1. INCLUSIVE TALENT I N T E R N A T I O N A L
INCLUSIVE TALENT CHALLENGES
FOR WOMEN: ATTRACTION,
RETENTION AND ADVANCEMENT

2. www.phaidoninternational.com | enquiries@phaidoninternational.com InclusiveTalent | Enabling Exceptional Careers
INCLUSIVE TALENT CHALLENGES FOR WOMEN
Diversity should be a key priority within every
organisation. Studies suggest workplaces with a
diverse mix of talent achieve better fiscal results
than their less diverse counterparts.
Research shows that Fortune 500 companies with
three or more female directors typically see an
increase in sales of 42%.1
In addition, Gallup found
that diverse teams featuring women had a 22%
lower turnover rate. Despite the demonstrated
benefits of female leadership, studies have revealed
that only 14% of executives at Fortune 500
companies are women.2
Women are particularly
underrepresented in STEM fields; according to
Department of Labor figures,only 11% of engineers
in the US are women.3
Unconscious bias is at the root of the issue and
a study from Yale University saw two groups of
scientists given an identical lab manager application
– half bearing a‘male’name and half a‘female’name.
Scientists rated applications with the‘female’ names
significantly lower for‘hireability’and‘competence’.4
Diversity is not only about hiring to raise the
statistics, but also about considering candidates
from underrepresented groups without bias.
Increasing the diversity of the workplace should be
a business issue. Majority group members – that
is, typically men – will be vital when it comes to
implementing genuine change in this area.
To mark International Women’s Day this year,
we’re highlighting some of the reasons why it’s so
important to attract, retain and advance female
talent in today’s modern workplace.
“Diversity should be a key priority within
every organisation. Studies suggest
workplaces with a diverse mix of talent
achieve better fiscal results than their less
diverse counterparts.”

3. Attraction
According to Census Bureau’s 2009 American
Community Survey, although women make up
48% of the US workforce, they only represent 24%
of STEM employees. This is despite the fact that
women now make up 49% of college-educated
workers as a whole.5
Attracting diverse candidates
to underrepresented fields is a vital part of the
equation for improving diversity.
Flexibility can be an effective policy for attracting
female candidates,from flexible working patterns,to
paid maternity leave. “Offering paid parental leave
for men and women is critical to both attracting
and retaining female tech talent,” says Jen Dulski, of
Change.org. Family-friendly policies should extend
to both men and women to help support the
cultural shift of parenting from purely a woman’s
domain to the responsibility of both genders. It’s
important that these policies can actually be used
without stigma.
Perception can be one of the biggest barriers when
it comes to some fields. STEM (Science,Technology,
Engineering & Mathematics),for example,is an area
often seen as male dominated. In order to help
attract more female talent, a company should focus
on the inclusivity of its employer brand and make it
part of the wider employer value proposition.This
will help attract more diverse candidates who will
be able to envision themselves succeeding within
the business.
Retention
Women leave the tech industry at a 45% higher
rate than men.6
This is thought to be due to an
inherently ‘masculine’ culture of success in these
organisations. In order to retain female talent,
companies must focus on nurturing an inclusive
culture. Leadership is an essential part of this
process; including both executive level buy-in from
male leadership as well as female leaders serving as
mentors and role models for younger talent.
Additionally, equal pay is still one of the most
pertinent issues for women today.Unconscious bias
also has an effect on unequal pay and advancement,
and is a motivational factor behind why so many
women leave STEM careers. By introducing
accountability and KPIs for diversity, a business can
help reinforce a more inclusive infrastructure,which
will, in turn, lead to a more diverse environment.
“By introducing accountability and KPIs for
diversity, a business can help reinforce a
more inclusive infrastructure, which will, in
turn, lead to a more diverse environment.”
Advancement
Despite active directives by many key industry
players to attract and retain female candidates,
there’s a key area which still lags behind:
advancement.
Women are struggling when it comes to securing
leadership roles in business. Just as the gender pay
gap lives on, the gender promotion gap is an issue.
According to a 2016 report by McKinsey and Co
and Lean In, the company founded by Facebook
COO Sheryl Sandberg, 130 men are promoted to
management roles for every 100 women.7
Managers need to be more inclusive when it comes
to promotion and advancement. One suggested
method is asking for a democratic-style vote so
employees can suggest who they would like to
make influential decisions to shape the business.
This will then highlight to management potentially
overlooked female candidates who could thrive in
leadership roles. Evaluation protocols which look
beyond the traditional criteria and processes are
needed to help uncover ‘hidden leaders’.
Mentorship is also a vital vehicle when it comes
to female advancement. This includes senior male
figures being more inclusive as well as female
figures actively supporting diverse talent within the
organisation.
www.phaidoninternational.com | enquiries@phaidoninternational.com InclusiveTalent | Enabling Exceptional Careers

4. DIVERSITY AS A KEY DIRECTIVE
Company models which feature women in senior
positionsareoftenrewardedwithhighperformance.
Despite this, women are underrepresented even
in iconic businesses known for their innovation;
Google,Twitter and Apple are all only 30% female.
But change is on the horizon. Apple has made
a commitment to increase the diversity of its
new hires, 54% of which are minorities. The tech
innovator is striving to create a culture of inclusion,
stating, “We want Apple to be a reflection of the
world around us.”
The problem with diversity needs to be addressed
at all levels of the chain. If women make up more
than one-quarter of engineers in tech companies,
and technical positions naturally lead to senior
roles, then it follows that underrepresented groups
such as women will not end up in management
roles if technical careers such as engineering do not
make an active effort to nurture inclusivity.8
Diversity is not just the responsibility of women and
underrepresented groups – it is the responsibility
of senior management and hiring managers as a
whole. Equally, the success of diverse companies
speaks for itself – if you value success, then you
should value diversity.
As we celebrate the achievements of women on
International Women’s Day; it is also important
that we look towards the future and how making
diversity a key business priority can benefit both the
careers of female talent,along with the organisation
as a whole.
During 2017 Phaidon International is continuing
the InclusiveTalent series exploring the issues being
faced by companies and producing“How to”guides
for employers faced with such challenges regarding
diversity in the workplace. View further details
about the Inclusive Talent series here and follow
@PhaidonIntl and the hashtag #InclusiveTalent on
twitter for more updates on the series.
Sources:
1 http://www.hiremorewomenintech.com/
2 https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/02/qa-jeffery-tobias-
halter/517755/
3 http://www.hiremorewomenintech.com/
4 http://www.hiremorewomenintech.com/
5 http://www.cio.com/article/2841636/staff-management/6-ways-to-
attract-and-retain-female-it-talent.html
6 https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2017/02/28/why-women-leave-
the-tech-industry-at-a-45-higher-rate-than-men/#226ed8a44216
7 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/is-womens-leadership-talent-
hiding-in-plain-sight_us_58b5c3c5e4b02f3f81e44cfc
8 http://www.apple.com/diversity/

5. I N T E R N A T I O N A L
INCLUSIVE TALENT
Phaidon International is a global
staffing group with 6 micro-specialist
recruitment brands.
We help organisations identify, attract
and secure the best talent for their
requirements across 4 key market
verticals; Financial Services, Energy,
Technical and Professional Services.
Contact us for further hiring trends and
advice, or if you are looking to grow
your team.
Contact us today:
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info@phaidoninternational.com
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