โCovering the state of diversity in the market, LVI Associates discusses the challenges that hiring managers and job seekers face within Engineering, as well as how firms put actionable strategies in place to attract female talent in a competitive market, and more importantly, retain them.
The truth is, women working in STEM are often concentrated in lower levels with less job stability. With persisting inequalities in status and wages, the women who are working in STEM often struggle to reach and stay in higher-level positions. In the Republic of Korea for instance, a minority of women are appointed with permanent contracts in science and technology at just 19 percent as opposed to 81 percent of men.
As of 2023, several government associations and educational institutions in Asia Pacific are working towards initiatives that promote more female interest in Engineering.
In the meantime, engineering firms need to discover ways to attract and retain female talent, especially in an industry with such a tight talent pool.
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Addressing the challenges
This is why one of the first steps in creating strategies to attract and retain female talent in engineering should be to address and acknowledge the challenges faced.
There are a number of challenges for female engineers, including:
Lack of flexible work
At LVI Associates we have feedback from working mothers that find the consulting environment challenging, with long hours and high pressure on meeting difficult deadlines.
Sarah Davis says:
โBillability is steep and must be, so companies are profitable. We have heard firsthand from female professionals that itโs very hard to get married, start a family, and then find balance. Some women feel like theyโre letting their team down when kids have doctors appts or are sick.โ
Offering flexibility by being able to work once kids are in bed is one example of how companies can help employees balance their hours outside of the traditional 9-5.
Struggles with recognitionโ
Sarah alludes to this issue of not giving recognition for women and male leadership taking responsibility:
โIโve heard so many stories where a woman writes proposals, meets deadlines, works at night after picking kids up, yet the senior engineer gets credit, while sheโs the PM on the project.โ
Imposter Syndromeโ
Women historically only apply to a job if they are 100% qualified, while men apply if they are 60% qualified. If women are missing recognition, as mentioned above, that will exacerbate the feeling of not being capable, when in fact they are.
Bias
There has been a large reduction in conscious bias, but unconscious bias is still affecting the industry.
โIn the last 15 years or so, there has been more bias around opportunity,โ Sarah explains.
โMen in leadership roles are sometimes completely unaware they have a bias. Unconscious bias takes the form of assuming men are in charge of meetings, presentations, and proposals. It can be outside of work, so for example if a group of men from a business play sport together, they may discuss work together while playing and give the project to one of them as opposed to a female member of the team.
โBarriers to women can also be around motherhood. If they have to pick their children up from school or nursery, and their work schedule doesnโt allow it, it limits their growth. Iโve even seen motherhood positioned as a penalty and fatherhood as a bonus for parents in their careers. Women are sometimes considered as being less engaged or committed, while for men there is a perception that they are hungrier to drive their career and move up because he has a family to provide for now.
โMotherhood penalty/fatherhood bonus- a bias that they wonโt be strong performers as mothers, not engaged/committed. Men become fathers: people think heโs hungrier to drive their careers & move up bc he has a family now. Some even get bonuses at this point in their life/career.โ
Minority
In a leadership meeting primarily dominated by men, it is natural that being in the minority would affect the ability to confidently get one's voice heard and give ideas. There is also a lack of women in leadership roles for other female engineers to look up to. There are also even fewer diverse women in engineering and leadership roles for other minority women to look up to.
Challenges for companies
When organizations are looking to hire more diverse talent, they may struggle. That is because engineering is a male-dominated field, youโve seen the stats that fewer women choose engineering as a career. Itโs somewhat still a numbers game โ we need more women. A bigger talent pool of women getting into STEM and engineering, and getting young women excited about engineering is so important.
Then there is the issue of talent leaving the industry. An SWE fact sheet says, โ30% of women who have left the engineering profession cite organizational climate as the reason.โ
This shows how attracting and retaining female talent isn't the same and efforts should be in place to ensure that women are being retained in their company.
A lack of women as role models in senior positions can also be detrimental to a company. According to Zweig Group, 100% of women principals have once considered leaving the AEC industry. This number compares to 49% of men.
The benefits package that engineering offers isnโt competitive either when compared to other industries. Many firms in the US do not offer maternity leave, PTO, and remote/flexible working, as well as 401k incentives. Not offering these basic benefits make it even harder to secure talent in the first place, never mind more hard to find diverse talent.
