180 Engineering’s Post

Touting Your Flat Structure May Be Turning Off Women Applicants Companies like Zappos and Valve have received recgnition for abolishing traditional hierachial roles stating that flat hierachies are more egalitarian. But employers may need to reconsider emphasizing flat structures in our hiring efforts. Recent research shows that women may find such environments less appealing. A study highlighted in the Strategic Management Journal indicates that mentioning flat hierarchies in job postings can lead to a significant drop in applications from women—28% fewer applicants, to be exact. While we might think highlighting our “flat structure” is appealing to many women applicants, it actually underscores the limited opportunities for growth and advancement. Women often perceive flat organizations as harder to integrate into, likening them to “a boys’ club,” with higher workloads and fewer advancement opportunities. Findings Recommend as Recruiters We: - Analyze and understand what your employees value most in their work environment. - Engage in conversations with current and potential employees about their experiences and preferences. - Identify and address the unique challenges that underrepresented groups face, such as fitting into the culture, workload distribution, and career advancement opportunities. - Design and promote company structures that genuinely support inclusivity and fairness. - Ensure your recruitment materials reflect these efforts and avoid unintended negative associations. Let’s create environments where everyone feels welcome and has the chance to thrive. By revisiting how we present our organizational structures, we can make strides toward inclusivity and attract a diverse range of talented individuals. Together, we can build workplaces that empower all employees to succeed. empower all employees to succeed. #DiversityAndInclusion #WomenInBusiness #HR #Recruitment #TalentAcquisition #WorkplaceCulture #Leadership #CareerGrowth #InclusiveWorkplace #EmployeeEngagement https://lnkd.in/g8AtJmf4

Yesterday, we celebrated the first anniversary of Alliance, the programme developed by the L&D team at AllBright to improve women's career performance and help with gender dynamics. Ultimately, men and women must work together to create a successful company and culture. Over 100 HRDs came together to discuss the future of work and the changes they want to be part of as leaders in their organisations. It was a very open discussion with many thorny topics. If we want to create change, we need to have hard conversations. Some of the insights I captured during the panel 📝 - 1 -The audience's primary concern was cultivating talent pipelines where emerging skills are required. I spoke to a few HRDs before the panel started, and it was shocking to hear how broken talent recruitment is. On one side, candidates are trying to cut through using CV formatting techniques, and on the other, talent teams are using AI to screen hundreds of CVs, knowing they are often missing top candidates who do not write their CVs for AI. Candidates are not impressing humans anymore - they are impressing AI. There is an opportunity to improve hiring where people can cut through based on their skills and personality versus the gamification of CV writing. When I started my career, you wrote directly to a company and attempted to meet them and impress them in any way you could. Now, everyone expects perfect talent using impersonal tactics. 2 - The common challenges shared by the audience - How to keep GenZ engaged and productive Talent shortages Lack of modern skills Lack of resilience Unpredictability in companies and the markets Short Term thinking from leadership Integrating AI 3 - When asked what they would do to create the future of work and the workplace - Address the gender imbalance at the top Help with childcare Lead with culture, not strategy We need a lot more kindness and empathy One insight from the panel that surprised me - Age discrimination varies by gender. Men start to face age discrimination around 50, and for women, it starts at 40 🤯. Hopefully, everyone found the session helpful. Alliance is making an impact; the service must reach more companies to move the needle - but it is needed. The gender pay gap is still a hot topic, and Alliance helps companies outperform against the UK benchmark on that data point alone—among many others. I added a link in the comments. I loved Allan Leighton, the AllBright Chair's opening and closing remarks. When he started working for Mars, they had an obvious point of view on talent. It is brainpower that matters most. Brains are not coloured or gender-based — go and find a lot of brilliant brains. It is incredible how complex things have become since then! Congrats to Ella Vize on assembling such a brilliant panel and group of leaders and creating a product that works so well to help gender dynamics in the workplace. 👏

"it actually underscores the limited opportunities for growth and advancement." Yes it does and if that is the only place where opportunity can be found I agree that organizations can run into trouble here. If we're not careful here, some will interpret that the creation of unnecessary positions and structure will provide more opportunity for growth and advancement .......... into unnecessary positions and structure. I submit that at the end of the day, what will be more important going forward will be each individual's ability to contribute to a team while at the same time continuing to develop his or her technical skills and understanding of the organization's operations. Relationship skills and competency measurement, testing, and advancement with subsequent pay adjustments will become more common in these team centered and flat organizations. If meaningful pay and recognition doesn't follow, though, I sense impending doom.

What are you doing to create an environment where everyone contributes their best work? International Women's Day seems to spark a surprising amount of conversation, with some questioning the focus… “Has the pendulum swung too far? Do we still need a day? Am I at a disadvantage because I don’t wear a skirt?” The reality is most industries haven’t changed enough. Tech is a perfect example of an industry that remains male-dominated, but surveys by Pew Research Center (https://lnkd.in/gWSNqxCD) highlight that despite improvement, female representation in many other industries is still lacking. The correlation between diversity and financial performance, has been shown through much research. However, intentionality is key. A 2022 Harvard Business Review report underscores the importance of deliberate efforts to build diverse teams, as simply having a varied workforce isn't enough (https://lnkd.in/gYEzF_5i). Just like a well-balanced government or corporation, success thrives on a variety of viewpoints. Men and women often approach problems differently, fostering a natural "checks and balances" system. Without good policies & practices to welcome & support diverse talent, we’re potentially turning away the best people. If the best candidates won’t join, what’s the impact to your competitive position? Or impact to your bottom line?  It’s not a hypothetical situation, the Economist's 2019 article on the "vile experiences" faced by women in tech highlight how much of a stark reality this is, with turnover rates for women being more than double that of men: (https://lnkd.in/gAtYTZjm) . As a leader, 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗮 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁? Mentoring to offer the benefits of your experience? Insisting on more female candidates to be presented by HR? Everyone needs a champion or role model to inspire them. It’s not about ignoring merit, it’s about providing opportunities. And creating an environment where everyone feels empowered to contribute their best work. #internationalwomensday #iwd24 #diversityandinclusion #leadership Kit Lim (she/her) Devyani Dutt Kathy Teoh Sophie Guerin

