Workplace strategies linked to recruiting & retaining women

State leaders continue to boast that Utah is at the “forefront of innovative and awe-inspiring economic opportunity initiatives,” with a robust list of impressive accolades. At the same time, Utah has been ranked by WalletHub as the worst state for women’s equality for the last 11 years. This includes being placed as 50th of 50 in “Workplace Environment,” based on metrics such as income disparity — especially higher-income disparity — and the disparity in share of executive positions. Although some continue to justify or even dismiss this persistent ranking as insignificant, the metrics align with extensive research that confirms that many Utah women are not thriving in their workplace environments.

The truth is that leaders — whether in business, government, nonprofit or education settings — can make decisions that support and elevate women as employees and leaders. Organizations can implement strategies and initiatives, including family-friendly practices and policies, that support all employees and help them thrive. In fact, for several years, the Utah Women & Leadership Project (UWLP), along with the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity, have been collecting pertinent data through the “100 Companies Championing Women” initiative.

What are the best Utah organizations doing? As part of the former “Inspire In Utah” campaign, 100 Companies Championing Women has been recognizing and highlighting stories of 100 Utah companies offering family-friendly policies and practices, as well as women-specific initiatives that prioritize the recruiting, hiring, retaining and advancing of women employees, managers and leaders. In this article, I identify the criteria we used to determine our findings, highlighting the percentage of top Utah companies that implement family-friendly strategies. The results suggest workplace modifications that can strengthen the workforce. Please note that the 100 companies supporting best practices represent a fraction of the total number of Utah organizations — the tip of the proverbial iceberg — and do not reflect the percentages achieved by the vast majority of Utah companies.

Flexible & Family-Friendly Arrangements

First, the following list of flexible and family-friendly arrangements are offered by forward-thinking organizations that want to recruit, hire, retain and
advance women:

• Flexibility with working hours/schedules for full-time employees – 98 percent.

• Remote work options – 91 percent.

• Paid family leave – 69 percent.

• Unpaid family leave – 64 percent.

• Transition back-to-work support after maternity leave – 58 percent.

• Part-time professional roles, including higher-level positions – 51 percent.

• Compressed workweek – 43 percent.

• Child care support (e.g., on-site child care, child care reimbursement, emergency/back-up child care) – 34 percent.

• Tuition reimbursement for dependents/family members – 34 percent.

• Adoption and/or fertility benefits – 27 percent.

• Part-time work with full benefits – 25 percent.

• “Returnships” or other programs for returning workers – 21 percent.

• Formal job-sharing programs – 7 percent.

Child care remains a top concern for Utah’s working parents and is discussed often in the press. In our data, only 34 percent of these top companies mentioned some type of benefit support for child care, from some offering flex spending accounts, child care reimbursement, or cash bonuses for the birth of a child. Eight companies offered on-site child care to employees, and in some cases expanded services to the surrounding community. Two companies also provided a back-up care benefit that employees could use to find alternative, temporary care for anyone who counted on the employee for their primary care — including adult children or elderly relatives. Further, two organizations specifically mentioned having child-friendly workspaces and encouraging employees to bring their infants and children with them as needed. Many companies that offered child care benefits described wanting to support employees by helping them take care of their families. Employers also posed a variety of child care solutions similar to those outlined in a UWLP resource for employers.

Women-Focused Initiatives or Efforts

Next, research has found that women-focused workplace initiatives can be helpful in recruiting, retaining and promoting female talent. The top eight are

• Pay equity efforts – 89 percent.

• Increase diversity in mid-level and senior leadership roles – 84 percent.

• Recruiting strategies focused on increasing the number of women employees – 64 percent.

• Increase presence of women on boards (if applicable) – 58 percent.

• Mentor and/or sponsorship programs targeted at women – 55 percent.

• Women-specific professional development offerings – 46 percent.

• Women-specific leadership development programs – 38 percent.

• Women ERG (employee resource group) or network – 34 percent.

Obviously, pay equity, at 89 percent, is becoming a standard in forward-thinking, successful organizations. Many nominators discussed increasing transparency, while others talked about ensuring that wages and benefits be based on market data with an eye to internal equity by gender and race. I am encouraged to see that in many cases, senior leadership teams evaluate pay equity during every annual review to ensure consistency, but some organizations conduct an analysis or evaluation twice a year or even quarterly. It appears that comprehensive salary evaluations, surveys or audits have become a common practice for most of the companies who received this recognition. Considering compensation across roles and consistency across departments and pay scales is important to these companies. They emphasize helping all employees feel as if they are treated fairly and that they feel valued.

Recommendations

Organizations can start by comparing their current offerings to see how they align with the lists of family-friendly policies and women-focused initiatives provided above. Although each company is unique, all organizations can create fairer and more inclusive workplaces for women by being thoughtful about effective ways to support all employees and their families. Second, although some Utah companies have pulled back from providing flexibility in workplace location and work hours, the practice is still critical for Utah women and families. Because many women do significantly more unpaid care work than men, flexibility is crucial as a societal support to families. Finally, companies can look at how to support policies related to child care and leave, in addition to creating opportunities for women’s development, growth and representation. These often look different for women than for men, so a one-size-fits-all is often not the answer.

Conclusion

These days my children are older and have families of their own (I now have six grandchildren), but I’m forever grateful I was able to have opportunities for meaningful work in the home, the workplace and the community. When businesses consider organizational-level policies, including family-friendly initiatives that support all employees, Utahns thrive. As more and more Utah companies embrace family-friendly policies and practices, they create additional opportunities for women’s workforce engagement, advancement and success while still allowing women to navigate other areas of their lives, including their families. This is what many of our families are looking for, so let’s support them.

Dr. Susan R. Madsen is a professor of organizational leadership in the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University and is the founding director of the Utah Women & Leadership Project and the visionary behind A Bolder Way Forward.