Verizon To Debut #WomenOwnWednesday Social Media Campaign

Verizon Communications Inc. VZ has unveiled a new social media campaign to support women-owned small businesses and women entrepreneurs.

What Happened: Verizon's #WomenOwnWednesday campaign starts March 10, and the company will devote its social media channels each Wednesday to highlight women who have created and are running successful businesses.

The campaign is part of the new endeavor, Verizon Women's CoLab, which the company created in response to the high rates of defection of women from the workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic. The initiative will include the creation of mentorship networks and free resources and training for women small business owners and entrepreneurs.

A globally focused Verizon Business Women's Leadership Digital Summit will take place later this year, gathering "executives, business owners, essential workers and global decision makers."

Why It's Happening: Verizon, based in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, recently commissioned a survey by Morning Consult to measure female workforce trends during the pandemic. The survey found 68% of women admitting burnout was a driving factor in their leaving the workforce since the pandemic began, with 62% of women who weren't working, but planned to return stating they'll look for an opportunity offering more skill development and advancement.

However, 72% of women planning to return to work expressed concern about finding a job that matches their existing skill set. And while nearly three-quarters of the surveyed women now working believed employer-sponsored resources — including training and development programs — were important in personal and work obligations during the pandemic, only 39% said their employer currently offered such programs.

I(llustration by Gerd Altmann/Pixabay)