Welcome to another minisode on STEM Workplace Transformation. Today’s topic is Key Metrics for Assessing Your STEM Workplace Climate.
This minisode is taken from my STEM Workplace Transformation Blog. Find the full posting at HerEngineeringCareer.com/blog2.
Advanced innovation is something you strive for. Which means you need a diverse workforce in your organization.
You can determine if your workplace climate is lacking in support for diversity by performing an internal assessment.
In this minisode I’m providing some general guidance for this assessment. But I can also walk you through it step by step. Learn more and contact me at HerEngineeringCareer.com.
Check the Status of Your STEM Workplace and Its Diversity Strategy
Before you start your assessment take a look at your STEM team from a diversity standpoint.
With an unbiased eye, you want to see a diversity of people. A diversity of backgrounds, cultures, ethnicities, and genders.
You want to see different personalities, styles, strengths and abilities.
Also, for your diversity strategy to be most effective, it must be integrated into your overall corporate strategy.
Your top leaders should embrace it.
Your managers held accountable for it.
A diverse workforce should be part of your vision.
If this is not the case in your organization, your diversity strategy will not be effective.
4 Ways to Assess Your STEM Workplace for Supporting Diversity
If your STEM workforce is not very diverse, and the workplace climate does not seem as welcoming and supportive as it should be, then there are several approaches you can take to change this.
An internal assessment will help you determine what to focus on.
I recommend assessing the following 4 areas.
- Recruiting, Interviewing, and Attracting Candidates
Assess how you’re recruiting. How you’re drawing in and interviewing candidates.
And take a look at the messages you’re sending.
Consider:
- The relationship and collaboration between HR managers and STEM hiring managers
- Your learnings from exit interviews or candidates who turn down offers
- The appropriateness and appeal of your recruiting materials and practices
- How fair and bias-free your hiring practices are
- How you review and continuously improve your hiring practices
- How hiring decisions are made.
- Breaking Down Barriers to Inclusion
People who don’t feel included are likely to not engage. And eventually will either find another job or disengage altogether.
To assess how your company is doing on inclusion, consider:
- The approaches you’re taking to improve bias awareness
- The practices you have – or need to put – in place to promote inclusion
- Ways you encourage employees’ different styles and approaches
- Access to support and feedback systems to assist all employees
- How you manage remote employees and help them stay connected and engaged.
- Providing Career Growth and Promotion Opportunities
Employees who continue to have growth and promotion opportunities are more satisfied in their jobs.
You want to ensure that access to opportunities is fair and well communicated.
Other things to consider are:
- Any unintended barriers to growth and promotion that may exist
- STEM employees’ access to mentors, sponsors, and coaches
- How future leader candidates are identified and selected to be groomed
- How willing your leaders are to sponsoring protégés who are not like them.
- Enabling Workforce Flexibility
Flexible work policies allow employees to manage work and family and other community and outside activities.
When assessing workforce flexibility, consider:
- The family-friendly policies you have in place
- Whether such policy information is readily available, easy to access and apply
- How you ensure fairness in the assignment of extra duties
- Your expectations for overtime and if they are fair and reasonable
- Your remote or hybrid work policies and practices.
Next Steps Following Your STEM Workplace Assessment
After completing this assessment you’ll have a clearer picture of what your STEM workplace is like and how it supports diversity.
It’ll help you see where the gaps are.
Use the assessment results to plan for the changes and improvements needed to drive innovation, customer satisfaction and ultimately better business outcomes.
