Becker's Hospital Review

32 WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP POPULATION HEALTH Praising incoming female CEOs may shorten their tenure, research finds By Hannah Mitchell R esearchers from University Park, Pa.- based Penn State found that the way a new female CEO is introduced may have a direct effect on the length of her tenure. When companies announce a freshly hired woman as their CEO, the language they use may put her at the receiving end of stereotypes and biases. e researchers discovered that the more companies praised their incoming female CEOs, the more likely they were to have shorter tenures in their roles, according to a June 24 news release. Seven things to know: 1. e study found early endorsements that touted incoming female CEOs increased the likelihood of them being discriminated against. However, if the woman was an in- ternal hire or if there were already several female leaders, they were less likely to experi- ence these effects. 2. Aparna Joshi, PhD, Arnold Family Pro- fessor of Management at Penn State, said the findings suggest that while companies may mean well when showing off their female CEOs, these gestures can be harmful and show companies need to do more to improve diversity and inclusion. 3. "Organizations should know that focusing on the talent and the talent pipeline leading up to the top leadership roles matters more than symbolic gestures," Dr. Joshi said. "And obviously, the question of gender inclusivi- ty is impossible without men's involvement. Women have done enough by getting in, staying in, and making it to the highest levels of organizations. So I think it's time to raise awareness among male leaders and get their buy-in and engagement." 4. e announcements contribute to ste- reotyping and biases because women are perceived as sensitive and not fit for leader- ship roles, or are judged for not fulfilling the expectation of what women should be. 5. Researchers examined 91 women who were hired into a CEO position between the years 1995 and 2012. e researchers ana- lyzed the language used in the firms' succes- sion announcements and press releases, as well as how long the women ended up staying in those roles. In a second study, researchers interviewed 31 female executives who each had about 25 years of experience. 6. e interviews concluded the women were aware of the stereotypes and biases they were up against. e women also reported symp- toms of imposter syndrome, such as being anxious about being the right fit for the job. 7. "It tells you how susceptible and vulnerable the C-suite is to stereotyping, despite all these efforts organizations have made and women have made to get into these roles," Dr. Joshi said. "At this level, you might think that these women would have overcome all of these odds, that they're tough and that they can deal with the stuff that's thrown at them. But their stereo- type-driven anxieties still seemed to seep into their subconscious and shaped their experienc- es even at the highest levels in companies." n Burnout hits female physicians harder than men: 6 Athenahealth report findings By Hannah Mitchell F emale physicians experience burnout more fre- quently than men, report spending more time doing administrative duties and spend more time work- ing off the clock, according to a June 15 report by EHR vendor Athenahealth. The study collected data from 799 physicians who use a variety of EHR vendors. Data was collected between Oct. 13, 2020, and Dec. 23, 2020. Six study findings: 1. Twenty-eight percent of physicians reported feeling burned out at least once per week, and physicians spent an average of 13.5 hours per week on tasks other than patient care. 2. More than a quarter of physicians (29 percent) agreed or strongly agreed that their practice is set up to minimize administrative burden. Sixty-one percent of physicians said their organization has not taken steps in the last 12 months to curb physician burnout. 3. More than half of women (51 percent) reported feeling burned out a few times a month, compared to 43 percent of men. Women were also less likely to feel their workload is manageable and less likely to believe they would be with their organization in the next three years. 4. Women reported that administrative tasks accounted for 29 percent of their working time, compared with 25 percent for men. 5. Women spent more time working at home, with 19 per- cent of work time conducted at home, compared to 14 percent for men. 6. Physicians aged 65 and older reported feeling burnout less frequently than younger physicians (35 percent and 48 percent, respectively). Older physicians were more likely to report they have enough time to spend with each patient and their workload is manageable. n

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