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Re-Evaluating Female Retention: Company Policies

Are organizations focused on the right strategies?

BY AUDRA AUGUST, PRINCIPAL AND NATIONAL LEAD, SOLUTIONS DEVELOPMENT, KNIGHTSBRIDGE LEADERSHIP SOLUTIONS


Women comprise close to half of Canada’s workforce and are employed or on the fast track to senior positions in
increasing numbers. Yet for all the progress made moving into the executive suite, women continue to be more susceptible to making career compromises to accommodate family responsibilities. On top of that, women represent the fastest-growing demographic leaving “extreme jobs” – those with heavy responsibilities, tight deadlines and long hours.

So what can organizations do to staunch the female brain drain and retain women who, some contend, offer unique skill sets, attitudes and personality traits that are of high value to today’s collaborative, strategic, relationship-focused and innovation seeking businesses?

 

THESE STEPS WILL HELP YOU RE-EVALUATE YOUR APPROACH:

 
1. UNDERSTAND HER NEEDS WITHIN YOUR UNIQUE CONTEXT

Most organizations invest in data gathering to build strategies, corporate mindsets and budgets to better understand their customers, but the same attention is rarely given to their own workforce – the ones responsible for creating customer loyalty.

Strategic analytics, profiling and segmenting are helpful to understand the values and needs of employees at various stages of their career and life. This provides the levers to create
engagement and retention strategies.

2. FOCUS ON ENGAGEMENT

Engagement drivers vary by gender and by age – but neither of these factors is as important as life and career stage. For an early-career individual, provide opportunities for cross-functional exposure, mentoring and technology that will foster creative growth. For parents with young children, flexible work arrangements – including in the workday and the overall career arc to accommodate shifting family responsibilities
as they age – is critical, as is technology that supports virtual work.

3. CREATE PROGRESSIVE POLICIES FOR ALL – AND A CULTURE THAT SUPPORTS THEM
Organizations may have good intentions to update or develop policies that create more work-life balance, but these often remain theoretical since the culture doesn’t truly support them. For example, many organizations offer flex time, but the culture frowns on anyone who takes advantage of it.

Pigeonholing parenting as a “women’s” issue only adds to the stigma of using the very programs that are designed to make it easier. Solutions that address parenting needs overall are more likely to be embraced by moms and dads (and other caregivers) across the
organization, and that helps entrench these programs in the culture rather than stigmatizing the few who use them.

4. MAKE LEADERS ACCOUNTABLE FOR BRINGING RETENTION POLICIES TO LIFE
Especially today, with more people choosing to start families later in life, leaders must recognize that even if it’s not an issue they are facing personally, many of their colleagues are. Get them connected to the diverse needs of their teams and make them accountable for being part of building a culture that puts teeth into your engagement efforts.

Bring leaders together to talk about what’s important, what’s standing in the way, and what choices you will make to build a compelling employment offering where your top talent can’t imagine a better place to be.

In the end, women want to feel confident that they are making the right decisions, and they don’t want to make sacrifices that other colleagues don’t have to make. When that happens, you end up with a values gap that is much more difficult to bridge than engagement is to build.

From compensation plans and flex benefits to on-site dry cleaning and hot yoga, retention strategies have spanned the spectrum. But creativity and focus around the how and a commitment to turning policy into flexible, family friendly cultures still seem to be lagging behind most organizations’ recognition of their importance.