In the coming years, the population of the United States and its workforce will become increasingly more Hispanic. At WIN, we’re constantly advocating for women to raise their voices, evaluate their value, and negotiate for more. Beyond this, we recognize that company policies have a huge role in helping women achieve more in their careers. In honor of Latina Women’s Equal Pay Day, we wanted to highlight 11 companies clearly committed to celebrating and supporting their Hispanic and Latinx employees. From initiatives such as employee resource groups, events, mentorship, and advancement opportunities, these 11 companies that have some of the strongest initiatives to help support the success of their Latina employees.

As you might know, today is International Day of the Girl.

For this year’s International Day of the Girl we focus on the digital gender gap, something that we, living in the United States with mainstream broad access to the internet, might not think about so often. But the truth is, in many countries, the digital gender gap is extremely pervasive and has been intensified both in severity and in consequence due to the global pandemic and our increased reliance on digital communication.

How we receive and relay messages is heavily associated with body language and not speech. Anywhere from seventy to ninety-three percent of our communication is non-verbal. While most body language is easily seen and interpreted, as the act of leaning into a table vs. leaning back in a chair, there is one form of expression that happens in such a brief time frame that it is easily overlooked.

We often mask our real emotions. Especially during a negotiation. We’re told that to be an effective negotiator, we need to mask our true intentions. Put on a poker face. Don’t show your hand. Managing and regulating your emotions is an important strategy that can create a lot of value.

It is no secret that negotiating leads to better outcomes overall for women. A decade ago, women were negotiating at a rate 2-3x LESS than their male peers. Today, women are negotiating at the same rate as men. Although this is a step in the right direction, many women still feel uncomfortable with the thought of negotiating or lack the confidence to speak up. For almost all women, we face what is called the “negotiation penalty”: being seen as too “aggressive”, “pushy”, or “bossy”. As much as women should ask for more, research has shown that women sometimes pay a price for self-advocating.

The world has made a significant change regarding the treatment of women. Not only with our rights but also with society’s acceptance and acknowledgment of our capabilities as workers. Companies and other organizations are now welcoming female employees, managers, and leaders that used to be the male-dominated positions. The participation of women in the labor force reached 57.4% by 2019, as stated in the report from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. This proved that we are now slowly finding our positions as significant workers in many industries.

Women might still find some struggles in landing job positions usually seen for men, but more and more of these jobs are becoming more available and female-dominated. Many organizations are now slowly fostering gender equality and giving fairness in their workplace. We have already proven our skills, worth, and undeniable capabilities in many industries. Companies may only gain losses from denying the entries of powerful women in their organizations.

Yesterday was the first day of Hispanic Heritage Month. Beginning the 15th of every September and lasting until October 15th, this month recognizes and honors the achievements, culture, and contributions of Hispanic Americans. It begins in the middle of the month to coincide with the independence days of many Latin American countries.

Latinas play an important role in the United States and in the workplace. While the world calls out for greater inclusion and representation for minorities, many Latinas don’t exactly feel they can bring their authentic selves to the workplace.

Last night concluded the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah. I have always felt that Rosh Hashanah, poised appropriately at the end of the summer, right as the school year resumes, and the season changes, as a singular holiday. Yes, it involves prayer, festive meals, and family time, but beyond those traditional holiday aspects, it is a time of contemplation, reflection, and of celebration coupled with a heavy weightiness.

Women’s Equality Day is a day of celebration throughout the United States. Commemorating American women getting the constitutional right to vote, emphasizes the importance of women’s work for democracy.

These issues cannot fall on women’s shoulders alone. We wanted to know what we could do to help progress the cause for greater equity for women across the country. We reached out to a few women across a number of industries and diversity, equity, and inclusion leaders and asked them: What advice do you have for companies or individuals for how women can achieve greater parity in the workplace?

The first step in any negotiation is preparation. You need to research your counterparty, sear your BATNA (best alternative to a negotiated agreement) into your head, and strategize the ZOPA (zone of possible agreements) and your RP (reservation point or walk away point). And, perhaps most importantly, you must prepare your emotions.

Emotions can make or break how we operate in everyday situations, so why would that not apply to negotiation?

As the Olympics came to a close this Sunday, I began to think of how far women athletes have come in the last 100 years. The adoption of Title IX, which prohibits sex-based discrimination at schools or other education programs, took place only 49 years ago. A follow-up to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, an Act that was passed to end employment discrimination, Title IX gave young girls equal access to sports programs.

Women have been clearing hurdle after hurdle of discriminatory barriers, striking a balance between what the world expects them to look and sound like while competing on a world stage, and serving win after win, challenging the status quo. After one of the hardest years for working women, families, and the economy, it came to my attention that 2021 has felt different for women in sports. We’ve seen a number of women begin to negotiate for themselves and for others. They have taken time for their mental health, spoken out against injustices, fought for their right to equal pay, and demanded more accessibility as mothers.

We are living in a time of unprecedented change. The Future of Work is here. According to a 2015 study by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average person between the ages of 18-50 will hold twelve jobs over their career. Findings from the 100 jobs of the Future project provides a glimpse into future career opportunities that we have not yet experienced or imagined. If you’re an expert in technology and love to teach, you may find yourself an AI educator—helping people make the most of artificial intelligence and learning how to work with digital and robotic assistants.

The most important negotiations aren’t salary, business deals, or real estate. In fact the most important ones aren’t with anyone. The ones that determine the trajectory of our lives, the quality of our decisions and the course of our actions, are the ones we have with ourselves. Perhaps the most fundamental skill we need to learn and continually improve are the promises we make and keep with ourselves. Our internal thought patterns are formed from a young age, through many primary influences, first and foremost our parents and the way in which they speak to us, and relate to us.

As women, we spend so much time trying to get properly recognized for our work, get paid our worth, and overcome workplace challenges.

But what if, instead of fighting to get recognized by your boss...YOU were the boss? (#mindblowing, right?)

When it comes to getting your next promotion, visibility is important. And despite what many women think, increasing your workload and working more does not necessarily offer more visibility with management.

Women have an especially difficult time maintaining visibility in the workplace. On one hand, many women feel inauthentic when talking about themselves. Boasting our wins and achievements can feel like bragging or grandstanding. On the other hand, women face gender biases that rise when they violate the expectations of how women should behave. Speaking up is considered a more masculine trait and women can often be penalized.

Elizabeth Suarez sits with Daniella Kahane, an award-winning filmmaker and the Executive Director/CEO of Women in Negotiation (WIN). Based out of New York, WIN is a female-focused organization aimed at empowering women to reach new heights both professionally and personally by building their negotiation skills. Read more as Daniella shares the principles that have guided her as a leader and kept her grounded during challenging times.

Knowledge is power. We know that. We’ve heard it before. Many times. And yet how often do we fail to wield the necessary knowledge before walking into a negotiation. Sometimes it is due to avoidance. As humans, we tend to avoid the things that make us feel uncomfortable and negotiation is definitely one of those things for more people. A majority of women, at nearly sixty-percent, have never negotiated their salary, for instance. But avoidance prevents us from taking the right steps to set us up for success. Walking in unprepared, not having done your homework, is like showing up for a race without having put in the time training. Most of us cannot run a marathon this way and we shouldn’t expect to shine in a negotiation without having done the necessary pre-work either.

A 2020 study by KPMG found that 75% of professional women identified having experienced impostor syndrome at various points during their careers. But, what is Impostor syndrome? It’s the idea that you’ve only succeeded due to luck, feeling like a fraud, or doubting your abilities. Symptoms of impostor syndrome include lack of self-confidence, depression, and frustration in the inability to meet self-imposed standards of success. As psychologist Susan Albers explains, “You have this fear that the people around you are going to figure out that you don’t know what you’re talking about and expose you as a fraud.”

Although one may not realize, organizations set aside a budget with the expectation that employees will ask for a higher salary. A survey from salary.com found that 84% of employers expect prospective employees to negotiate salary after the interview process.

Yet, research by Glassdoor found that 3 in 5 women have never negotiated salary. In fact, that same study found that men initiate negotiations about 4 times more often than women.

This negotiation disparity could be due to the lack of confidence women have in negotiating for themselves. An astounding 72% of women would rather switch jobs to get a pay raise than negotiate with their employer.

Salaries are always negotiable. Here are some steps and advice to help you in your next negotiation.

Being a mother is the hardest job in the world, with the least amount of training. In honor of this Mother’s Day we decided to turn to our incredible community to share their best parenting advice. Check out a few nuggets of wisdom from our community and wishing all you moms a Happy Mother's Day!

Many of my clients suffer from a lack of confidence. They are highly educated and talented women. But at some point in their lives, they allowed negative feedback or situations to undermine their self-esteem and that has continued to affect their performance and success every day.

Just last week, I asked one of my clients if she could recall a time in her life when she was more confident. She spoke at length about her wonderful childhood and her outstanding academic success. She always felt competent and able to tackle any situation at work. But then there a specific incident that triggered her. Years ago, one of her bosses commented to her, ‘You’re not as smart as you think you are’. And that did it. That statement unlocked her deep seeded fear that she wasn’t smart enough or good enough to succeed.