What Do Women Want from Work? Part 1

Recently, I attended a seminar presented by Gallup, Women: Work and Life Well-Lived. Also, the New York Times had an article, What Women Get from Work. The Gallup seminar was based on analytics from three decades of Gallup research. Here are some key points about talent management and the importance of women in the workplace that every organization will want to consider:

• 73.5 million Women are in the workforce today.
• 48% of female employees say they are watching the job market for new opportunities.
• 5 million jobs are available in the U.S  and women are leaving the workforce in troubling numbers.
• 35% of females employee are engaged compared to 29% of men being engaged
• Also, consider that more women are graduating from college with a 4 year degree and have higher GPAs compared to men.

The question becomes: How do organizations attract, engage and retain a gender-diverse workforce? Additionally, a gender-diverse workforce makes financial sense. Data reveals that gender- diverse businesses have better financial outcomes than those dominated by one gender.
There are many moving parts to solve this complex diversity problem. In the next several newsletters, I will identify all the considerations for an inclusive workforce- not necessarily in order of importance.
Here is one that is an age old work-life balance HR issue, flexibility! Women demand flexibility. 60% of female job seekers say a job that allows them greater work-life balance and better personal well-being is “very important” to them. 46% say Flextime is the most important benefit that a company can offer its workers. As we all know, women brought these issues to the forefront decades ago. We use to call it a “female friendly” policy; now we call it a “family friendly” policy.

A second flexibility factor is the ability to work off–site part time.
Bottom line, when organizations lack flexible work cultures and have out dated policies, they risk attracting and retaining women.