Press release on USU expansion

Many state leaders boast that Utah is at the forefront of innovative and inspiring economic opportunities, but studies continue to confirm that many Utah women are not thriving in the workplace. For the past nine years, WalletHub has ranked Utah as the state with the worst gender equality for women, scoring 48 out of 50 in the workplace environment category. This includes differences in income levels and the proportion of women in leadership positions.

To address this complex challenge, the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity, the Utah Women & Leadership Project (UWLP), and the Cox-Henderson Administration partnered in 2022 to launch a year-long initiative called 100 Companies Championing Women (100 CCW). It was part of the Inspire In Utah campaign’s mandate to support women in the workplace at all levels, including entrepreneurship. Specifically, the 100 CCW highlighted Utah companies that have adopted family-friendly policies and practices and implemented programs to improve the recruitment, hiring, retention, and advancement of female employees and leaders. This report summarizes data collected in the campaign’s second year.

“Fortunately, many Utah companies are taking the lead in offering their employees initiatives and benefits that make a positive difference,” said Susan Madsen, founding director of the Utah Women & Leadership Project, who co-authored the report with UWLP Deputy Director Kolene Anderson. “Highlighting the best practices of these organizations can help Utah employers better understand how to implement policies and create a work culture that supports women and families.”

The 100 companies come from a variety of industries, including finance, higher education, healthcare, insurance, legal, manufacturing, marketing, nonprofits, technology and retail. County locations include Salt Lake (49%), Utah (26%), Weber (7%), Davis and Summit (4%) and other Utah counties (10%). Nearly a third had fewer than 24 employees and only 10% had 1,000 or more.

The most frequently cited family-friendly policies and women-focused initiatives included flexible work hours and telecommuting (98% and 91%, respectively), pay equity efforts (89%), Utah companies working to diversify their mid- to senior-level managers and executives (84%), and paid family leave (69%).

As far as family-specific measures and benefits are concerned, the most frequently mentioned were paid family leave, 69%; unpaid family leave 64%; support for reintegration into work 58%; childcare support 34%; and adoption and fertility benefits. 27%.

Child care remains a major concern for working women in Utah. Many of the companies that offer child care benefits offer flexible spending accounts, child care reimbursement, or cash bonuses upon the birth of a child. Eight companies offer on-site child care, and some even offer their services to the surrounding community.

The most common flexible work policies and benefits offered by the 100 CCWs included flexible work hours (98%), remote work (91%) and part-time jobs (51%). Less commonly chosen options were a compressed work week (43%), part-time work with benefits (25%) and job sharing (7%). For the second year in a row, flexible work hours were one of the top three benefits offered by companies.

“The research on the importance of implementing flexible and family-friendly policies and practices in the workplace is well documented,” Madsen said. “There is a direct link between implementing these strategies and retaining and advancing women. Analyzing the benefits, policies and practices of the organizations listed in the 2024 100 CCW provides a sampling of what cutting-edge companies of all sizes in Utah are doing to support employees and their families, and offers best practices that other companies can consider.”

Recommendations include:

* Compare current offerings to see how they align with the list of family-friendly measures and women-focused initiatives included in the report.

* Create more inclusive workplaces for women by thinking carefully about how to effectively support female employees and their families.

* Encourage public institutions (e.g. local and state authorities, schools and universities) to follow the same recommendations as businesses.

* Encourage legislators to consider and support research-based public policies that will help Utahns achieve a more family-friendly work environment.

“We urge all businesses and institutions to consider organizational-level strategies and programs, including family-friendly practices and policies, to support all employees and help them succeed,” Madsen concluded. “Increasing the representation of women in businesses across the state is important to ensuring more women and their families can succeed. Increasing the influence of women will strengthen Utah’s economy and communities.”

Click here to view the full report. For more information about the UWLP, visit utwomen.org.