It makes sense when you think about it: a healthy workplace is one tailored to you, so you don’t have to waste energy contorting yourself to fit in. Based on research conducted for our new book, Your Loss: How to Win Back your Female Talent, our 3-point corporate fitness plan is designed to engage the women in your business. Follow it to get your company in shape for the next generation of female talent.
A Personal Trainer
Get personal: ask her what she wants. Keeping female talent means embracing her home and family responsibilities, not paying her more to ignore them. Does she want time to become a school Governor? Make that part of the deal. Would she rather work from home when she’s snowed up or her kids are ill? That’s fine too. Showing how much better you are than the competition will inspire her loyalty. Flexible working isn’t just a phrase, make it her reality.
Make the best of your assets
If systems already exist for flexible working, make sure people really are using them. But manage expectations: make sure you don’t promise employees the world and not deliver. And work out together how you can guarantee her line manager the performance consistency he or she needs to keep their team on track. Research conducted for Your Loss revealed that reduced or flexitime schedules to balance work and family were high on the wish-list for 66% of the women in business and women on boards.
Facilitate, evaluate and reward
Optimising flexible and home-working means making sure you have the right technology and communication in place. Manage how independent projects and team work are approached to make sure your business is getting the most out of her working ours. Listen to new ideas from line managers on how to retain employees. Between you, your female talent and her line manager, set goals for 3, 6 and 9 months in the first year and if she’s excelling with this new freedom, make sure she knows you’ve noticed.
