PIHRA Scope - January/February 2008 - (Page 20) VANISHING continued from page 19 WHAT CAN COMPANIES DO? The key to keeping Gen-X women on staff, especially as we enter an era of a talent shortage, is for companies to adopt a “We Want to Keep You” attitude. Here are seven strategies companies need to implement to keep this important work group: 1 Equal Pay: Make it clear that men and women receive the same pay for the same work. Unlike the Boomers, who honored company policies of not discussing salary with each other, Gen-Xers talk to one another about salary. That means your Gen-X women will quickly discover if the pay scales are unequal. Pay them fairly. 3 2 FEATURE continued Flex Schedules: With the birth of children, Gen-X women want the opportunity to attend family activities. For them, sequential eight-hour days are not necessarily ideal. Gen-X women want the opportunity to work their hours when it’s convenient for them. This may mean working 7-3 rather than 9-5, working four 10-hour days and having three days off, or it could mean coming to the office for half the day and finishing work at home. 4 40-Hour Work Weeks: The Boomers were interested in making a difference and had no problem putting in 50-, 60-, and even 70hour weeks. Gen-Xers are interested in autonomy, a good work schedule and time off. If they choose to work full-time, they want to work their 40 hours and that’s it. This does not mean they are lazy compared to Boomers. In fact, when they work their 40 hours, they work hard and accomplish a great deal. However, because they highly value life balance, they won’t sacrifice their family for work. 5 Mentoring: Gen-X women want a clear career map. They want to identify how they can make a positive impact on their working world. Therefore, offer mentoring where employees can identify what is satisfying about their jobs and develop career plans. Even though college is over, this group still wants to grow professionally. 6 Part-Time Employment and Job Sharing: If a Gen-X woman wants to work part-time, consider offering job sharing, where two or more people share the same job. This way, between the two employees, you have the equivalent of a fulltime employee’s duties. While many organizations have added this benefit to their HR policies, many Gen-X women are reporting that they are being refused this company-published benefit. Focus on the Family: According to the Federal Forum on Family Statistics, 90 percent of fathers are attending the births of their children, and this is the first time since the 1960s that we are experiencing a focus on the family. Employers need to clearly state, both in words and actions, that they will do whatever they can to help women focus on family, especially when the employees’ children are in their formidable years. So if an employee has a child that plays softball after school, let her leave work to attend the game. Remember, Gen-Xers do get the work done when it needs to be done. Therefore, give them the flexibility to actually be parents. 20 PIHRAScope January/February 2008
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.