IT’S ALL ABOUT THE

BUSINESS CASE – A GUIDE

TO GETTING INVESTMENT

FOR YOUR GENDER

DIVERSITY STRATEGY

STRATEGYEV

MIND THE SAVINGS GAP

3 WAYS YOUR BUSINESS

CAN ADDRESS

THE GENDER PENSION

IMBALANCE

News from everywoman and our partners, coupled with the latest thinking from the world

of leadership and diversity

WHAT'S NEW AT

EVERYWOMAN?

AN INCREDIBLE JOURNEY:

KATRINA ROBERTS

ON GOING FROM

EVERYWOMAN AWARD-

WINNER TO JUDGE AND

BEYOND

CREATING A CULTURE

THAT LEADS THE WAY

FOR GENDER DIVERSITY:

5 KEY ACTIONS FOR

LEADERS IN BUSINESS

14

TAKE A LOOK AT OUR

EVENTS, AWARDS,

ACADEMIES AND MORE

November 2016

Welcome to UPDATEWelcome to UPDATE, where you'll find the latest news on employee engagement and discover what we've been up to at everywoman.

Back in 2012, we published the results of our Focus On The Pipeline report, which clearly demonstrated the hugely negative impact a lack of female role models was having on women in business.

In response, we launched our digital learning and development platform, the everywomanNetwork in 2013. Three years on, 20,000+ members in 100+ countries later, we’re delighted that our strategy for showcasing role models is starting to pay dividends. As a direct result of access to the senior figures on our digital platforms, more women are focusing on their career paths, and crucially, are more confident of their chances of promotion.

The full results of our member survey are published in our white paper, Retaining and Advancing Women in Business: A model for success in which we reveal the proven methods everywoman has been using to ensure more women achieve their career dreams. It’s a must read for business leaders and HR or D&I professionals looking to build a solid business case for investment in their female talent.

When women are given the resources they need to progress, powerful things happen. Nowhere was that more evident than at our everywoman Academy: Advancing Women in Technology. The energy at this Manchester event was electric, and we’re already getting feedback from inspired members on how the day’s lessons are being put to brilliant use back in their workplaces.

The wide range of roles, ages and backgrounds of those in attendance is matched only by the fabulous diversity we’re seeing in our nominees for the 2017 FDM everywoman in Technology Awards. With nominations for the programme just closed, we expect a difficult job on our hands as we sift through the applications.

Finally, we were delighted last month to attend the Women’s Business Council Reception and Awards. As the Progress Report 2016 demonstrates, there is still much to do to ensure young girls pursue careers in STEM industries. But it’s essential we regularly pause to celebrate the brilliant initiatives that are already driving progress.

.

Maxine Benson MBEFounder everywoman

Karen Gill MBEFounder everywoman Page 1

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE BUSINESS CASE – A GUIDE TO GETTING INVESTMENT FOR YOUR GENDER DIVERSITY STRATEGYHow do today’s Human Resources leaders and Diversity & Inclusion champions secure the investment needed to attract, engage, advance and retain their organisation’s female talent? By building a solid business case, showing a clear return on investment, says our new publication…

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The economic impact of Brexit is arguably the biggest concern of British business leaders today. A recent Financial News debate questioned the impact of leaving the EU on gender diversity, with less than optimistic participants recalling how women “fell out of the City” following the 2008 crash.1

With UK businesses already lagging behind the global average when it

comes to female representation in senior roles (36% have no women at the top, compared to 33% the world over),2 we simply cannot afford to allow gender diversity to become a footnote in the annual report.

Our 2016 study shows that there are two tried and tested methods for building a stronger talent pipeline in your organisation: 1) Giving your existing talent access to strong female

role models, and, 2) Developing women at all levels of your organisation with tailored, accessible, inspirational and applicable learning tools. Crucially, for HR professionals challenged with securing tightly-controlled budget, this two-pronged approach doesn’t just shift the gender balance; it reduces turnover and increases organisation-wide innovation and profitability too.

