In Silicon Valley, it seems as though there is a growing problem with the retention of women in tech companies. Even tech industry leaders such as Google, Apple, and Amazon have below 50% female representation in their workforce. Even though there have been millions of dollars spent to encourage diversity in these organizations, companies are still not getting the results they desire. Employers may need to actually ask the women in their organizations why they are leaving and what they would need in order to stay.
Most management decisions in Silicon Valley are being based on assumptions and not real input from female employees. These assumptions that are made have little to no impact on female employees and how long they stay in the tech industry. Usually, when someone has a problem in the workplace, they want their concerns to be heard and this is especially true for women in the workplace.
Is important for tech companies to realize that women, just like their male counterparts, have ambition, drive, and potential in the workplace. Leaders of organizations need to recognize this potential and give females public recognition for their contributions to the company. Employers should spend more one-on-one time with their female employees in order to give them more feedback on the work they are contributing to the business. This will give them a better feeling of contribution to the organization which will likely raise retention rates of females.
Unintentional sexism may be a reason why many male leaders in the tech industry are not taking their female employees seriously. Studies have shown that ambition levels in males remain the same over a two-year period of time in the tech industry while females motivation levels drop over the same period of time. This is most likely due to women not feeling like they are appreciated in the tech workspace. This could be directly correlated to low retention rates of women in most tech companies.
If a woman feels unappreciated in the workplace, the amount of work she is willing to put in is severely diminished. The overall culture of Silicon Valley needs to change if companies expect women to stay in their organizations. In a country mostly dominated by men, it is important to make sure that your female employees get the same recognition that their male counterparts would receive.