What women carry into work that no one sees And why ignoring it is costing organisations more than they realise.
Corporate culture rarely announces itself either. It isn’t written in the handbook or spoken aloud in the induction meeting – it lives in the small, daily moments: who gets listened to, whose ideas get credited, who is trusted with the next big project, and who is quietly expected to fetch the coffee.
Imagine being a woman who has just begun working for an organisation, excited to work hard and do great things for the company. However, she begins to learn how limited her opportunities are. She is looked down upon, underestimated, and treated by co-workers as someone whose only value is fetching coffee when fingers are snapped.
Her excitement fades. When she looks in the mirror, she no longer sees a confident woman but a shell of one, who has shrunk inside herself. How is she supposed to feel motivated to work, when the organisation will not take the time of day to show her the respect all women deserve?
What women carry into work that no one sees – and why ignoring it costs organisations more than they realise.
What Should Have Been Different
For starters – educational initiatives. This could mean holding presentations on women’s rights, running meetings, or simply sitting down to talk with employees so they gain a deeper understanding of how women in the organisation should be treated.
Training employees on women’s rights fosters awareness and drives a positive organisational shift towards women feeling more included and understood. In 2025, 93 women were promoted to manager roles for every 100 men – progress, but proof there is still ground to close.
Active Listening Platforms
Creating a place for female employees to express their career concerns and aspirations enables a tailored pathway towards the goals women hope to achieve. This could be as simple as making sure women feel welcome to speak to their bosses when they need to, a group that meets to discuss concerns, or a space specifically for women to speak their mind about work-related problems.
"Nearly 1 in 4 working women in the UK feel unable to manage stress at work, with only 44% confident their employer has a plan to prevent burnout."
The Woman She Could Become
Now imagine the same woman – the one made to feel worthless by an organisation – showing up somewhere that had these measures in place instead. She would be a completely different person.
She would work ten times as hard, motivated by the way the organisation respects her and her rights. She would be confident enough to work her way up to the leadership positions she has always dreamed of, through the company supporting her to get there instead of pushing her down to the lowest positions.
She would begin to look forward to coming to work, instead of carrying a pit of dread in her stomach. Happiness would fill her, knowing how well educated her co-workers have been on women’s rights – she would be able to get along well with those who show her respect, and would ask for help on projects instead of being left in the dark.
“Happier workers were found to be 12% more productive, whereas unhappy workers were 10% less productive.”
Doesn’t this sound like the perfect environment for a woman to thrive in?
Where the Pipeline Still Breaks
Women remain underrepresented at every level of the corporate pipeline – and this is not because women are not capable of performing at top levels. It comes down to corporate culture: companies do not always provide an environment that supports women or encourages them to strive for senior positions.
Companies should be working to create a culture of inclusion that fosters diversity and encourages everyone to strive towards leadership opportunities. Today, 57% of UK businesses regard equality, diversity and inclusion as a strategic priority when recruiting new staff.
Imagine the little girl at the centre of every woman’s heart, who once dreamed of being a successful leader or a brave, hard-working woman – and imagine her discovering that organisations don’t respect or promote her rights, leaving her once-bright dreams diminished.
At Adelphe Connect, we are here to offer support – helping organisations learn how to respect and promote women’s rights. We are a safe space for awareness, understanding and change, and we can be part of the support network that makes sure businesses are doing all they can for the women in their companies.
At Adelphe Connect we provide a place for women who feel underrepresented in their own organisation to have the support they deserve.
Interested in bringing this work into your organisation?
Get in touch at hello@adelpheconnect.co.uk