Giving your existing talent access to strong female role models

2Developing women at all levels of your organisation with tailored, accessible,

inspirational and applicable learning tools

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Build a case for more female role models

Previous research by everywoman uncovered that female middle managers view female role models as the single most effective means by which they can grow their own careers.3 More recently, we have discovered that when women are given opportunities to learn from those further along the talent pipeline, powerful things happen. Nearly three quarters (74%) of women feel more inspired when they are regularly able to ‘see what they can be’, and, as a result, are 42% more likely to be promoted.

Build a case for learning and development

Today’s worker has an enormous appetite for learning and development on the job – an appetite, which, unfortunately, is simply not being sated by their current employers (only 38% of Learning & Development professionals feel they can adequately meet this need).4 This leads individuals to spend upwards of three hours each week, sourcing their own learning, via books, blogs and videos.5

Smart organisations won’t rest on their laurels, allowing these progression-

hungry employees to find and fund their own development. To do so is to make these - your most ambitious workers - an almost certain flight risk. Research by ICEDR shows that when women are not receiving adequate learning and development, they are far more likely to look to their organisations’ competitors for employment. In fact, inadequate training is the second biggest reason cited by job leavers – ahead of work-life balance, dissatisfaction with salary levels, and the search for meaningful work.6

However, when women are given the right levels of support, they are much more likely to see a future with their current employers. In fact, 75% of women who’ve embarked on a regularly learning and development programme, see themselves staying on in their roles.7

Build a case for profitability

The bottom line on gender diversity is that it impacts positively on business performance. A growing body of research shows that gender-balanced teams outperform homogenous ranks, and by a considerable margin. In the UK, FTSE 350 companies with male-only boards are estimated to be foregoing potential profits that could boost GDP by around 3%,8 adding an additional £23 billion to the treasury.9

Build a case against doing nothing

As we’ve seen, investing in your female talent can positively impact on profit. But failing to invest doesn’t just mean less potential for profit – it means greater turnover costs too. With previous everywoman research highlighting that 43% of women would like to leave their present employers, and more than half that number (24%) for a competitor organisation, the impact on recruitment budgets and business continuity – not to mention your competitive positioning – shouldn’t be underestimated.

A TriNet study found that the cost

and learning and development in your business - in our white paper Retaining and Advancing Women in Business: A model for success.

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Discover more tools for building a solid business case for gender diversity – as well as our innovative

solution for implementing role modelling and learning and development in your business - in our

white paper Retaining and Advancing Women in Business: A model for success.

of each professional staff member leaving your business is equal to that person’s salary. Therefore, if you have 10 professionals each earning £45,000 a year, that’s £450,000 in turnover costs.10 That doesn’t take into account the loss of productivity, whereby a new hire is estimated to take up to 28 weeks to reach optimum output.11

Despite the fact that women only account for 24% of senior management positions in the UK, our research finds that turnover costs could amount to as much as 64% of all turnover.

We believe our model for success is a potent one, which, implemented effectively, can positively impact on gender balance and wider business success.

Discover more tools for building a solid business case for gender diversity – as well as our innovative solution for implementing role modelling

SOURCES1McNulty, L. (2016). How will Brexit impact gender diversity in the City? Financial News, [online] July 2016. Available at: Lucy McNulty http://www.efinancialnews.com/story/2016-07-07/fn-women-in-finance-breakfast-brexit-gender-diversity

2Grant Thornton. (2016). Women in business turning promise into practice. Available at:

http://www.grantthornton.global/en/insights/articles/women-in-business-2016/ 3Alexander Mann Solutions and everywoman. (2012). Focus On The Pipeline: Engaging the full potential of female middle managers. Available at: https://www.everywoman.com/focus-on-the-pipeline

4Degreed. (2016). How the workforce learns in 2016. Available at: http://get.degreed.com/hubfs/Degreed_How_the_Workforce_Learns_in_2016.pdf

5Degreed. (2016). How the workforce learns in 2016. Available at: http://get.degreed.com/hubfs/Degreed_How_the_Workforce_Learns_in_2016.pdf

6Noël, L and Hunter, C. (2016) What executives need to know about millennial women. ICEDR. Available at: http://www.icedr.org/research/documents/15_millennial_women.pdf

7everywoman. (2016). Retaining and Advancing Women in Business:A model for success. Available at: INSERT LINK

8Grant Thornton. (2016). Women in business: the value of diversity. Available at: http://www.grantthornton.global/en/insights/articles/women-in-business-2016/grantthornton.global/globalassets/wib_value_of_diversity.pdf 9Business in the Community, the Prince's Responsible Business Network. (2013). Women and Work: The Facts. Available at: gender.bitc.org.uk/all-resources/factsheets/women-and-work-facts

10TriNet. (2011). Employee Retention: How to keep keepers and maintain optimal turnover. Available at: http://www.trinet.com/documents/white_papers/trinet_wp_employeeretention.pdf

11Oxford Economics. (2014). The Cost of Brain Drain: Understanding the financial impact of staff turnover. Available at http://www.oxfordeconomics.com/my-oxford/projects/264283

What's Next?

MIND THE SAVINGS GAP3 WAYS YOUR BUSINESS CAN ADDRESS

THE GENDER PENSION IMBALANCENearly half of UK females aren’t saving adequately for their retirements, finds a report by Scottish Widows, part of our partner, Lloyds Banking Group. Employers

can play a critical role in closing pension disparity between working men and women. We speak to Retirement Expert, Lynn Graves to find out how.

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Reasons for women’s pension savings shortfall are varied and complex. Millennials are focused on clearing student debts and feel less than optimistic about pay progression. Women in their thirties are feeling the pinch of mortgages while starting families on maternity pay or part-time salaries. And those in their 40s are often struggling with the costs of dependent children and sometimes parents too. Across all age groups, there’s also the huge issue of low awareness about pension planning, leading women to save not at all, or too little, against their plans for retirement.

In their latest annual Women & Retirement Report, Scottish Widows found that only 52% of employed women are putting away enough to secure the future they aspire to.

Since the launch of auto enrolment – a scheme making it compulsory for businesses to enrol eligible employees into a pension scheme – more than 6.5 million British workers have started saving into a pension pot.1

Those earning less than £10,000, however, aren’t eligible. “Being swept up in automatic enrolment is all very well, but the elephant in the room remains […] plenty of women’s part-time incomes [20% of women work part-time compared to just 6% of men] won’t trigger the scheme [even if they work two or more part-time roles which push their incomes over the £10,000 threshold],” says the report.

Government isn’t the only change-maker Scottish Widows want to see made accountable for plugging the gap."

"Addressing the specific issues women face will help raise savings levels, provide greater financial confidence and independence, and ultimately make for more comfortable retirements. Encouragingly, we’re seeing an increasing trend towards employers wanting to provide communications aimed at women,” says Scottish Widows Retirement Expert, Lynn Graves, who shares the three steps businesses can take to plug the gap.

WOMEN & PENSIONS AT A GLANCE

48%of women are not saving

adequately for retirement.

£105is the average amount saved by women each month, compared to £177 by men.

71%of women don’t know what pension pot

they’ll need in order to secure the retirement income they hope for.

28%of retired women received less incomein retirement than they’d expected.

14%of women say they have no understanding

of workplace pensions at all.

Source: Scottish Widows Women & Retirement Report 2015

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1. RECOGNISE DIVERSITY IN YOUR WORKFORCE

“Men and women tend to have different structures in their careers and that impacts the way they save for retirement,” says Graves.

But women have different needs at different life stages too, and so a one-size-fits-all education piece may not be appropriate. “It’s important to talk to people about their long-term saving throughout their lives, and there are certain key moments that shouldn’t be missed.”

