SPE Talent Council Survey on Employee Retention

What Do Women Engineers Consider in a Decision to Stay with or Leave

an Employer?

Eve Sprunt* and Susan HowesChevron

*Independent Consultant beginning November 2013

Critical Motivator

Opportunity or Insufficient Opportunity are the biggest drivers for people to join or leave an employer

For older people, Opportunity is still the most important factor, but not by as big a margin

Top Reasons for Staying

For Both Men and Women Under Age 40

Same Top 4 Reasons

• Opportunity, challenge, career potential

• Develop new competencies & grow into a position with new responsibilities

• Respect

• Good PayBut top 4 account for about 25% of “most important” reasons

Differences in Reasons for Staying

Between men and women under age 40

Women consider the following factors to be much more important than their male peers

• Flexible work schedule

• Good relationship with co-workers

• Trust in organization and management

Top Reasons For Leaving

For Both Men and Women Under Age 40

Same Top 5 Reasons

• Insufficient opportunity

• Develop new competencies

• Better fit to core competencies

• Leadership/direction of company

• Better payBut top 5 reasons only account for about 40% of “most important” reasons

Differences in Reasons for Leaving

Biggest differences between women and men under age of 40

Men rank as more important• Lack of recognition• Self-employment• Severance pay

Women rank as more important• Conflict with boss• Inflexible work schedule• Follow relocated partner• Conflict with co-workers

Are conflicts with supervisors and co-workers more common and/or more severe for women?

Do you like the “chemistry”?

Dual Careers

Whose career comes first?

Who is asked by the question?

• Women more likely to be asked• Women with children are about 2x as likely to be asked as

men with children• People working for the same employer as their partner

When both currently contribute about equally to household income, 86% women and 80% men say both careers are equally important.

Working for Same Employer

Disadvantages

• Employer requires that one career leads and the other follows

• Benefits reduced• Employer

coordinates careers as a couple

• Job security

Advantages

• Coordinate relocation

• Ease in picking home location

• Easier childcare• Coordinate travel• Coordinate daily

schedule

Men As Partners

• Special programs for women lead to resentment

• Special treatment reinforces second class status

• Look for win-win, work-life benefits programs and policies

• Men should be able to access benefits too

• Work-life benefits should be available and accessible to all

Incentives to Return to Workforce

Of 20 possible incentives, 3 were most enticing to both retirees and mothers

• Part-time work

• A chance to make a difference

• Telecommuting

Negotiating Employment Terms

• SPE Retention Survey suggests women are less motivated than men by money at all stages of their careers.

• What is most important to you?

• Are women more uncomfortable than men negotiating employment terms?

What Matters to YOU?

What will you negotiate with a potential employer?

• More pay• Higher level position• Flexible hours/better

hours• More vacation/time off

SPE Talent Council Surveys

SPE Talent Council has conducted three surveys:

• May 2011 of entire SPE membership with 5570 responses, SPE Paper #160928

• December 2011 of SPE members under age 45 with 1392 responses, SPE Paper #151971

• January through July 2013 social media survey on factors impacting retention with 1737 responses, SPE Paper #168112