Impact of losing female talent in digital sector

It's not the pipeline, It's the System. June 23rd is celebrated as 'International Women in Engineering Day" #INWED Sadly the harsh reality, engineering colleges in India produce the highest number of women in STEM graduates/engineers and many of them actually do make it to the workforce. The real challenge is their retention and progression. With 2+ decades in tech and now consulting for tech companies on their Gender Equity Strategy, I’ve seen this challenge firsthand. The issue isn’t talent availability, it’s systemic. In most households, a woman’s career is still seen as optional. That mindset and bias bleeds into workplaces, shaping how women are hired, retained, and promoted. So what can organisations do, 1. Relook at org culture and design. Are your systems, policies, and leadership norms built equitably to support who stays, rises and how. 2. Representation matters, especially in especially in mid and senior levels, invest in retention and have hiring goals across grades. 3. Move from gendered to gender neutral policies. Eg. Maternity to Parental Leave Policy that supports all care-givers. Reframe workplace policies from “women-centric benefits” to equitable caregiving support that normalise shared responsibility and reduce bias. 4. Women in Tech Returnee programs - I've seen immense success in these programs, that offer companies experienced tech talent with a little investment. #Vapasi from Thoughtworks, #Spring from Publicis Sapient are two examples 5. Conduct Stay Interviews, Not Exit Interviews. Understand why women leave and what it takes for them to stay and grow and act on the inputs. 3. A Clear Career Progression Path with mentorship and sponsorship - Bias in growth opportunity for #WIT is real, if there is no intentional support to overcome these bias, talent walks away. 4. I Need to See More Like Me! There is a lack of role models. Accelerated Women in tech leadership programs, fast-tracking the leadership journey of high potential women are some ways to address this. 5. Collective Ownership. Gender Diversity in tech is not a HR, leadership or DEI responsibility. Make it the very fabric of the org. to drive shared accountability. 6. Data is not just diagnostic, it's directional. It guides us on investments to be made, unseen bias and where and what needs to change, it's your mirror don't ignore it. #Inclusion is a organisational capability and leaders are it's torch bearers. Their actions, direction and decisions every single day, signal what truly matters. The Women in tech, talent pool exists. The question is, are you ready to retain, grow, and lead with them? #WomenInTech #WIT #GenderEquity #DiversityInTech Diversity Simplified Image description: A newspaper article titled “It’s Not the Pipeline, It’s the System” from Times of India, Bangalore edition which highlights the gender gap in engineering.

This McKinsey & Company article insightfully explores the complex balancing acts and personal strategies women leaders employ to succeed at the highest levels. While the piece offers powerful perspectives on individual resilience and adaptability – the inner game, as they call it – it prompts a critical question for me: What if focusing primarily on the individual game distracts us from the outer game? What if the fundamental systems, cultures, and structures within our organizations are inadvertently setting talented women up for a struggle they shouldn't have to face on their own? Women across all professional levels, not just CEOs, confront systemic hurdles. They're told to lean in, prove themselves constantly, and somehow perfectly balance demanding careers with personal lives within often inflexible environments. When organizations expect individual women to overcome these systemic barriers through sheer personal strategy, they aren't truly supporting them; they are, in effect, undermining their potential and the organization's own success. As a leader passionate about helping ambitious women genuinely thrive, I see a clear and urgent connection between this systemic disconnect and tangible business outcomes. The cost of not actively transforming your workplace to truly support women is evident, and it's likely impacting your business right now: ·       Disengaged women directly translate to a drag on productivity and a slowdown in innovation. ·       Unequal opportunities create a leaky leadership pipeline, causing you to lose valuable talent and the investment made in them. ·       A lack of genuine support and mentorship leads to increased turnover, sending experienced professionals to competitors who offer a more inclusive and empowering environment. These are concrete obstacles directly impacting your company's growth and profitability. The flip side of this challenge is an immense opportunity. When businesses make the authentic investment in the well-being, development, and systemic empowerment of their women employees, the return is significant. Engaged, thriving individuals become powerful drivers – they are more productive, more innovative, more resilient, and deeply committed to propelling the business forward. So, here’s the critical question: Given the undeniable business impact, if you know your current systems aren't fully engaging and retaining your talented women, what are you truly willing to do differently – at a systemic level – to bridge that gap? I'm curious... https://lnkd.in/e7uTdy5q

50% of women leave their tech jobs by the time they turn 35 according to a report by Accenture and Girls Who Code. That’s a staggering statistic. So much effort and resources are put into recruiting and training women in tech only to lose 50% of that workforce due to poor retention. Top 3 reasons are: * Lack of Work-Life Balance * Unconscious Bias and Gender Discrimination * Lack of Career Progression Opportunities I am part of that statistic, by age 31, I decided to quit and build my own company where everyone had a seat at the table and where everyone felt like they belonged. I veered into the world of franchising. One thing the franchising world does really well is tap into mentoring and coaching as a result, there are tons of women thriving in franchising. CIO Magazine says - “Mentorship is an important aspect of becoming a leader, but while 58% of women say they aspire to be in leadership positions, only 39% say they feel they have a mentor who can help them achieve that goal.” What coaching opportunities are you providing to your women in tech in order to retain them? #WomenInTech #TechLeadership #WorkLifeBalance #DiversityAndInclusion #WomenEmpowerment #MentorshipMatters #LeadershipDevelopment #InclusiveWorkplace #RetentionStrategies #ExecutiveCoaching