Starting a family is one of those. In additional research carried out with the Fawcett Society, Scottish Widows identified a triple cost of having children for women when it comes to retirement savings2: during maternity leave women may pay less into their pensions; when they return to the workforce they often do so on reduced hours, meaning still less goes into the pot; and, the study showed, women are more likely than men to pick up the costs of childcare, meaning less money available for savings.

“There’s an opportunity for employers to help by encouraging women to consider their pension provision at this time, and on returning to work.

In particular, we’d encourage people to think about their shared finances. If women tend to take the hit in terms of lower earning and higher costs when having children – perhaps their partners should top-up their pensions. At the very least, the imbalance should be understood, acknowledged and there be some agreement about what it means for their shared finances,” says Graves.

Another, perhaps less obvious area employers can help tackle is around the thorny subject of marital breakups. “Over three quarters of divorced women say pensions were never discussed as part of a settlement,” says Graves.

Whatever the situation, Scottish Widows advocates personalising information as far as possible: “Our research shows that people place higher value on guidance at work when it’s somewhat tailored to their circumstances - at the top end this could be face-to-face financial advice, but tools and calculators are actually even more popular, especially with younger workers.”

RETAINING YOUR FEMALE TALENT

of women consider an employer

pensions scheme a major incentive

to work for a particular company.

Source: Scottish Widows Women & Retirement Report 2015

60% 23%of women in their 30s say an employer

pension would be anincentive to stay with the

company.

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2. OUTSOURCE THE EXPERTISE

HR directors don’t necessarily need specific pension knowledge in order to educate their female workers about their finances in retirement. An abundance of content is available online or from your pension provider – Scottish Widows, for example, have a series of short videos targeted at female savers3 and there are easy-to-digest Q&As available to aid your female audience in understanding the specific issues.4

“This means you don’t need a huge HR team to tackle pensions – it’s about knowing what’s available, how your workplace pension provider can help, and then joining up the dots,” says Graves.

“We recognise that sometimes there is a nervousness from employers in that they don’t want to stray into providing financial advice - but calling on the content, tools and calculators out there sits firmly in the categories of education or guidance – not advice.”

3. UTILISE YOUR WOMEN’S NETWORK

This is a logical communication platform from which to launch a pension awareness programme – something Lloyds Banking Group has successfully tied into the aims of its Breakthrough network: “Our women’s network is committed to encouraging the development of our female colleagues and closing the gender gap – we’ve been leveraging this group,

with its active members and keen advocates, to highlight the issues facing women when it comes to retirement saving,” says Graves.

Your own network may already have a good understanding of which communication methods will work best, but there may be some trial and error involved. “Face-to-face presentations are always well received,” says Graves, “but being such a large organisation, we find we can reach a lot more colleagues using teleconference and screen-sharing technology, and our staff intranet. We’ve just launched our internal collaboration platform (a bit like social media), Hive. We’ll be using this to reach more people and the best thing is that, given the nature of the platform, it should get discussions going rather than one-way education.”

SOURCES1director.co.uk/financial-planning-auto-enrolment-reaches-200000-employers/

2scottishwidows.co.uk/corporate/employers_and_trustees/eh_insight_triple_cost.html

3youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVFodSPRu2rXtvdGv44NftZxVYek3RKzd

4scottishwidows.co.uk/knowledge-centre/retirement/mumsnet.html

In 2014, Katrina Roberts was nominated in the FDM everywoman in Technology Awards. Despite being “astonished” to be put forward by her colleagues at American Express in the UK, she went on to win in the coveted Leader of the Year category – in recognition of her efforts to inspire and motivate her teams and encourage and support more women into and upwards through the male-dominated technology sector.

Now based out of American Express’ New York City office, she remains actively involved in the programme – nominating subsequent winners and taking on a role as judge. Here, she shares her feelings around winning, the importance of diversity in technology, and how every hard-working woman should nominate themselves for an everywoman Award.

