47 | WOMEN IN THE WORKPLACE: A ROAD MAP TO GENDER EQUALITY 5. Make the “Only” experience rare Companies should take steps to reduce the number of women who are the only one in the room—and who feel isolated and under pressure as a result. It’s worth noting that 25% Many businesses need to change the way they think about adding women of all employees are an to their organization—which means moving beyond the mindset of “one Only on some dimension. and done” and pushing to add women until they reach true parity. A recent So beyond addressing the analysis found that S&P 1,500 companies are significantly more likely to have just two women on their board of directors than would be expected experience of women Onlys, by chance, which suggests that companies may stop focusing on gender it behooves companies to 21 diversity once they reach a threshold of two women. This “check the box” be thoughtful about how mentality is the wrong approach. they put together teams and In addition to increasing the representation of women, companies should look for opportunities to be thoughtful about how they move them through their organization. One support employees who may approach is to hire and promote women in cohorts; another is to cluster women on teams. As opposed to staffing one woman on a number of teams, feel left out. companies should consider putting groups of two to three women on teams together. And of course, it’s important to think twice before clustering women in functions traditionally dominated by women, like human resources and communications. This can reinforce gender stereotypes. Instead, it’s better to look for opportunities to staff groups of women in a variety of functions across the organization. It’s also important that companies create opportunities for women Onlys to connect with other women. HR teams should make sure that their organization offers networking groups so women can find support and community. Likewise, managers should think through the day-to- day interactions of their teams and create opportunities for women to work together. Building an inclusive and respectful workplace pays dividends when it comes to women Onlys. Across races and ethnicities, women Onlys have higher ambitions to be a top executive than other women. But they are also more likely to think about leaving their company. By making these driven employees’ experiences more fulfilling and less isolating, companies are more likely to retain them. That would be a win for everyone. 21 Edward H. Chang, Katherine L. Milkman, Dolly Chugh, and Modupe Akinola, “Diversity Thresholds: How Social Norms, Visibility, and Scrutiny Relate to Group Composition,” Academy of Management Journal, in press, published online February 26, 2018, https://journals.aom.org/doi/10.5465/amj.2017.0440.