How Companies in STEM Can Capitalize on Untapped Workplace Potential
Acknowledge, include, and empower your organization’s future leaders.
The number of women studying STEM subjects is on the rise, and more diversity in STEM drives greater innovation. However, this upward trajectory comes with a caveat: organizations must engage and enable women to retain them. Failure to do so can lead to attrition, negatively impacting innovation and the bottom line.
In 2021, The Great Resignation became a term synonymous with the global trend of employees, particularly those from under-recognized groups, leaving their jobs. Common reasons included hostile work environments, lack of opportunities for career advancement, and generally noninclusive workplace cultures.
But as a leader, what can be done? To improve these workplaces, there needs to be conscious and consistent efforts driven by visionary organizational leaders focusing on workplace behaviors, inclusion of the right skills, and empowerment of future leaders. Successful leaders understand and value their workforce, creating truly empowered and diverse teams to deliver top business outcomes and innovations.
Acknowledging your organization’s behaviors
Leaders must first acknowledge the behaviors within their organization by gathering data from those involved to understand their experiences.
■ Listen to employee experiences by creating or joining an employee resource group. In these safe spaces, employees can share experiences without fear of retaliation or fear of their experiences being shared outside of the group.
■ Beware of inauthenticity especially in leadership. Identifying and showcasing authentic role models at all levels based on performance, behaviors, and recognitions is essential. Those individuals will feel seen and can help build relationships throughout the organization.
■ Measure psychological safety regularly to understand the team’s level of comfort with each other and areas for improvement. Leaders with high emotional intelligence who show vulnerability and authentic humility connect with their teams by building trust and transparency.
Including the right technical skills and recognizing performance
Recognizing existing talent within an organization is essential for employees to feel valued and engaged—it is troubling when highly competent and confident individuals are stuck in unchallenging roles. Here are key areas leaders should consider:
■ How much office housework does this person do? This includes sharing their screen during meetings when not presenting, booking meeting rooms, organizing away days, etc. Continually assigning these tasks that are outside of their job description to the same person is a problem to be solved. Ask employees regularly if their work is meaningful and conducive to career development.
■ Is constructive feedback provided? Timely and actionable feedback is crucial for individual growth, but disingenuous feedback is unhelpful. Ask employees about the last time they received feedback and rate its quality and impact on their development. This practice helps identify areas where improvements are needed in providing feedback.
■ Is bias getting in the way? Bias hinders inclusion and can stifle employees, e.g. where a man is ‘the boss’ and the woman is ‘bossy.’ Open discussions about the impact of bias on team members are essential for creating a culture of transparency.
Empowering your future leaders
Leadership is evolving, and today’s leaders must cultivate the next generation of leaders to ensure the business remains competitive and employees feel recognized and valued. Key elements of this empowerment include:
■ Ethical leadership – Leaders who do the right thing regardless of potential short-term consequences earn respect. Showcasing role models who speak up without any negative impacts on their careers or reputations will encourage employees to act ethically without fear of retaliation.
■ Diversity means nothing without inclusion – Organizations perform better with diverse teams, but diversity requires inclusion. Ensure efforts to create diverse teams are not seen as ‘box-ticking.’ Leaders should cultivate a culture of inclusion, for example, requesting input from each person during meetings and ensuring each input is genuinely considered by all.
■ Trust and advocacy for career progression – Recognizing great work and advocating for others is essential. This advocacy helps set employees up for success when transitioning into a new role and team when a leader publicly recognizes their skills and capabilities.
Too often, employees in under-recognized groups feel invisible, frustrated, and undervalued in the workplace. Organizational leaders have a unique opportunity to change this. Great leaders invest time to get to know employees at different levels and learn about their experiences, needs, and expectations at work. While some attrition is inevitable, the goal is to keep it within acceptable levels and be consistent across both recognized and under-recognized groups. By driving inclusive workplace cultures that benefit everyone, leaders can create psychologically safe environments where everyone feels valued.
