isn’t about small steps. It’s about equity, respect, and a revolution in how businesses support women.
Insights from our World’s Happiest Workplace and Best Places to Work awards reveal clear trends—and a shared opportunity to drive real change, together. So what are the top 4 things to focus on to ensure women are happier at work today?
1. Foster a workplace where wellbeing comes first
Wellbeing isn’t just a challenge—it’s the number one workplace struggle for women in the UK: This means that compared to information sharing, reward & recognition, empowerment, pride and job satisfaction, wellbeing continuously comes up as the biggest area for improvement. This challenge is especially pressing for young women in the workplace, aged 16-18. Yet, in contrast, women aged 55+ report the highest wellbeing scores—highlighting a stark generational divide.
So, a focus on wellbeing is key: From showing your organisation cares through access to wellbeing hubs and open conversations about mental health, to ensuring women feel safe in their working environment and can prioritise work life balance through flexible working, parental leave options and time off for caring responsibilities.
2. Amplify Every Voice: Ensuring Everyone is Heard and Valued
Does every single individual in your organisation have the opportunity to have their say? Do they all feel involved and have a sense of belonging?
Insights reveal that different groups of women have distinct workplace priorities and challenges. For example, women of Arab ethnicity report lower job satisfaction and seek better communication, working conditions and career growth while those from mixed or multi-ethnic backgrounds emphasize the importance of wellbeing and better work life balance as a key factor for workplace happiness.
As a leader in your business, start by looking at how inclusive your policies are and how diverse your listening groups are; from social committees to project discussion groups. Does everyone truly have a chance to have an equal say?
Debra Corey, Leadership Expert and bestselling author of Bad Bosses Ruin Lives and many more, supports this sentiment:
- “Women want and deserve to be seen, heard, and valued. Fair treatment isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity. That means recognition for their contributions, equal opportunities to grow, fair pay, real support, and a workplace where their voices truly matter. Because when women thrive, businesses do too.”
3. Champion women with bold leadership opportunities and unstoppable career growth
Women in predominantly female-led industries tend to report higher workplace satisfaction. This could be due to them organically having more opportunities in an industry where they often make up a larger percentage of the workforce or that a higher percentage of leadership are women and career paths are more demonstrable: We see that women globally are happier at work in fields such as advertising and media, financial services, travel and leisure, and real estate and leasing, but also in technology.
Women in industries who are less satisfied at work are asking for more empowerment, more recognition of their achievements and better communication; from being more informed about business plans to better awareness of development opportunities and career progression.
Someone who sees this everyday at the UK’s biggest motorway services network is Jane Howkins, Head of Talent and Resourcing at Moto Hospitality:
“Women at work should be encouraged to go for the opportunities to grow, develop and progress into senior roles; Many women do not apply for roles where they do not think they tick every skill/requirement, but they do tick 80% of them: You just need to ‘go for it.”
4. Gain deeper understanding of what truly drives women’s success in your business and industry
Women in different industries are prioritising differing needs for their workplace and career development. Let’s start by looking at those industries who show lower workplace happiness globally for women…
Financial services, despite being a traditionally high paying world, sees women feel less empowered than men and demand more reward. Health and social care and on for profit organisations, industries often dominated by women, sees them report lower job satisfaction compared to men.
Looking at a sector where men dominate a higher percentage of the workforce, construction and building materials; women here are demanding more empowerment and recognition.
Looking at Hospitality and Retail, women are looking for positive change in their working environments and wellbeing in a sector known for long hours and high staff turnover. Here, we need to focus on better communication from management, fairer pay, more flexible working and improved employee welfare.
Here is a quote from someone who truly understands; Tea Colaianni, Founder and Chair of WiHTL & Diversity in Retail:
“This year’s International Women’s Day theme – “Accelerate Action” – calls on us to not just talk about progress, but to actively drive it forward with urgency and purpose. Accelerating action means committing to move faster and with more conviction, ensuring every woman has the opportunity to reach her fullest potential.
Sponsorship, mentorship, and structural support are what turn potential into leadership. We all have a responsibility to open doors, challenge biases, and create an industry where diverse talent can thrive.
In the past year, we’ve seen a growing backlash against Equality, Diversity & Inclusion – calls to slow down or even reverse progress. But let me tell you this: the genie is out of the bottle. The real question isn’t whether to embrace inclusion – it’s how we ensure every individual has the opportunity to thrive. Now more than ever, we must stand firm, push forward, and keep driving meaningful change.”
Will your organisation lead the charge to accelerating action or get left behind?
At WorkL, our mission is all about everyone being happier at work, across the globe and across all industries because, when your employees are happy, it drives productivity and commercial performance. Want to find out what your teams think and really drive positive change in your workplace? Find out more at www.workl.com/business
All data taken from WorkL World’s Happiest Workplace surveys Jan-Feb 2025.
#IWD2025 #InternationalWomensDay #WorkHappier #AccelerateAction #BestPlacestoWork #WorkLforBusiness
