Focus on Your People - It's a Culture Thing
HR Advisors Group has been involved with a group of consultants serving the AE industry and each year we hold a CEO Forum. This event attracts CEOs and other leaders in the AE industry to discuss key challenges that they are facing and possible solutions. In the past we have had one or two topics related to workforce issues. This year was different.
Our 2019 Forum was “the year for the people.” We heard over and over from CEOs that they are making it their mission to take care of their people. We discussed aligning their culture with their business … engaging and retaining employees … communicating respect.
It was refreshing to hear CEOs talk about how they are personally spearheading strategic initiatives to focus on issues that affect their people. They realize that they need to champion these initiatives in order to make them happen. And, as Kelly McArter talks about in this month’s
blog
, build trust.
So, I ask myself – what has changed in our industry? Why the importance on the “employee side” of the business?
Most are dealing with the challenge to acquire talent and close the diversity gap – especially when recruiting and retaining women.
According to the
Society of Women Engineers (SWE)
, women have increased their numbers in many professions previously dominated by men, but not engineering. A recent SWE study reports some startling statistics regarding women in engineering:
- Only 13% of engineers are women
- Female engineers earn 10% less than male engineers
- Only 30% of the women who earn bachelor’s degrees in engineering are still working in engineering 20 years later
- 30% of women who have left engineering cite organizational climate as the reason
- 61% of women report that they have to prove themselves repeatedly to get the same level of respect and recognition as their colleagues
As this study shows, how engineering firms treat their female employees is having a direct impact on their ability to engage and retain this valuable talent.
By personally making people the focus, a CEO can make the initiative a leadership priority – not just an HR program. A few examples of what CEOs are doing include:
- Conducting cultural surveys or assessments to gauge employee perceptions
- Creating employee forums to encourage a more inclusive workplace
- Holding Town Hall meetings to encourage communication and bridge the gap between management and staff
There is greater impact when the CEO champions the effort and clears the way for the cultural shift needed so that all employees feel engaged, appreciated, valued and fulfilled. This will not only benefit employees but the organization’s bottom line as well.
So what are you doing? HR Advisors Group would like to hear from you.
Send us
your ideas and we'll share the results in our next newsletter.
Barbara Irwin, President, HR Advisors Group
