Diversity Webinar Discusses Retaining Women in the Workforce

Sarah MacConduibh, former vice president of The MITRE Corporation, and current mentor and Aurora Guide at reacHIRE, was the featured guest speaker at the chapter May Diversity Series webinar. MacConduibh enlightened participants with a discussion about how companies can retain women in a workforce in which droves are leaving. She noted that during the pandemic, 3.5 million women left the workforce, and four in 10 women switched companies. Significantly, 51 percent leave because they do not feel a sense of belonging at work. Moreover, one in three women working in technology leave within their first year and ultimately leave the tech field entirely due to feelings of isolation, hostile work environment or lack of support. To retain women, MacConduibh suggested that companies provide women challenging assignments, expert mentors and sponsors to support/help them build relationships and leadership development programs. She concluded with concrete examples of how her company has helped women through mentorship, coaching and leadership training.

Event Photographs: