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 * 11-11-21
 * workplace evolution


YOUR FEMALE WORKERS ARE READY TO MOVE ON. HERE’S WHAT MAY CONVINCE THEM TO STAY


BENEFITS LIKE EMPLOYER-PROVIDED UPSKILLING AND TUITION ASSISTANCE CAN HELP YOUR
FEMALE EMPLOYEES CONNECT WITH MORE OPPORTUNITIES AND LEARN FROM OTHER
INDUSTRIES.

[Source illustration: yuoak/iStock]
 * 
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More Like This
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By Jill Buban 5 minute Read

Women are sending a message and they are sending it with their feet. In 2020
alone, 2.5 million women chose to leave the workforce, on top of the 5.4 million
women that lost their jobs during the pandemic. The stats are heartbreaking for
many of us who were applauding the fact that women were participating in the
workforce in record numbers just prior to the pandemic. Even if women still were
not earning as much as men, the future seemed optimistic.




So, what is going to bring them back? We know childcare, flexible work
schedules, and the ability to work from home are top of mind for working women.
But in addition to these benefits, employers also need to focus on education,
which takes the form of career planning, investments in learning and
development, and customized training for the most lucrative and in-demand jobs
of the future.

If this seems like a daunting task, there is one fool-proof place to start:
Employer-provided education and tuition assistance benefits. These kinds of
offerings provide opportunities for female employees that will propel them into
the roles of the future where they are currently underrepresented, like data
science, software development, and engineering. Women hold 56% of college
degrees overall, but just 36% of science, technology, engineering, and math
(STEM) degrees, and compose only 25% of the STEM workforce, according to the
World Economic Forum.

Investment in education is going to be essential for women if they are to have a
role in the future workforce. For one thing, research has shown that the future
of automation and advances in digital technology will disproportionately affect
women, a segment of the workforce that is overrepresented in roles that are
highly vulnerable to automation, including clerical roles like back office and
administrative staff, customer service and call center jobs, and frontline
service jobs.

advertisement



The International Monetary Fund (IMF) projects that 11% of jobs currently held
by women (a higher percentage than jobs held by men) are at risk of elimination
due to artificial intelligence (AI) and other digital technologies.

Without a doubt, women are exceptionally vital to our workforce. History tells
us that when more women participate in the workforce, economies tend to grow.
For organizations, recruiting and retaining female employees is not just about
contributing to a diverse and equitable workforce, but building a workforce that
reflects the fabric of our country and setting companies up to compete on a
global level.

So, what can organizations do to promote the women in their existing workforce
into high-paying careers and roles that will allow them continued success in the
future? Below are four actionable ways to ensure female employees have the same
access to education opportunities that will help grow their careers as men:


 * Remove cost barriers: According to EdAssisst Solution’s recent study of
   working adults, women have reported financial barriers as one of the most
   significant barriers to participation in education programs. Employers can
   help relieve employees of cost concerns by removing the need to pay upfront
   by paying the school directly, and perhaps even covering some or all of the
   program costs. T-Mobile, for example, covers 100% of tuition, fees, and books
   for employees, in addition to pre-paying tuition upfront, leaving employees
   with no out-of-pocket costs. As a result, the company has seen a 92%
   retention rate for education program users.
 * Offer short, non-degree options to remove time constraints: Providing a
   variety of programs for employees to choose from—such as boot camps, and
   professional certifications—will be key to the educational success of
   employees strapped for time. Raytheon Technologies recently expanded its
   education benefits program to include non-degree offerings for non-credit
   bearing certificates, certifications and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs).
   The program has proven successful among employees, with a 6% utilization rate
   in the U.S. and Canada across the organization.
 * Communicate and encourage women to seek out education programs: According to
   our study, more than half of women do not feel they are getting the guidance
   they need from their employers around pursuing education, including what
   programs are available to them, how to get started, or what skill sets will
   best benefit their career. Keeping an open dialogue with employees about
   education opportunities through manager discussions, annual reviews, employee
   newsletters, and even education coaches can help employees understand their
   best path to success. One company we work with that was seeking to increase
   female representation in leadership positions added success coaching to their
   education program, as well as increased communication to employees around the
   program. As a result, they have seen participation by female employees double
   compared to that of male employees.
 * Provide student loan support: Support for student loans is also worth
   considering, as female student borrowers have an average debt that is 9.6%
   higher than their male peers one year after graduation, which may prevent
   them from pursuing additional education. Orlando Health offers both a
   generous tuition assistance program and a student loan repayment program to
   complement it. In 2020 alone, Orlando Health supported 619 nurses on their
   journey to degrees, and has improved the financial wellness of nearly 600
   nurses to date through student loan assistance. The health system has seen
   more than a 10% increase in employee retention among those participating in
   its education benefits program.

