Every organization has its own retention strategies depending on its focus and business model. Whichever way we look at it, employers should device strategies that retain top talent.
Keeping female employees is therefore a major concern considering gender equality issues that has been raised over the years. Female employees have also demonstrated and justified why they also deserve a seat at the top through their consistent innovativeness and skills over time. Many organizations have deliberately developed policies on women inclusion – certain percentages and quotas are reserved for female top talents.
To be able to realize the best out of female employees; recruitment and onboarding may not address the entire issue, there should be the need to create an enabling and welcoming working atmosphere to attract and retain them. Recruiters must be mindful that the talent pool is limited with human resources, however, organizations have been very competitive with the talent hunt thereby increasing their value. Investing in people especially women will position your brand as the employer of choice especially when female working population is increasing rapidly. Research has shown that attrition rate for women is lower compared to men – many factors may account for this. Benchmarking your organizations against these standard practices for recruiting and retaining women may address the issue and bridge the gap;
Career advancement and growth – research into exit interviews has shown that, number one reason why people leave their jobs is the lack of internal opportunities for career growth. Female employees today are expectant of career advancement. Female workers have realized that they can offer more than they are doing currently – they are ambitious regardless of all the odds they are confronted with. Career growth opportunities must be created to accommodate these desire and fulfillment. To attract the best of female talent; business owners and management must introduce an effective talent management and succession plan that will cater for their career progression – surely potential female job seekers are attracted to such brands.
Periodic revision of polices – things keep changing with time, this has brought a lot of evolution in the way policies, procedures and practices are drafted and implemented. It is therefore important for HR and policy makers to review existing policies to reflect current trends and HR practices. This will address obsolete policies and procedures. Special allocation can be made to cater for the interest of female employees – policies on performance and talent management as well as succession planning must be comprehensive. Internal recruitment opportunities must also be created to advance the course of women. Human centered policies and HR practices will attract and retain the best job seekers in the labour market.
Compensation and Benefit policy – equal pay for equal work has been preached for far too long but nevertheless, it is sad to note that women are still making less than men in most instances; the wage gap relics lives on in organizations. A proper job evaluation which will feed into a well-structured compensation and benefit will address pay inequality. A key characteristic for HR practitioners is equity and transparency in salary administration. Pay inequality serves as a de-motivator for both male and female employees.
Bridge the leadership hiatus – most organizations have an executive committee constituted with only men – in a few instances you see one or two women seated at the top. The question is – why? Is it that there are no good women leaders? It is emphatically no – there are some women CEOs who have distinguished themselves. Let us create a seat for top female talent at the executive level. It generates a sense of belonging and inspire hope amongst women. Creating an avenue for their leadership learning and developed as well as coaching and mentoring programs must be of concern to HR professionals.
Culture diversity and inclusiveness – getting women involved explains the value you placed on them and what they have to offer. It reduces how marginalized they feel and creates a culture of inclusiveness – it offers them a voice to express themselves and their valuable opinions on issues tabled for discussion. Involving women clearly supports the fact that culture diversity is paramount and practicable at the workplace. Many women feel they are often ill-treated and ignored in the workplace. This gives an edge over our competitors who have adopted the inclusion of women – multiple perspectives to issues enriches decision points.
Work-Life balance – there should be a well-defined balance on work related activities and personal life – blending work and other social activities like family life, leisure time etc. should not be encouraged. Some employees take work home and gets it done overnight to meet deadlines. Such a practice is not welcoming and must not be entertained. Sacrificing the time for yourself and family on the altar of building a career could be detrimental to your personal health and family. It’s amazing how female workers can close late from work, get home and still want to work on some data or files – employers should not encourage that in any way. Help employees, especially female workers to create that balance so they can enjoy their work and not get overwhelmed with it. If they are stressed it will affect their health and productivity. The well-being of your employees should be of great interest to you at all times – remember to introduce some interventions on work-life balance as well as health and safety concerns.
Flexible work schedule – parenting for female employees is a major concern – women have resigned their jobs to take care of their children. It means they have to deny themselves the opportunity of building a dream career. In instances where they come back to corporate life; they are lost out since their male counterparts would have been ahead of them. Create the atmosphere for flexibility – in situations where their physical presence will not matter; women employees can work from the nearest branch office or from home on a specific day of the week. This means that they can be productive whiles they take care of some domestic duties as well. Some blue chip organizations have established crèche in their office environment – parents have to bring their wards to school where they work. Surprisingly men have also benefited immensely from some of these things.
Avoid prejudices and stereotype – people have their predispositions of their colleagues, unfortunately it feeds into corporate decision making. This affects women than it does to men – considering everyday experiences and events. Even at the recruitment stage there is the perception that female employees are noted for taking excuse duties to cater for their sick children or proceeding on a 12 weeks maternity leave and thereafter closing an hour earlier till the baby is one year – this affects their chances of getting employment. There are instances where pregnant women have been denied interview opportunities which constitutes an act of discrimination. It is an uncomfortable subject but the best way forward on prejudices and stereotyping is to discuss it dispassionately. Feedback on how it affects them – learning and growing in these area is crucial in retaining your best female employees.
The emergence of data and people analytics must serve as a guide on how we relate and treat female employees. Unlike decades past, the 21st century woman has proven beyond doubt that she is ripped to take up any leadership mantle. Positioning your brand to attract, develop and retain top female talent can be the best decision every organization can take. Research has shown that male employees are more likely to exit than female employees. There is that contentment with female employees – once the working environment is welcoming and gives room for the views and opinions of female employees, their loyalty to the brand is assured. If we find the right talent, there should be a conscious effort to retain them regardless of gender and other irrelevant consideration.
By Bright Ampadu Okyere | Tel. #: 0244204664 | Email Address: hrtoday@gmail.com