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AN INCREDIBLE JOURNEY: KATRINA ROBERTS ON GOING FROM EVERYWOMAN AWARD-WINNER TO JUDGE AND BEYOND

helping other women progress was something I’d naturally been drawn to alongside my day job. But being so publically acknowledged for that work drew this passion to the attention of the wider company. For example, recently I was asked to lead the diversity agenda across our Technology division.

The Award was also great for the company as a whole. What better way to show young girls and women that American Express – which has gone on to sponsor the Software Engineer of the Year category - is a place where they can have a great, varied and successful career in IT? In that sense, winning – and all the recognition and publicity that went with it – enabled me to give back to American Express for everything they’d done for me.

You went a step further in ‘giving back’ – nominating your colleague Vanessa Hackett for an Award in 2016…

I was so excited to be able to nominate her, and even more

You joined American Express’ UK-based graduate training programme in 1991, and 25 years on you’re Vice President of Consumer and Commercial Lending Technology in New York. What factors have enabled you to go on such a fantastic journey and be so successful?

Thinking back to when I embarked on my career, I didn’t have a grand plan for how I wanted it to go. I was just determined – and still am – to be the best I can possibly be. The fact that I’ve been able to achieve so much has a huge amount to do with the support I’ve received from the most important people in my life. My parents, husband and son are the centre of my world and my ambition has always been linked to wanting to give my family a great life. Like many women, I found it challenging to juggle motherhood with my career – there’d be times when my son was needing attention while I was in the middle of a conference call - but having that support has enabled me to keep going and find a balance.

Then of course, there’s the support I’ve received from American Express, which feels very much like a second family. I have bad days like everyone else, but once I’m over the Monday morning blues, I feel so thankful to be part of such an amazing company. American Express has done so much for me and I have a strong desire to give back. I’m passionate about every new product we launch, becoming very un-British as I race around the office in excitement. And I’m equally passionate about ensuring others are as satisfied to work here and feel as able to succeed as I do. It’s the mark you leave on others – whether that’s coaching them towards a promotion or inspiring them to achieve their dreams – that’s the true mark of success.

You were named Leader of the Year at the 2014 FDM everywoman in Technology Awards. How did that feel?

It was one of the three highlights of my life – absolutely up there with getting married and having my son. I will never forget that feeling of sitting in the room,

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Q wondering if my name would be called. I had a real entourage – my parents, husband, son and best friends were there, as well as my boss and many of the women I’d mentored at American Express. It was incredibly nerve-wracking and I was convinced I wouldn’t win; it might come as a surprise but I don’t have enormous amounts of self-confidence and I know there were people in that room far cleverer than me. I’d turned up late to judging day with ruined hair thanks to bad traffic and pouring rain, and it was amazing that I even got through to the final. Then they started describing the winner and I thought, “This sounds a bit like me!” Next thing I know, my dad – who never cries - was sobbing on my shoulder. To be acknowledged by your peers in a roomful of talented women is just incredible.

Our Awards programmes often set winning women on a journey, giving them a platform to do even greater things. Was that the case for you?

Most definitely. Up until the Award,

A

Q

A

Q

A

Q

A

I influence how others can feel about their work and their careers.

The overwhelming sense I get from the people who work for me is that they want me to succeed. That’s a wonderful feeling, and I’m very conscious that I have to reflect that back. The people doing the real work – the engineers coding our systems – need the right environment to work in. When we get that right, the organisation succeeds, so it’s crucial I use my authority wisely and in a way that leaves people inspired and motivated.

What would you say to someone who’s having doubts about nominating themselves or a colleague for an everywoman Award?

You don’t have to be a genius to win one of these Awards. I come from a very ordinary background; I went to a very ordinary school. I was just lucky enough to meet someone inspirational who set me on a path to a great career in IT. If you’ve made a difference to your

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excited to see her win Team Leader of the Year. Vanessa had worked for me for a number of years and her journey is even more incredible than mine: starting out as an Executive Assistant and rising to Vice President in 18 years. She’s made some amazing changes for her team and everything she’s achieved has been though sheer hard work, determination and a willingness to take on new challenges. She’s a true role model. And of course in 2015 another great American Express role model, Marit Thowsen, won Team Leader of the Year.