I would be remiss to not also mention one additional benefit that will have a
direct impact on a woman’s ability to opt-in to an education program: childcare.
If an employee has children and is already balancing work and family, offering a
childcare benefit would help remove a major barrier to completing an education
program—giving them the peace of mind that they can focus on the skills and
content at hand without worrying about what their child is doing in the next
room.

The organizations that continue to thrive in the future will all have one common
defining feature—a commitment to diversity and fostering a culture of growth and
development. Offering professional development and career advancement
opportunities that are tailored to the future needs of the workforce will
provide women with at-risk jobs the valuable skills they need to advance their
careers and excel in their roles. Organizations who see the value in investing
in both the skills development and diversity of their workforce now will find
themselves leading the way in the future of work.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dr. Jill Buban is the vice president and general manager of EdAssist Solutions
at Bright Horizons, an employee solutions company, providing services such as
childcare and education for working families.





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 * 11-11-21
 * workplace evolution


YOUR FEMALE WORKERS ARE READY TO MOVE ON. HERE’S WHAT MAY CONVINCE THEM TO STAY


BENEFITS LIKE EMPLOYER-PROVIDED UPSKILLING AND TUITION ASSISTANCE CAN HELP YOUR
FEMALE EMPLOYEES CONNECT WITH MORE OPPORTUNITIES AND LEARN FROM OTHER
INDUSTRIES.

[Source illustration: yuoak/iStock]
 * 
 * 
 * 
 * 

By Jill Buban 5 minute Read

Women are sending a message and they are sending it with their feet. In 2020
alone, 2.5 million women chose to leave the workforce, on top of the 5.4 million
women that lost their jobs during the pandemic. The stats are heartbreaking for
many of us who were applauding the fact that women were participating in the
workforce in record numbers just prior to the pandemic. Even if women still were
not earning as much as men, the future seemed optimistic.

advertisement

advertisement



So, what is going to bring them back? We know childcare, flexible work
schedules, and the ability to work from home are top of mind for working women.
But in addition to these benefits, employers also need to focus on education,
which takes the form of career planning, investments in learning and
development, and customized training for the most lucrative and in-demand jobs
of the future.

If this seems like a daunting task, there is one fool-proof place to start:
Employer-provided education and tuition assistance benefits. These kinds of
offerings provide opportunities for female employees that will propel them into
the roles of the future where they are currently underrepresented, like data
science, software development, and engineering. Women hold 56% of college
degrees overall, but just 36% of science, technology, engineering, and math
(STEM) degrees, and compose only 25% of the STEM workforce, according to the
World Economic Forum.

Investment in education is going to be essential for women if they are to have a
role in the future workforce. For one thing, research has shown that the future
of automation and advances in digital technology will disproportionately affect
women, a segment of the workforce that is overrepresented in roles that are
highly vulnerable to automation, including clerical roles like back office and
administrative staff, customer service and call center jobs, and frontline
service jobs.

advertisement

advertisement


The International Monetary Fund (IMF) projects that 11% of jobs currently held
by women (a higher percentage than jobs held by men) are at risk of elimination
due to artificial intelligence (AI) and other digital technologies.

Without a doubt, women are exceptionally vital to our workforce. History tells
us that when more women participate in the workforce, economies tend to grow.
For organizations, recruiting and retaining female employees is not just about
contributing to a diverse and equitable workforce, but building a workforce that
reflects the fabric of our country and setting companies up to compete on a
global level.

