President Trump asks two male CEOs what women want in the workplace. Because we can never get enough ‘man-splaining.’ Am I right, ladies? Credit: REUTERS/Carlos Barria Ladies! Guess what? It seems we may soon have an answer to the age-old question “What do women want in the workforce?” And who better to deliver the answer to that question than … two men? No, really. Our new president met last Friday with business leaders to discuss (among other things) taxes, regulation and women’s issues. Advising him on the latter were Walmart CEO Doug McMillon and EY CEO Mark Weinberger, the Wall Street Journal reports. Because at the top of my workplace wish-list is “more man-splaining.” It’s not as if Trump couldn’t have found some actual female leaders to weigh in. IBM CEO Ginny Rometti, General Motors CEO Mary Barra and Pepsi CEO Indra Nooyi were in attendance as well. Maybe they were too busy changing their clothes to make sure they could “dress like a woman.” At the very least, see if Sheryl Sandberg’s available – if she’s not too busy Leaning In. To be fair, at least EY’s Weinberger has been on the forefront of promoting family-friendly policies like generous parental leave. And I honestly can’t blame other CEOs and corporate executives for not wanting to be associated the new administration — look how well Elon Musk is faring. And remember DeleteUber? Travis Kalanik finally bowed to customer pressure and resigned from Trump’s Economic Advisory Council. But, I digress. Honestly, anyone who’s looking to this administration for advice on what women want in the workplace probably needs to do some deeper soul-searching. You’re a bit behind the curve if, in 2017, you even need to ask this question. Better yet, just ask your female employees what they need, and then — sit down; this is a pretty shocking suggestion I’m about to throw at you — put those suggestions into practice! Spoiler alert: most women I know want what everyone else wants at work; equal pay, flexible work — as much as possible — and opportunities for growth, learning and advancement in an environment free from discrimination and harassment. Related content news analysis Google workers hold sit-in to protest retaliation In November 2018, Google workers walked out to protest the companyu2019s handling of sexual harassment allegations. Now, many say the company has retaliated, and they had no choice but to hold a sit-in. By Sharon Florentine May 03, 2019 4 mins Google IT Jobs Careers opinion Stopping workplace violence is everyone’s responsibility Tech companies have a social responsibility to help stem the tide of hatred and violence. By Sharon Florentine Apr 12, 2019 5 mins Staff Management IT Leadership news analysis Gender pay gap shrinks, but there’s still a lot of work to do Computer programmers saw the greatest pay gap reduction, but look beyond that, and you see how inequality for women exists in different ways. By Sharon Florentine Mar 29, 2019 5 mins Salaries Staff Management Careers news analysis D&I tech market grows as diversity and inclusion become a business priority There's been a flurry of activity in the diversity and inclusion (D&I) technology space as the tech industry uses its strengths to address discrimination and lack of representation. By Sharon Florentine Mar 01, 2019 4 mins C-Suite Staff Management IT Leadership Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe