Improve Retention of Women Leaders by Modifying Mentor Programs

Women leaders – already underrepresented in corporate settings – are switching jobs at the highest rate in years, significantly more than men in leadership, according to the 2022 Women in the Workplace report from LeanIn.org and McKinsey & Company.

For every woman at the director level who gets a promotion, two women directors are voluntarily leaving their organization.

Rachel Schall Thomas

CEO of LeanIn.Org

When considering women's advancement in the workplace, it is important to remember that retaining female employees is critical. Whether it's through providing equal pay and opportunities, or creating a more inclusive and supportive workplace culture, there are many things that can be done to encourage women to stay with their current employer.

One way to recruit and retain women is to ensure that female workers have effective and transparent professional growth opportunities. Employers should ensure that their policies, processes, and practices support employee growth by offering equal access to learning and development programs, career-pathing tools, stretch assignments, and promotion opportunities.

If you are not sure where to begin, consider offering a mentorship program.

Mentorship has been shown to help retention and promotion rates of women, particularly minority women, by 15 - 28%.

Almost 70% of women view mentorship as a crucial factor in their career advancement. Unfortunately, only 10% of women have actually had a mentor.

This gap is exacerbated by additional inequities. Research shows that there are fewer opportunities for career advice from senior leaders. Up to 60% of men in senior-level positions are uncomfortable in a mentor role with women. When mentorship is available, women are primarily coached on how they present themselves, whereas men are primarily coached on business functions.

Establishing a formal mentorship program can help balance access to mentors as well as sharing of business knowledge between males and females. ?

Creating equal opportunities for growth is critical, but more focus is needed on the processes behind them to increase retention of female workers.

Ronda Robinson is a leading talent strategist and the founder of?Retain My Team? .?As a Certified Professional in Talent Development? (CPTD) and Master Performance Consultant she has been applying behavioral neuroscience to workplace solutions for over 20 years. She is a keynote speaker and author. She has been featured on NBC, CBS, Fox News, USA Today, Global Woman Magazine, London Business Magazine, and The Business Woman Today magazine.

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