Being a senior leader and holding an everywoman Award comes with a big responsibility. Do you feel that in your day-to-day working life?

Absolutely. When you’re in a leadership position, people are watching you: what you say and do has a huge impact. I know just how much of an impact my leaders are capable of having on me, so I’m very conscious of how

Q

A

business, or to others along the journey, you should put yourself forward for an Award. Even if you don’t consider yourself a role model, others might. Nothing bad will come out of putting yourself out there, but potentially something really great could. You’ve nothing to lose.

You’re involved in many initiatives to encourage young girls into STEM subjects and careers. When you’re faced with a roomful of girls unsure about a career in technology, what do you say?

If someone had told me I’d spend my life having a wonderful career in IT, I’d have thought they were insane. At school, whilst I was good at Maths and Science, my real interest was in English and History. I had very little interest in computers, even though my dad made me have one. Yet as soon as I became involved in IT at American Express, I immediately felt at home.

Why was that? Well, there is an

Q

A

Q

image that those in Technology work in isolation from others. But it’s not like that at all. If you like a challenge, if you enjoy being creative, if you want to solve problems in a team and interact with people on a daily basis, come and work in Technology. Don’t be put off by the thought of being one of the few girls in the room either – I have been, and I can promise that it absolutely does not mean you can’t progress or make a difference.

But perhaps the most important point of all is that the industry needs you. I’ve had teams working for me that are heavily male, others heavily female, and others – like the one I have now, that are mixed. I’ve seen the difference diversity makes to the breadth of thoughts and ideas; it’s in that mix that you get the best results.

Finally, for anyone who makes it through to the finals, what’s your hot tip for nailing their thank you speech?

Speak from the heart. That’s what I did. And enjoy it – it’s a glorious moment.

A

Q

A

CREATING A CULTURE THAT LEADS THE WAYFOR GENDER DIVERSITY: 5 KEY ACTIONS FOR LEADERS IN BUSINESS New research by everywoman finds that when women have access to both female role models in business, and quality learning and development, they are more engaged with their organisations, advance further into senior positions and are more likely to view their futures with their existing employers. But before these strategies can be implemented, leaders must lay the foundations for a culture in which all women can flourish.

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“Women are the largest untapped reservoir of talent in the world,” says Hillary Clinton – a woman who knows all about forging ahead despite every conceivable obstacle.1 The former US presidential candidate isn’t alone: more than half of female middle managers, want to move up the career ladder within the next two years. But far fewer say that conditions within their organisations exist to enable such progress.2

Therein lies a considerable challenge for today’s business leaders – one that is best tackled through giving women access to both influential female role models, and quality learning and development. But how do you ensure these essential pillars have strong foundations to rest on?

1. CREATE NETWORKS OF MENTORS & SPONSORS AT EVERY LEVEL OF THE ORGANISATIONMale employees, research has found, are far more likely to be mentored by senior executives than their female counterparts (78% versus 69%).3 This norm can create a marked difference in how careers play out, with female leaders being much more likely to feel the impact of fewer resources as well as less support and guidance.4 Even women who’ve reached the top, report that a lack of available sponsors held them back.5

Mentoring and sponsorship – whereby a more senior figure offers regular guidance to someone

in lower ranks – is essential for building strong talent pipelines, and should be implemented at every tier of the organisation. If women are sponsored and mentored, from entry-level positions right through to leadership ranks, they are proven to be far more likely to become mentors and sponsors themselves, and contribute to a wider culture in which the development of women becomes the norm.

2. ENCOURAGE OPEN AND HONEST DIALOGUE TO CUT ‘THE WAITING LINE’

Even today, the ‘wait to be asked’ phenomenon can still prevail, whereby women are less likely to step up and push themselves forward.

