Yes, that’s right. Women are more engaged overall at work than men. Wow! So what does this mean for your company?
It means that keeping your female workers really pays off! More engaged workers increase profits, decrease rehiring costs, promote better workplace communication, and support a more positive overall work environment. Higher employee engagement levels benefit everyone.
According to Gallup’s 2017 report titled “Women in America: Work and Life Well-Lived,” 35% of female employees are engaged at work compared to only 29% of their male counterparts. Perhaps this seems like a small difference, but if, for example, you have 1,000 employees, that means 60 of them will be engaged that wouldn’t be otherwise. That’s no small matter.
So what can employers do to keep all team members happy and engaged? According to Meghan M. Biro, founder and CEO of TalentCulture, it pays off to take advantage of female managers:
Having a female manager matters — employees with a female boss are six percentage points more engaged, on average, than those who report to a male supervisor, the Gallup survey found. Female managers excel at cultivating the potential of the people who report to them, helping them develop new skills and abilities. They also check in with their direct reports more frequently than male managers do — providing the critical feedback employees seek.
Biro encourages companies to not only understand their users and audience, but to pay special attention to the needs of female workers and their potential pain points.
Just as products and services are designed to keep customers happy, design your business, benefits, and communication systems to meet the needs of female workers.
For example, if a woman is pregnant or lactating, consider helping her to feel that her unique needs are being addressed in the workplace; this will ensure that female workers stay more highly engaged. And of key interest is the idea that the senior female worker is a bit like a canary in a coal mine. When she is unhappy, a company will tend to be unhealthy. If senior women on your team are engaged and satisfied, the whole company tends to follow.
According to Biro,
“Companies that get it right for [senior-level] women tend to get it right for everyone in the organization,” writes Claire Tracey, one of the authors of the BCG report, “The Rewards of an Engaged Female Workforce.” Addressing the issue, she explains, can help fix the culture for the entire company.
Take a look at Biro’s insightful article for more detail on employee engagement as it relates specifically to women. In the end, female workers are a great asset and are more easily engaged. They can do wonders for any company… if their needs are addressed, if communication is healthy, if they are valued in management positions, and if they are provided with the flexibility and independence they need to thrive professionally.
At MeetingPulse, we provide a simple and convenient browser-based audience response solution that works great for both on-site and virtual workers!
Our real-time survey and polling software runs easily from any browser, so you’ll never need to download an app. Anyone can easily participate using their mobile device or computer via a short link.
MeetingPulse technology was developed with simplicity in mind and offers a wide array of customizable options to fit your meeting needs in relation to employee engagement, organizational development, and workplace communication.
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