Unfortunately, now for nine years counting, the “broken rung” remains women’s biggest barrier to advancement.

That’s according to the ninth annual Women in the Workplace report from LeanIn.org and McKinsey & Co. In 2023, for every 100 men promoted to manager from entry level there were 87 women, the paper found. For women of color, just 73 advanced to manager for every 100 men. That was a drop from the year before (82 women). 

According to the report, that broken rung means women who fall behind tend to stay there. It identified fixing the broken rung as a “tangible, achievable goal.” Not only that, it posited that giving women that proverbial leg up would instigate a positive chain reaction across the pipeline. 

To get started, Women in the Workplace offered three action items: 

Track inputs and outcomes. You can’t fix the problem if you can’t see it. Tracking who is put up for, and ultimately receives, promotions with an intersectional race and gender lens can help identify obstacles.  

Work to de-bias performance reviews and promotions. Sending reminders explaining common biases and their impact ahead of evaluations can help. So can a “bias monitor” by keeping reviews focused on core criteria. Reviewers should also provide rationale for their evaluations and recommendations.  

Invest in career advancement for women of color. Internal career development programs must address the biases and barriers women of color experience. Formal mentorship and sponsorship programs can be particularly effective here, the report said. 

At JLL, Executive Vice President, Brokerage, Jodie Matthews is a current member and past co-lead of the company’s Women’s Business Network in New Jersey. She said JLL is conscious of succession planning. 

“They’re very aware of, OK, you’re doing a great job at this today. What do you want to do next? And what do you want to do in the future? And let’s figure out a map to get you there, who you need to talk to, who you need to connect with, what project you can volunteer on to learn more about something and then what job openings that could potentially be, and how we get you ready for them,” Matthews explained to NJBIZ. 

Charting such a course can help women from reaching for a broken rung.

Leading by example

Matthews added that it helps to show women where the ladder can lead.

“I think a lot of times – and it’s something that I think traditionally men are much better at saying – I want to do this,” she said.

Matthews cited statistics about the different approach men and women take toward applying for jobs. Whereas the former will put themselves up as a candidate if they’ve only met 60% of its qualifications, women apply only if they meet 100%, according to an often quoted internal Hewlett Packard data point.

While discouraging at face value, the statistic can serve as a lesson for women.

“[I]t’s letting women know, you don’t have to have done it,” Matthews explained. “You just have to show that you are a problem solver, how you think … and so forth to be entrusted to do something. And I think women are a bit more hesitant to say, ‘I want that, I want that.’ So it’s also a lot of letting them know if you don’t say it,” it isn’t out there.

A 2014 Harvard Business Review article echoed that sentiment. The author described the stat as “a wake-up call that not everyone is playing the game that way.”

“[I]t’s not anyone’s fault for not saying, what do you want to do next? It’s just everyone’s involved in their own lives,” Matthews said. “But as soon as someone says, I’d really love to do what you’re doing or how did you get there? Or, this sounds interesting to me — it’s helping them get there and get the information to make these informed decisions to help them.”

Dynamic stretching

Flexible work arrangements are helping women find more equal footing. Read more from NJBIZ’s March 4 Women in Business spotlight here.