Public & Private Best Practices Searchable format by company and type of practice coming soon. Strategies Used By Companies to Recruit and Retain Women and Minorities in Engineering by Suzanne G. Brainard, Ph.D. University of Washington The Problem1 The Strategies Recruitment Strategies Retention Strategies Conclusion The Problem2 As in most other countries, the field of engineering in the US has been traditionally occupied by men. However, demographic trends indicate that by the year 2000 sixty-eight percent of the new entrants into the US3 labor force will be women and minorities. Led by government and industry, this reality has manifested itself in a national movement to encourage educational institutions to increase the numbers of women and minorities pursuing careers in engineering. Traditionally this group, which is the workforce of the future, has not been targeted for careers in science or engineering. Table 1: New Entrants Into the Labor Force 1988 - 2000 One of the incentives for educational institutions to focus on issues of equity is a demand on the part of industry to produce more women and minorities with degrees in engineering. The effects of this pressure from business and industry have already taken place. Grants to institutions from federal agencies, corporations and foundations are now predicated on the need to produce a diverse and well-trained workforce. In order for institutions to be recipients of this funding, they need to demonstrate that what they are doing will in fact contribute to increasing a diverse talent pool. To illustrate this point, Edgar S. Woolard, Jr.4, CEO of DuPont, took a stand for affirmative action in the business world: "For nearly three decades, affirmative action has served as a powerful catalyst for bringing diverse and talented people to companies like DuPont. Affirmative action has compelled American business to examine employment practices that were out of step with the reality of the changing workforce demographics and equal opportunity. None of the current debate or the recent US Supreme Court ruling diminishes our belief in affirmative action." Woolard described diversity as good for business, citing three major reasons: "Fierce global competition - people of various cultures and nationalities are customers, competitors, employees and other stakeholders. Enriched business decisions, new markets - teams with a mixture of gender, racial and ethnic backgrounds produce multidimensional and innovative decisions. Recruiting advantage and talent - competition for the most qualified employees including women and minorities is stiff. Diversity is an effective recruiting tool since the comfortable and supportive environment that can be developed attracts and retains talented people." Gene Tucker5, Director of Equal Employment Opportunity and Workforce Diversity in Schering-Plough's Pharmaceutical Division, said, "In order to ensure that we are competitive with anyone in the global marketplace, we have to be sure that we're getting the best help we can. If you exclude any particular group, by gender, race, or religion, you would be excluding the person who's going to discover the next blockbuster product or someone who can contribute in another meaningful way in marketing, engineering, or elsewhere." For the US to remain competitive in a global technological society, it must take serious steps to create a diverse, well-trained and multicultural labor force. Traditionally women and minorities have been underrepresented in engineering careers. Women are only 8% of all working engineers this year. The enrollment of women students in engineering curricula grew from less than 2% of engineering enrollments in the 1960s to more than 19% in 19946. Similarly, baccalaureate engineering degrees conferred on women grew from less than 1% to more than 16% in the same time period7. In 1994, women received 16.1% of the bachelor's degrees, 15.7% of the master's degrees and 9.7% of the doctorate degrees8. Similarly, African Americans, Latinos and American Indians constitute 28.5% of the college-age population, but less than 6%of the engineering workforce and, in 1996, comprised fewer than 10% of the bachelors degree graduates in engineering and 3% of the doctorates9. Minority women, 15% of the college-age population, make up only 1.1% of the engineering workforce and, in 1996, received only 2.7% of the bachelor's degrees and 0.7% of the doctorates in engineering10. However, it is important to note that the seven years between 1976 and 1983 yielded stagnant growth for minorities and women11. During this time, neither government or industry were exerting pressure on institutions. Clearly, government and industry have been the catalyst in this national movement to create a diverse pool of engineers. Yet, problems remain in the recruitment and retention of women and minorities into the engineering professions. According to George Campbell, President of NACME, the declines in engineering enrollment are not associated with changes in college participation rates, smaller numbers of qualified high school graduates, decreases in the numbers of 18 year-olds or any other demographic shifts. They reflect instead a fundamental change in values, interests and choices among students12. At the same time, the demand for engineers is growing. During the past four years, actual engineering employment increased from 1,717,000 to 2,051,000, a growth of almost twenty percent13. To meet the challenge of a shrinking talent pool, demographic shifts, and a greater demand for engineers, companies have begun over the last few years to implement recruitment and retention programs targeted at women and minorities in the engineering professions. The Strategies A common theme from companies that report success in creating a diverse workforce is that the commitment to recruit and retain women and minorities must come from top level management. This