It has been shown that when engineering firms have diverse talent and leadership, they are 50% more profitable than those that donโt. Therefore it isnโt even about being diverse to say you are diverse, it is genuinely commercially imperative, because gender-diverse businesses are more successful. According to EFCG research, firms that fail to prioritize ED&I will be left behind, and those with limited diversity are up to 30% more likely to underperform on profitability.
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Three strategies on how to attract and retain female talent
Here are three ways Sarah has seen businesses improve their diversity strategy in the US and make the workplace a better place for females, as well as some personal recommendations from her.
Career development
Companies should consider launching a โreboot programโ, which Sarah explains:
โThis helps women get back into work and gives them the training to become full-time again. It supports them with assistance on new software, project management, and new DOT standards. Once the program is complete, they offer them a role within the firm, and if every organization did this with two people, this could massively increase diversity, and the overall talent pool.โ
Firms can also provide scholarships at diverse schools/within diverse student organizations to support students studying in the fields of engineering. There are opportunities to collaborate with NSBE and other similar organizations in pre-college STEM initiatives to engage and encourage young talent earlier in the game.
Creating internship programs specifically for women and diverse talent could be really impactful as well. Visibility is key to doing this, so think even further ahead, and when going through college recruitment, have female engineers and diverse candidates promote internships & STEM to inspire upcoming engineers.
Once someone is within a firm, now it is just as important on developing them and keeping them. Promote them based on performance above all else, and allow more women to be involved in high-level decisions, and have diverse talent represented in all areas.
Culture
From the very start, culture needs to be front and center of your selection process. If you donโt change the beginning of your talent process, culture stays the same. Firms need to meet with a diverse slate of candidates, and be open to a candidate that does not tick all of the boxes, but has a lot of potential and is a great hire.
Sarah explains how culture can be misinterpreted:
โHiring around a โcultural fitโ for some clients I work with can be around โcan this person be fun at happy hour?โ, versus, โdo they have the same values and principals as us?โ.
โYou should hire someone based on how successful they can be in the role, not on if youโre interested in being their friend or what would it be like to grab a drink or play golf with them.
โIf candidates canโt see it, sometimes they think they canโt be it. At LVI Associates we had a great female engineering professional decline having their resume sent over for a job because they couldnโt see any female talent on any of the firms' social media platforms.โ
One way to tackle this is to have a diverse interview panel.
Ensure social events are also not unconsciously biased. Having a positive, welcoming, and supportive culture helps people thrive. Do this through strong benefits, flexibility, and painting a clear picture of a pathway to the top. Welcome everyone, let people be themselves. Talk to your employees and create a safe place so youโre hearing and learning from them.
Benefits
Have a competitive salary and benefits package and know what your competitors are offering.
โHealth insurance, PTO, primary and secondary caregiver leave should be considered. Iโve had male candidates say no to companies because of a lack of paternity benefitsโ, Sarah says.
Mentorship programs for less experienced women in engineering can be very helpful, so demonstrating the mentorship programs upfront is attractive to others who know they can go to a mentor for advice.
Getting work done is important, we know that. But so too is being a parent, so allowing for flexibility is really important. Working from home is still crucial, and not just for women. most people say working in the private sector is demanding. Working holidays and nights, most feel that thereโs not a lot of empathy for home life. Showing your employees you care goes a long way, acting on that empathy goes even further. Sarah has a couple of examples:
โIโve seen onsite nursing rooms and another client offers benefits through care.com for workers to find elderly caregivers and babysitters.โ
Key takeaways for engineering firms
Ultimately you need to offer flexibility to attract and keep diverse talent. You must foster an inclusive environment and prioritize diverse leadership through programs and initiatives. It is all well and good to address the challenges, but now is the time for action.
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Key takeaways for diverse talent
Donโt be afraid to negotiate, and work with a top talent partner like LVI Associates who can help you with this. Be confident in your skills and sell yourself in interviews โ it is the time to show off.
Remember that you are deserving of promotions and moving up in the transportation industry. Network โwith other women in engineering, put yourself out there, and connectโ and join industry bodies โ you belong here. โ
Whether youโre an engineering firm looking for female talent in a competitive market, or a professional considering their next career move, Sarah Davis and LVI Associates can help.