“Women are the largest untapped reservoir of talent in the world” Hillary Clinton

“One of the biggest challenges for women in Mauritius is the inequality that still exists in the workplace. At Arup, I am lucky to have very supportive mentors who ensure I have the same resources and facilities as my male colleagues.”

everywomanNetwork member Nawsheen Duffaydar, Electrical Engineer, Arup SIGMA

We have already demonstrated that there is no shortage of ambition among female managers. Unfortunately, this ambition doesn’t always shine through to the relevant decision makers. Research has shown that whereas 74% of female middle managers stated they desired a promotion, HR leaders estimated this level of aspiration at only around half that number (35%). The result of this gap is that women tend to consider their ambitions not as tangible career goals but as pipe dreams: only 1 in 4 of those looking to progress realistically expect a promotion.6

To move away from this status quo, an organisation must foster an environment in which women are encouraged to relay their ambitions to managers. Normal employee-employer 1-2-1s are an effective way to introduce these conversations - encouraging managers of both genders to show interest in their employees’ career plans, so that they can more effectively steer them toward stretch assignments and relevant opportunities, thereby creating a culture that both recognises the issues surrounding low female inclusion and seeks to continually address these.

3. FIND OPPORTUNITIES TO TRANSFER KNOWLEDGE BETWEEN HR AND LEADERSHIP

A CEO who is visibly committed to achieving gender parity – and who lives and breathes the strategies you’ve put in place - can be a ‘make or break’ factor when it comes to the success of your diversity strategy. The key messages from leadership should focus on gender parity as critical for strong governance,

effective decision-making, satisfied customers, innovation and profitability, rather than simply a ‘nice to have’ or ‘the right thing to do’.

The D&I leader who wants to get buy-in from their business’s leaders will seek, through contextualised data and research, and at every opportunity, to educate senior executives about the benefits of gender diversity and the impact of doing nothing on their organisation’s culture and bottom line, even the sector and industry as a whole.

4. IDENTIFY YOUR WORKFORCE’S LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT NEEDS In today’s digital world, workplace learning doesn’t just happen in classrooms or at annual seminars; learning happens at work, in the home, on the commute, at networking events and in workshops. A learner may be seeking training for personal needs, professional needs or for a dose of career inspiration.

Before you seek to address your workers’ training requirements, invest time in understanding their personal objectives. At everywoman, as our understanding of women in business has evolved, so too has our learning and development vision. Our aim is to educate and inspire women through content that is relevant, has an effective application, is convenient for them to access, and inspirational to both their daily lives and their longer-term vision.

Ultimately, the aim of all professional learning is to offer a development opportunity. Learning only becomes development

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when behaviour changes, when relatable content can be accessed easily and practically applied and reinforced.

5. HARNESS THE POWER OF THE WOMEN’S NETWORK

“I had to be convinced there was a need for a Women’s Network Forum in Barclays,” recalls everywomanNetwork member Enid Katorobo, Head of Change, Barclays Africa. “I avoided it, but when my line manager built attendance into my diversity and inclusivity goals, I went to a breakfast. Two years later, I was appointed Chairperson. The Network is a place to meet, discuss and, ultimately, encourage confidence in one another. Coming to this realisation was also a good reminder to always listen, never judge.”

Successful implementation of actions one to four requires a communication platform through which to broadcast these key messages. Your organisation’s women’s network has the power

to do this. First, by offering guidance and networking opportunities around finding mentorships. Secondly, by creating more visibility of the talent within the organisation – the role models, the potential award winners and their nominators, the women desiring stretch assignments and the managers with the power to award them. Finally, by making use of the network’s existing communications methods, through which you can share the stories,

achievements and insights of the talented women and male agents of change within – from graduate joiners, through to pro-diversity leaders at the very top.

Published in November 2016, our white paper Retaining and Advancing Women in Business: A model for success gives practical advice for HR leaders and D&I champions looking to develop female talent pipelines and close the gender progression gap.