commitment includes the implementation of an on-going program that has a line item in the budget. Companies that have made a commitment to critically self-analyze themselves have realized that what benefits women and minorities usually benefits white men14. The next few pages will present a brief overview of some of the strategies that companies have employed to increase the recruitment and retention of women and minorities. A list of companies employing each strategy is also included, although it should not be considered comprehensive. In addition, the appendix includes website addresses of companies named in this report. Recruitment Strategies Companies have found that recruitment of women and minorities can be facilitated by establishing relationships with high schools, colleges and universities. Examples of the types of programs that are often sponsored by industry include: Scholarships and Fellowships for Undergraduate and Graduate Women and Minorities (AlCOA, American Cyanamid, AT&T Bell Laboratories, Corning Inc., Dow Chemical Company, DuPont, Hewlett Packard Company, IBM Corporation, ICI Americas Inc., Intel, Microsoft, NCR, Polaroid Foundation, Union Carbide Corporation, United Technologies, Westinghouse, Weyerhaeuser) Internship Programs (Advanced Micro Devices, American Cyanamid, Corning Inc., Dow Chemical Company, DuPont, Eastman Kodak, Hewlett Packard Company, IBM Corporation, ICI Americas Inc., Intel, Lockheed Martin Control Systems, Microsoft, Mobil, Polaroid Foundation, Primex, Union Carbide Corporation, United Technologies, Westinghouse, Weyerhaeuser) CO-OP Programs (American Cyanamid, Corning Inc., Dow Chemical Company, DuPont, Hewlett Packard Company, IBM Corporation, ICI Americas Inc., Intel, Mercury, Microsoft, Mobil, Polaroid Foundation, Union Carbide Corporation, United Technologies, Westinghouse, Weyerhaeuser) High School Outreach (Advanced Micro Devices, Corning Inc., American Cyanamid, DuPont, Hewlett Packard Company, IBM Corporation, ICI Americas Inc., Intel, Microsoft, Mobil, Polaroid Foundation, Union Carbide Corporation, United Technologies, Westinghouse, Weyerhaeuser) Community College Outreach (GDE Systems, Phillip Morris Companies) Grants to Students for Professional Development (AT&T Bell Labs) Relationships with Student Organizations (i.e., SWE, NSBE, AISES, SHPE) (American Cyanamid, DuPont, Corning Inc., Hewlett Packard Company, IBM Corporation, ICI Americas Inc., Intel, Microsoft, Mobil, Polaroid Foundation, Union Carbide Corporation, United Technologies, Westinghouse, Weyerhaeuser) Serving on Boards of Professional Organizations (WEPAN, NAMEPA, NACME) (AT&T, American Cyanamid, Corning, Inc., Dow Chemical Company, DuPont, Hewlett Packard Company, IBM Corporation, ICI Americas Inc., Intel, Microsoft, Mobil, Polaroid Foundation, Union Carbide Corporation, United Technologies, Westinghouse, Weyerhaeuser) Funding Grant Programs to Colleges and Universities (ALCOA, AT&T, Corning, Dow Chemical Company, DuPont, Hewlett Packard, IBM Corporation, Intel, Microsoft, Mobil, Northrup Grumman, Westinghouse, Weyerhaeuser, and many more) Retention Strategies Career Development US companies have aggressively begun to provide incentives for women and minorities to join and remain in their workforce. One of the incentives is career development programs. A report from a survey of women engineers indicated that "Active career development programs, whether targeted specifically for women or for employees in general, are beneficial to women."15 Including supervisors in a recognition and reward process increases the effectiveness of career development programs. Programs should encourage and facilitate the entrance of minorities and women into the management career ladder. (AT&T, AT&T Bell Labs, Barrios Technology, DuPont, Eastman Kodak, General Motors Corporation, Intel, Lockheed Martin Central Systems, Lockheed Martin Missiles & Space Co., Loral Infrared and Imaging Systems, Parke-Davis Pharmaceutical Research, PSW Technologies, State Street Boston Corporation, Stone & Webster, TRW Systems Integration Group, UNISYS) Mentoring Programs Women and minorities who establish successful engineering careers, almost without exception, have had important mentors who have encouraged them, provided them with advice, and steered them through early phases of their careers.16 Corporate mentoring programs range from the formal to the informal. One-on-one mentoring is most often used, although group mentoring does occur. Several companies have set up mentoring programs, matched individuals by career track and discipline, but very few actually train their participants how to establish and maintain an effective relationship. And, even fewer companies evaluate the success of their mentoring programs on retention or job satisfaction. (Advanced Micro Devices, Barrios Technology, BDM International, Inc., Central Intelligence Agency, Lockheed Martin Missiles & Space Co., NCR, United Defense - ASD) Networks Formal and informal networks offer the opportunity for women and minorities to share experiences, mentor each other, and learn about the unwritten rules to success. While once frowned upon as subversive or detracting from career opportunity, corporations now see the benefits of special interest groups in their organization. Many companies have assisted in the establishment of these groups and have even come to rely upon them for information and guidance in management. (Ameritech, BDM International, Inc., Central Intelligence Agency, Chubb Group of Insurance Companies, Corning, Inc., Eastman Kodak, GDE Systems, General Motors, Harley-Davidson, Honeywell, Hughes Aircraft, Lockheed Martin Missiles & Space Co., Lucent, Microsoft, Motorola Semi Conductor, NCR, Pitney Bowes Inc., Price Waterhouse, Texas Instruments, UNISYS, Xerox) Compensation Recognizing that salary disparities do exist, some companies have initiated salary studies to identify such disparities. In