A 30-year-old wrote to me, “I feel appreciated as an equal with ‘the boys,’ which in the oil industry is no mean feat.”

Does this quote represent a glass half empty or a glass half full?

Figure 1. Respondents who participated in this survey work for independent oil companies, major oil companies, service companies, or other employers, including government agencies, universities, and national oil companies.
To better understand what it takes to retain women, I conducted a personal survey asking women if they were thinking about leaving their current company in the next two years and if so, why. The 207 women who responded ranged in age from 23 to early 60s with a median age of 35. Over all, 37% of those respondents work for service companies, 33% for major oil companies, 24% for independent oil companies, and 6% for other (government, university, national oil companies, etc.). Of those polled, 38% said they were thinking about changing jobs, and another 10% said that they might.

These women have not been wedded to a single employer. Women in their 20s had 1.2 employers on average. That number rose to 1.7 for those in their 30s, 2.4 for those in their 40s, and 3.7 for those over 50.

While work-life balance issues are important, especially for women with young children, the two top issues are work not being sufficiently interesting; challenging, or meaningful; and lack of advancement.

Getting ahead

Women are serious about their careers. A 31-year-old wrote, “I resigned from my job this week. It was basically because I feel that I am not the profile of a person who easily succeeds in this company. I am not in the technical roles that really address my development needs, and maybe a lack of coaching or role models in my direct working area. I did meet a rather senior lady in the company just yesterday, and we talked about these issues. I wish I had encountered her before I resigned, as maybe something could have been done to address my concerns.”

Role models can be very important in demonstrating to young women that they can have a bright future at their company. Almost 10% of the survey respondents said the lack of female role models in their company or the company’s track record for promoting women to senior positions were the reasons that prompted them to think about leaving. If management can only point to a few token women, there are still barriers.

Younger women are looking not only to see if there are any women in upper management, but how many there are and how much they had to sacrifice their personal life to get there. A 29-year-old observed, “The lack of highly regarded and well respected female role models in management is astounding and distressing. Many seem to be a better lesson in what NOT to do.”

Employers should provide information on women with a variety of career paths. Profiles of senior women should provide not only a list of positions they have held, but insights on how they have dealt with work/life balance issues and other career obstacles. This helps young women understand that there is a path for advancement, explains what is really needed to advance, and outlines the trade-offs that can be expected along the way.

Ask, listen, be prepared

Many companies are aware that they have a problem retaining mid-career women, but seem to be at a loss as to crafting solutions. Management should not assume that they understand younger workers’ priorities. They should ask, listen, and be prepared to try new approaches.

A 30-year-old wrote, “I am aware the company has a very dedicated effort to improve not only the retention of women, but to promote and manage their careers. I recently had the opportunity to become involved with this program, and this has helped my appreciation that this is not an easy task to solve. It has shown me that it is not only a corporate responsibility, but a personal one too.”

In the absence of information, younger employees may make incorrect assumptions about how much leaders must sacrifice. They see mature women and may not realize that they have several grown children. Young women generally are not aware of how female executives overcame their career obstacles, including gender-related ones. Life is about trade-offs, but without role models, young women cannot imagine many of the possible alternatives.

Missing the promotion

Figure 2. Participants in this survey ranged in age from 20 to over 55.
Companies are in danger of losing the female role models they have because they have failed to appreciate them and to promote them. Companies often fail to recognize, reward, and promote the female talent in their ranks. Women are as scarce in top technical positions as they are in senior management roles.

Female role models are also needed at the top of the technical ladders. A 46-year-old lamented, “I have more industry recognition as an expert than I have within the company I work for.”

Networking is critical to advancement. As one woman observed, “Industry remains a man’s world with opportunities for advancement based more on relational elements than performance.”

Unfortunately, women may fail to be included in networking opportunities. A 27-year-old wrote, “When my manager would take the male engineers fishing, golfing, etc., I never received an invitation to go.”

If managers don’t get to know a female employee as an individual, they will be less likely to promote her than a man they know well and trust.

Both men and women can be excellent mentors for women, and men should be encouraged to mentor and champion the women who work in positions where their expertise could be applied. Role models matter at all stages of a career. No age group can be ignored.

Changing the work environment

Many women believe they are working in a hostile, lonely, non-collaborative environment.

• A 38-year-old commented, “I need to learn to ‘speak man.’”

• Similarly, a 36-year-old found, “I seem to always end up in teams or work where the majority of the staff is men. I struggle sometimes to be heard.”

• A 50-year-old noted, “No negative comments were ever made about the quality of my geophysical work, just negative comments about how I didn’t approach or solve problems like a guy would.”

• A 27-year-old struggled, “90% of the male coworkers are very jealous when they see a female smarter and faster than them.”

Many studies have found that women have trouble being heard by their male colleagues. Ideas and suggestions that a woman proposes are frequently attributed to the first man who picks them up. The woman is frustrated, because the credit for her idea goes to a man.

Women fear that companies will generalize individual female preferences, assuming that these preferences — vocalized by a few — are relevant to all women. This can lead women to feel threatened by the personal choices of their sister employees. We must not forget that while some women want the flexibility to work part time or take leaves of absence, other women provide all or most of the income and benefits for their family and have no alternative except to work full time.

Another group of women is highly ambitious and works for recognition and advancement. It is apparent that women cannot be managed as a homogeneous like-minded group. Employers must recognize that the priorities and choices women make are as individual and varied as those of their male colleagues. Each woman must be judged and rewarded on her own merits.

The tendency to focus on young employees can backfire. Young women look at how the women who have come before them have been recognized and rewarded. To enhance retention of entry and mid-career women, companies must be careful to appropriately promote and reward women of all ages.

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