SOURCES1Clinton, H. (2011). Keynote Address at the International Crisis Group's "In Pursuit of Peace" Award Dinner. 16 December, Pier Sixty at Chelsea Pier, New York.

2Alexander Mann Solutions and everywoman. (2012). Focus On The Pipeline: Engaging the full potential of female middle managers. Available at: https://www.everywoman.com/focus-on-the-pipeline

3Ibarra, H., Carter, N. & Silva, C. (2010) Why Men Still Get More Promotions Than Women. Harvard Business Review. Available at: hbr.org/2010/09/why-men-still-get-more-promotions-than-women

4Grant Thornton. (2016). Women in business turning promise into practice. Available at: http://www.grantthornton.global/en/insights/articles/women-in-business-2016/

5McKinsey & Company. (2012). Unlocking the full potential of women at work. Available at: http://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/organization/our-insights/unlocking-the-full-potential-of-women-at-work

6Alexander Mann Solutions and everywoman. (2012). Focus On The Pipeline: Engaging the full potential of female middle managers. Available at: https://www.everywoman.com/focus-on-the-pipeline

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Women driving change: 10th Anniversary FTA EVERYWOMAN IN TRANSPORT & LOGISTICS AWARDS Nominations open on 1 December!2017 will see the tenth anniversary of the FTA everywoman in Transport & Logistics Awards on 21 June. Get in touch with us at seema@everywoman.com to discuss how you can become involved and celebrate this milestone with us.

LEADERSHIP AND DEVELOPMENTIn addition to our in-house leadership and development schemes, we have recently partnered with techUK to launch two new development programmes for women in technology.

everywoman of Influence in Technology Programme 2017

Designed for women with the potential to reach executive level positions, this programme spans six-months and supports the development of credible and impactful female leaders, building their confidence and competence in cultivating high-performing teams. Importantly, over the six months, delegates will develop a strong support network of peers from across the sector and have access to tech leaders during a high-level networking event.

techUK’s and everywoman’s Back to Work Programme

The Back to Work Programme is an intensive course for high-potential women who are seeking to return to the technology industry. This course helps them come back to the workplace and gives supporting partners exclusive access to an untapped talent pool of confident, work-ready candidates.

To find out more contact Kate Farrow at kate@everywoman.com, or 020 7981 2574.

Stepping up and shaping the future EVERYWOMAN FORUM: ADVANCING WOMEN IN TECHNOLOGY9 Feb 2017, London Hilton on Park LaneThe UK’s largest forum for women in tech will gather forward-thinking futurists, many of the brightest business leaders in tech and some of the finest motivators and professionals in female development for an energising one-day event. From communicating in a virtual world and the value of mindful leadership to the importance of risk-taking in innovation, delegates will come away with the skills to drive their careers forward.

Contact Seema Bennett on 07833 143974 or seema@everywoman.comfor details of group bookings and sponsorship. You can find out more at www.everywoman.com/techforum.

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Join us to celebrate tech’s most inspiring female role models 2017 FDM EVERYWOMAN IN TECHNOLOGY AWARDS#womendotechThe annual Awards programme uncovers and celebrates the most inspirational women working in technology roles, in any industry, demonstrating the vast range of career opportunities that the sector has to offer women. Nominations are now closed for the 2017 FDM everywoman in Technology Awards but you can still get involved. Find out more at www.everywoman.com/techawards.

An exciting event for everywomanClub members EVERYWOMANCLUB WITH MAGGIE SEMPLE OBE

23 Nov 2016, M By Montcalm Meet the woman behind the business, Maggie Semple OBE, founder of the Semple Group. With a successful career spanning broadcasting, print and digital media, hear how Maggie’s professional experience has helped to nurture the seed of one simple idea into a thriving business. Hear Maggie’s journey, the inspiration behind the business and the lessons learned along the way.

Contact ewClub@everywoman.com to register your interest and find out more.

Contact everywoman: 020 7981 2574 | Visit: www.everywoman.com

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