addition, compensation has a strong influence on the retention of women and minorities, especially at the early stages of their careers. While most students are not taught about negotiating compensation packages, women and minorities are often even more naive about the potential impact of what an initial salary has upon subsequent career opportunities. A 1990 study traced "31 to 34 percent of gender differences in current salaries to difference in starting salary."17 (AT&T Bell Labs, Xerox, Motorola, Mitsubishi) Family Policies In an effort to make companies "family-friendly" for both male and female employees, a number of creative strategies have been implemented. Flexible work schedules and maternity leave are examples of the most commonly tried. Others include: staggered work schedules; excused absence for emergencies or unpredictable situations; unpaid personal leave for family-related matters; part-time employment; job sharing; vacation carryover; on-site child care; career-family balancing training; child-care referral; and, paid and unpaid sabbaticals. (Advanced Micro Devices, Aerospace Corporation, ALCOA, AT&T Bell Labs, Computer Associates, Mentor Graphics, Mercury, Nortel, Pitney Bowes, Schering-Plough, Scios Nova, TRW Systems Integration Group, UNISYS, United Technologies) Attrition Accountability Recognizing that the turnover rate for women and minorities is higher than for white males, companies have begun to conduct studies to examine the trends and identify the problems. Coupled with statistics on retention rates by race and gender, companies use surveys of job satisfaction and exit interviews to identify problems. One of the side benefits of conducting surveys is that employees perceive management is interested in and committed to addressing minority and women's perceptions of the company, their job satisfaction and their work environment. However, it is critical that some action steps are taken to address problems identified by employees or a general employee morale problem will develop. (ALCOA, Corning, Inc., State Street, Stone & Webster, Inc., Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky, United Defense - ASD) Diversity Training Several companies provide and require diversity training on an on-going basis to all employees and have found that it is most successful. Implementing the training as a company-wide initiative has assisted in changing the workplace culture. As an extra boost to effect workplace climate, a few companies have made strident efforts to change the format of meetings so that minority and women manager's ideas and thoughts are not over-shadowed by traditional males. (Adaptec , BDM International, DuPont, Eastman Kodak, Lockheed Martin, NCR, Primex) Conclusion In conclusion, companies have employed a number of different types of strategies to recruit and retain women and minorities. Although there are a number of strategies such as creating family friendly policies that are generalizable across all types of companies, there are other that need to be customized to the specific organization's environment. Conducting an initial needs assessment or analysis of a particular work environment is a critical first step. If a company decides to just pick a couple of programs to implement without thoroughly assessing the situation, the result will often be no change after the initial effects have worn off. Consequently, it is critical to conduct a needs assessment and build in a feedback loop, which evaluates the effectiveness of a program and provides the opportunity to continually modify and update the program. Finally, without commitment from the CEO and top executive officers in a company, there is little hope that any of the strategies mentioned will be successful. Top management must commit to the value of a diverse workforce, demonstrate that commitment in financial and human resources, and must be visible to the employees as partners in change. 1 Brainard, S.G. and Metz, S.S. (1996, July). A US Partnership for Change: Industry, Education, Government & WEPAN. Proceedings of the World Congress of Engineering Educators and Industry Leaders, UNESCO, Paris, France, 3, 161-170. 2 Brainard, S.G. and Metz, S.S. (1996, July). A US Partnership for Change: Industry, Education, Government & WEPAN. Proceedings of the World Congress of Engineering Educators and Industry Leaders, UNESCO, Paris, France, 3, 161-170. 3 Changing America: The New Face of Science and Engineering. (1989, December). Final Report of the Task Force on Women, Minorities, and the Handicapped in Science and Technology: National Science Foundation, Washington, DC. 4 Babco, Eleanor. (1995, September). Women in Management. Comments, 32(6), 18. 5 Ibid, Babco, p. 16. 6 Engineering Manpower Commission of the American Association of Engineering Societies, Inc. (1995). Engineering and Technology Enrollments: Washington, DC, annual series. 7 Engineering Manpower Commission of the American Association of Engineering Societies, Inc.(1995). Engineering and Technology Degrees: Washington, DC, annual series. 8 Engineering Workforce Bulletin. (1994). Women in Engineering. Washington, DC: American Association of Engineering Societies, Inc. 9 Campbell, George (1997). Engineering and Affirmative Action: Crisis in the Making. NACME Research Letter, Special Edition, New York, NY, 2. 10 Ibid, p. 3. 11 AAES Engineering Workforce Bulletin (1993, May). Women in Engineering. American Association of Engineering Societies, Inc., Number 125. 12 Ibid, p. 5. 13 Ibid, p. 7. 14 National Academy of Sciences. (1994). Women Scientists and Engineers Employed in Industry: Why So Few? (Washington, DC: National Academy Press), 112. 15 Ibid, p. 69. 16 Ibid. p. 71 17 Stevens, C.K., Bavetta, A.G., and Gist, M.E. (1993). Gender differences in the acquisition of salary negotiation skills: the role of goals, self-efficacy, and perceived control. Journal of Applied Psychology, 78. 5, 723-735.