PwC Global Hopes and Fears Survey 2023 - insights from 54,000 workers across 46 countries. 23,000 women responded to the questionnaire measuring 3 key dimensions: inclusive decision-making, belonging, and fairness. 👍🏽Positive Findings Women experiencing higher inclusion are: 1.7x more likely to have job satisfaction 2.3x more likely to feel job fulfillment 1.7x more likely to seek skill development opportunities 1.4x less likely to feel workload is unmanageable Strong workplace inclusion: - Benefits employers 2.2x more likely to recommend as good place to work 1.4x lower intentions to change employer - Women's intention to change employers increased from 17% to 25% last year Belonging: - Women rank it as 3rd most important factor for workplace empowerment (67%) - Considered a top four consideration when changing careers - Experience of belonging increased by 2 percentage points this year Inclusion and Career Development: 1.7x more likely to seek out skill development opportunities 1.8x more likely to seek feedback for performance improvement 👎🏽Concerning Findings Technological Advances and Inclusion: - CEOs report 40% inefficiency in hiring processes and performance reviews - Concerns exist about AI bias, with 34% of CEOs worried about bias increase - Women are more skeptical about AI's impact on their jobs (24% vs. 20% for men) ➡️ Does any of this surprise you? ➡️ Have you seen more positive or negative advancements for women in business compared to last year? #jobkarriere #newwork #genderequity #inclusion #frauen #beratung #pwc #kultur #companyculture

Interesting take on the perception of flat hierarchical structures and what it means for opportunities for advancement. Many companies have addressed this through dual structures that allow you to advance as an SME without managing people, and a separate track that has managerial responsibilities. Flat organizations can only work if people are given high levels of decision making authority. They can often get bogged down by a too democratic decision process that takes a long time to gain consensus and lacks accountability as to who actually made the decision. Women who want to advance their career need to know the culture that dominates flat organizations and how they can grow professionally within it.

Interesting article surrounding women and providing a flexible working environment-- keeps them there, but will it be for the long term? Randi Weitzman, executive director of technology at Robert Half joined CNBC to discuss new research showing less women feel satisfied with their career growth opportunities than men but are less inclined to make career moves due to fear of losing their current work flexibility. It is becoming increasingly conducive for female professionals to adopt a flexible working model, but the historical data analyzing gender dynamics in the workplace suggests they risk lower pay and stalled careers. To truly empower female employees, Weitzman said, businesses need to offer opportunities for both flexibility and career growth.

Women are more stressed in their jobs than even a year ago. But they don’t feel comfortable discussing their mental health at work. This is just one of the takeaways from Deloitte’s 2024 Women @ Work survey. With 5,000 people polled, HR folks should pay attention to these numbers. Women who are currently job hunting are doing so mainly because of poor work/life balance and lack of flexibility in their jobs. The majority feel that asking for more time off will negatively affect their chances of promotion. Deloitte puts it bluntly: Women believe their rights are deteriorating. This is not just a headline but a quantifiable fact. At least 29%, for instance, believe their right to live free of violence has deteriorated. As a recruiter at The Swan Group, my focus is on helping companies find the talent they need to thrive. In my conversations with job seekers in the Pharmaceutical and Biotech sectors, I often hear about the need for good benefits and flexible work hours. But mental health support and company culture are just as important down the line. If your organization truly aims for gender equity, these are important things to consider. The Swan Group is not just a recruitment agency; we're career nurturers and relationship builders, connecting exceptional talent with fulfilling opportunities, prioritizing joy, and client-candidate satisfaction. Hiring for your IT team? Write in the comments "Position Description" to receive our FREE Ideal Position Description guide for hiring success. 🚀

Randi Weitzman, executive director of technology at Robert Half joined CNBC to discuss new research showing less women feel satisfied with their career growth opportunities than men but are less inclined to make career moves due to fear of losing their current work flexibility. It is becoming increasingly conducive for female professionals to adopt a flexible working model, but the historical data analyzing gender dynamics in the workplace suggests they risk lower pay and stalled careers. To truly empower female employees, Weitzman said, businesses need to offer opportunities for both flexibility and career growth.

Randi Weitzman, executive director of technology at Robert Half joined CNBC to discuss new research showing less women feel satisfied with their career growth opportunities than men but are less inclined to make career moves due to fear of losing their current work flexibility. It is becoming increasingly conducive for female professionals to adopt a flexible working model, but the historical data analyzing gender dynamics in the workplace suggests they risk lower pay and stalled careers. To truly empower female employees, Weitzman said, businesses need to offer opportunities for both flexibility and career growth.