Natalie J. McGill is Associate Vice
President of Client Development at
Vensure.
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Instead of recoiling to
pre-pandemic habits, companies
need to reevaluate what makes
sense in the future by finding
ways to keep employees
engaged and make sure they
are supporting their work/life
balance.
What Role Might Human
Resources Departments
Play in Developing Work
Environments that Inspire
Women to Return?
Human resources departments
play a pivotal role in facilitating
the office culture. When it comes
to women, HR should continue to
encourage leadership to create
flexible work schedules and
work-from-home opportunities
in order to retain their top talent.
They need to train their leaders
on active listening skills and
assist with building productive
teams that can function remotely.
Programs that recognize and
reward female employees for their
contributions and foster a culture
that encourages women to share
their opinions help create a
workplace where all feel valued.
The cost of investing in active
listening, empathy, and workplace
flexibility far outweighs the cost
of recruiting. However, hiring
women employees is just as
important as retaining them.
Often, HR is the first point of
contact that a prospective
employee has. From the language
in job postings to the initial
interview, how the HR team
conducts those interactions
factors into candidates’
perceptions of the company.
If a business implements a
commitment to diversity in hiring,
that will also speak volumes to
potential female employees.
It’s a Crisis, but Also an
Opportunity
Women have made substantial
gains in representation, but
Covid-19 magnified where work
is still needed. Adapting to
the needs of the female staff
helps reverse the loss caused
by Covid-19’s resulting gender
inequality and has tremendous
advantages for organizations
in terms of hiring, costs, and
reaching diversity and inclusion
goals. If organizations want
to retain their talent and bring
women back into the workplace,
they must accept and embrace
this new normal.
Why Did More Women Than Men Exit The Workforce During The Pandemic?
●● Meet the needs of
working mothers
Flexible work schedules
and the ability to work
from home will increase
women’s job retention.
Leadership should
determine if working
mothers really need to
have a solid 9:00 – 5:00
workday and if teamwork
synergy and processes
can be handled remotely.
●● Evaluate pay structures
Companies need to
continue to evaluate
salaries and equity, and
pay the same regardless
of if a worker is in the
office or remote. Time
away from work should
not equate to taking two
steps back.
●● Implement empathy
Corporate leadership
needs to understand
each person’s unique
perspective and respect
it, regardless of race or
gender, in order to excel at
retaining their diverse and
dynamic workforces.
●● Provide meaningful
development opportunities
Businesses need to
increase the developmental
support of their workforce,
finding ways to rescale
their worker’s training and
education. Giving them the
tools and the path to more
satisfying careers results
in greater retention and
higher performance.
Leadership Excellence presented by HR.com JANUARY 2022 36 Submit Your Articles
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