Retaining experienced employees is an essential part of managing personnel. In conducting a personal survey to better understand what motivates women to change jobs in the oil and gas industry (15% independents, 38% majors, 43% service companies, and 4% other), 38% of the 207 responses came from women in their 30s. The questionnaire included questions about whether women were thinking about leaving their current company in the next two years and, if so, why.

The top two reasons women gave for considering a job change were child-rearing issues and the concern that their work was not sufficiently interesting, challenging, or meaningful.

A 31-year-old working offshore for a service company wrote, “I was able to do millions of things, and I always pushed myself to achieve objectives… This attitude continued during my pregnancy — considering myself ‘unbreakable’ because… very few women reach the grade I am in right now. The ‘push, push mentality’ led to premature delivery of my baby. This episode made me think a lot. At a certain point, a woman will have to make a choice between work and private life.”

A 34-year-old respondent said, “I find myself staying with my current employer because I am allowed to work part-time, and that life-work balance is so important to my family.”

Combining flexibility with challenging work can prevent permanent loss of valuable staff. A 34-year-old commented, “My employer has been very flexible with my career and providing growth opportunities. I was able to take 11 to 12 months leave of absence for each of my two babies and have worked part-time since returning to work after my first child… This is the main reason that I am not planning to leave my current company.”

For many people, the 30s are when mid-life crisis hits. People ask themselves, “What am I doing with my life? Why?” Work-life balance is a key concern independent of marital or maternal status. Burnout is a serious concern.

A 32-year-old e-mailed, “I fall into the ever-increasing category of single women who love their job but are lamenting the lack of personal balance in their life. After a conscious decision to join a company that challenges my intellect, pushes me into challenging roles, and enables me to see the world and live the life of an expat, I am starting to wonder what is driving me. I am living in [a remote area], with limited social life, a challenging cultural context to manage, and still enjoying it but wondering, ‘When will it change?’ or do I need to make changes to see changes in my life?”

Some women have trailing spouses, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t stress. A 30-year-old wrote, “As a family,we decided that my husband would stay home to take care of our kids, which is not always easy for a man.”

Another 30-year-old remarked, “All of us who started together have been asked the question, ‘Whose career are you going to follow?’ The underlying sentiment was clear.

If you are going to follow your husband’s career, we are not going to put much effort into you.”

When dual-career couples and/or mothers are relocated, companies must be more sensitive and supportive. While admittedly some aspects of international relocation, such as work permits for trailing spouses, are beyond a company’s control, some issues are not.

We should not forget that the competition extends beyond the petroleum industry.
• A 30-year-old noted, “Of all the women who hired on with the business unit when I started, only two of us are left. The other four have left the industry entirely.”
• A 39-year-old said, “Our industry has a long way to go competing with the likes of Johnson & Johnson, GE, Price Waterhouse, Cisco Systems, etc. I still remain hopeful, as I see progression and opportunities opening.”

Women are not all of one mind. Some will always place their careers first. Others will adjust their priorities as child-rearing responsibilities wax and wane.

To retain talent in a strong job market, it is not wise to assume you know what your good performers want. Ask, listen, and use flexibility in crafting solutions to build loyalty that will encourage those good performers to stay.

Eve S. Sprunt is an oil industry executive and past president of the Society of Petroleum Engineers.

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