Research Finds Transforming Workplace Culture Is Key to Retaining the Best Talent
Work-Life Balance and Welcoming Office Culture Named as Most Desired Company Values
Commenting on the research,
The Culture at Work survey also revealed significant gaps between professionals’ current workplace cultures and the office environments in which they believe they would thrive. The FTI Consulting/Mine The Gap research looked at four typical organizational cultures, identified by
Notable findings from the Culture at Work research include:
- Work-Life Balance and Welcoming Office Culture Named as Most Desired Company Values: A majority of women (54%) and 50% of men cited work-life balance as one of the most attractive values to have at their companies. Meanwhile, 45% percent of women cited a welcoming environment, camaraderie, and connectivity among colleagues as one of their top values, while only 37% cited financial perks.
- Office Culture of
Current Company vs. Office Culture Where They Would Thrive: Most women professionals identified their companies as having either a “Hierarchy” culture (30%) or “Clan” (30%) culture. However, 44% of women professionals believe they would thrive in a “Clan” culture, versus only 12% in a “Hierarchy” office culture. Additionally, while only 9% of women reported working in an “Adhocracy” culture, nearly 20% believe they would succeed in such an environment. The research showed similar gaps for men.
- Feeling Undervalued Is the Top Reason Women Professionals Leave Current Workplace: About 62% of women professionals report personally feeling, or witnessing others feel, undervalued by their manager, team or company in the last year. “Feeling undervalued for the contributions you provide to your team and the company” is also the number one reason women report leaving their current workplace.
- Top 5 Reasons Women Cite for
Leaving Current Company : The top reasons for women leaving, or considering leaving, their current workplaces are (ranked in order), (1) feeling undervalued; (2) compensation below industry average, or salary not aligned with those of peers doing the same work; (3) another company offered more pay and responsibility; (4) the inability to maintain work-life balance; and (5) lack of effective communication with management.
- Women Professionals Are Experiencing or Witnessing Discrimination or Gendered Micro-Aggressions in Substantial Numbers: Nearly half of women professionals report receiving ineffective feedback from managers, being paid less than industry counterparts, not being promoted despite meeting all of the criteria, being expected to clean up after office functions, or being expected to be the designated note taker during a meeting.
- Strong Support for a Culture of Respect and Accountability in the Workplace: Approximately 82% of women and 80% of men said it is important for companies to create a culture that does not tolerate inappropriate or offensive language that makes employees feel uncomfortable and for those companies to establish formal accountability protocols for those who break policies. This idea received a strong positive response among women professionals, with 46% rating it as “extremely important.”
- Ability to Change Workplace Culture: Most professionals (55% of women and 61% of men) believe they can change the culture at their workplace. Of the industries surveyed, women in tech are the most likely to believe that they can change their company's culture (64%), with 1-in-4 being very confident in their ability to do so ("strongly agree").
- Need for Company Actions and Corporate Values to Align: A significant majority of professionals (78% of women and 74% of men) report believing that it is important that companies’ actions and corporate values align. This belief is higher among women in the technology industry (86%) and women in finance (82%). In addition, 68% of women believe it is important for companies to incorporate gender inclusivity within the company’s brand, mission statement or stated goals and actions. This sentiment is reported higher among women in technology (78%).
This report, Culture at Work, is the third installment of research and data-driven insights developed by
Survey Methodology
In a comprehensive online survey conducted over the summer of 2018,
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About Mine The Gap
Mine The Gap equips leaders and industries with the strategy and tools to create and sustain gender-inclusive work environments. We architect a strategic plan to build a gender-inclusive culture resulting in accelerated company growth, increased revenues and unlock hidden talent through awareness, training and education. Our work is underpinned by two core elements: growing an inclusive corporate culture and showing the bottom-line impact of gender inclusion. We have unparalleled expertise working on gender and women’s leadership in every region of the world in more than 120 countries. More information can be found at www.minethegap.co & connect with us on Twitter (@MineGaps) &
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