So, what can organizations do to promote the women in their existing workforce
into high-paying careers and roles that will allow them continued success in the
future? Below are four actionable ways to ensure female employees have the same
access to education opportunities that will help grow their careers as men:

advertisement

 * Remove cost barriers: According to EdAssisst Solution’s recent study of
   working adults, women have reported financial barriers as one of the most
   significant barriers to participation in education programs. Employers can
   help relieve employees of cost concerns by removing the need to pay upfront
   by paying the school directly, and perhaps even covering some or all of the
   program costs. T-Mobile, for example, covers 100% of tuition, fees, and books
   for employees, in addition to pre-paying tuition upfront, leaving employees
   with no out-of-pocket costs. As a result, the company has seen a 92%
   retention rate for education program users.
 * Offer short, non-degree options to remove time constraints: Providing a
   variety of programs for employees to choose from—such as boot camps, and
   professional certifications—will be key to the educational success of
   employees strapped for time. Raytheon Technologies recently expanded its
   education benefits program to include non-degree offerings for non-credit
   bearing certificates, certifications and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs).
   The program has proven successful among employees, with a 6% utilization rate
   in the U.S. and Canada across the organization.
 * Communicate and encourage women to seek out education programs: According to
   our study, more than half of women do not feel they are getting the guidance
   they need from their employers around pursuing education, including what
   programs are available to them, how to get started, or what skill sets will
   best benefit their career. Keeping an open dialogue with employees about
   education opportunities through manager discussions, annual reviews, employee
   newsletters, and even education coaches can help employees understand their
   best path to success. One company we work with that was seeking to increase
   female representation in leadership positions added success coaching to their
   education program, as well as increased communication to employees around the
   program. As a result, they have seen participation by female employees double
   compared to that of male employees.
 * Provide student loan support: Support for student loans is also worth
   considering, as female student borrowers have an average debt that is 9.6%
   higher than their male peers one year after graduation, which may prevent
   them from pursuing additional education. Orlando Health offers both a
   generous tuition assistance program and a student loan repayment program to
   complement it. In 2020 alone, Orlando Health supported 619 nurses on their
   journey to degrees, and has improved the financial wellness of nearly 600
   nurses to date through student loan assistance. The health system has seen
   more than a 10% increase in employee retention among those participating in
   its education benefits program.

I would be remiss to not also mention one additional benefit that will have a
direct impact on a woman’s ability to opt-in to an education program: childcare.
If an employee has children and is already balancing work and family, offering a
childcare benefit would help remove a major barrier to completing an education
program—giving them the peace of mind that they can focus on the skills and
content at hand without worrying about what their child is doing in the next
room.

The organizations that continue to thrive in the future will all have one common
defining feature—a commitment to diversity and fostering a culture of growth and
development. Offering professional development and career advancement
opportunities that are tailored to the future needs of the workforce will
provide women with at-risk jobs the valuable skills they need to advance their
careers and excel in their roles. Organizations who see the value in investing
in both the skills development and diversity of their workforce now will find
themselves leading the way in the future of work.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dr. Jill Buban is the vice president and general manager of EdAssist Solutions
at Bright Horizons, an employee solutions company, providing services such as
childcare and education for working families.


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IMPACT

Impact


THIS MASK GLOWS IF YOU HAVE COVID

Impact


ARE ESG RATINGS ACTUALLY MEASURING HOW RESPONSIBLE A COMPANY IS?

Impact


THESE GORGEOUS ZARA PARTY DRESSES ARE MADE FROM CARBON EMISSIONS


NEWS

News


OF ALL THE THINGS BIDEN COULD MAKE A PRIORITY, WHY STUDENT-DEBT REPAYMENT?

News


PASSPORTS, IRS CALLS, SS BENEFITS, AND OTHER GOVERNMENT CHORES THAT MIGHT GET
MODERNIZED SOON

News


DO YOU FEEL SAFE AT YOUR JOB? MORE THAN ONE-THIRD OF GIG WORKERS DON’T


CO.DESIGN

Fast Company Magazine


HERE’S WHY THE E-BIKE MARKET HAS TAKEN FLIGHT

Co.Design


INSIDE THE $22 BILLION DEODORANT INDUSTRY’S EFFORT TO DITCH PLASTIC

Co.Design


FORGET ENGAGEMENT RINGS: TURN YOUR VOICE INTO A ONE-OF-A-KIND GEMSTONE


WORK LIFE

Work Life


HOW TO USE LINKEDIN’S COVER STORY FEATURE TO STAND OUT TO RECRUITERS

Work Life


FEELING CONSTANTLY STRESSED? BLAME YOUR ‘THREAT BRAIN’

Work Life


AS A LEADER, I RESISTED REMOTE WORK. HERE’S HOW I FLIPPED THE SCRIPT

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