According to Cheskin Research, women are leaving corporate America at twice the rate of men. Why are they leaving? In an article published by The Conference Board entitled Escape From Corporate America, author Laurel Delaney states, “…they are seeking freedom, flexibility, recognition, more money, and opportunities to leave a legacy…” In a study entitled Women Entrepreneurs: Why Companies Lose Female Talent And What They Can Do About It (conducted by Catalyst, the National Foundation for Women Business Owners, the Committee of 200, and Salomon Smith Barney), the study participants cited the following four reasons for leaving corporate jobs to start their own businesses:

• The need for more flexibility (51%)
• The “glass ceiling” (29%)
• Unhappiness with the work environment (28%)
• Lack of challenge (22%)
  

The study participants further defined “the glass ceiling” and “unhappiness with the work environment” as follows:

• Their contributions were not recognized or valued
• They were not taken seriously
• They felt isolated as one of few women or minorities
• They were excluded from informal networks
• They were excluded from training opportunities
• They faced inhospitable corporate cultures
  
  
  
  

Why should organizations be concerned about this exodus of valued employees?

Certainly there are significant costs associated with turnover and the loss of valuable institutional knowledge. However, there are also significant competitive advantages that can be gained by organizations that pursue and properly manage gender diversity. These advantages include:

• Better financial results
• Improved access to a growing, well-educated segment of the workforce
• Improved market share
• Better management

If you would like to review sample research findings that quantify these competitive advantages, you can download our FREE special report, The Business Case for Gender Diversity. (This special report is a PDF file. You need to have Adobe Reader on your computer to view this file. If you do not already have Adobe Reader on your computer, you can download it for FREE from the Adobe website.)

What can your organization do to reduce gender conflict in the workplace?

A good place to start is with education. You can teach your employees how to recognize and appreciate similarities and differences in gender culture and perspectives. It is also helpful if you provide your employees with tools and resources that will help them improve cross-gender communication and effectiveness.

Where can you find the necessary education, tools, and resources?

A good starting point is our 60-minute eLearning course entitled Bridging Gender Differences. This highly engaging course includes recorded instructor-led content, interactive exercises, downloadable tools, and a retention test. The course content addresses the following topics:

• The Business Case for Gender Diversity
• Gender Conflict - A Historical Perspective
• How to Identify Ingrained Stereotypes and Generalizations
• Similarities and Differences in Gender Culture and Perspectives
• Understanding "Filters", including:
  -Values and Beliefs
  -Gender Views
  -Generational Views
  -Communication Styles
  -Humor Styles
• Concrete Actions Men and Women Can Take to Resolve Gender Conflict and Work Together More Effectively
  

Who should complete this course?

The Bridging Gender Differences eLearning Course© is appropriate for all managers and employees who want to improve their ability to work more effectively and productively with both women and men.

However, please note that this "awareness" course was designed to provide a starting point for organizations that want to initiate a viable program to address gender issues in the workplace. As such, the course will not advance the knowledge of diversity and human resource specialists who have already completed comprehensive training in the area of gender diversity. These individuals may wish to visit the Scottsdale National Gender Institute for information on advanced training and certification programs.

What benefits can you expect to receive from your training investment?

Organizations that create a supportive and equitable business culture enjoy the following benefits:

• A culture where both men and women want to work
• Enhanced productivity and retention
• More productive working relationships between men and women
• Increased respect and trust between men and women, men and men, women and women
• Reduced conflict, miscommunication, and misunderstandings
• Better financial results
• Improved access to a growing, well-educated segment of the workforce
• Improved market share
• Better management

Both men and women have unique and valuable talents to contribute to organizations. When these talents are merged in a supportive, equitable business culture, the result is NOT a redistribution of promotions, authority, and other rewards from men to women.

Rather, the result is the creation of a larger and growing "pie" that can be shared by all participants. This "win-win" scenario provides a meaningful justification for active participation by both men and women in gender diversity programs.

What's the next step?

If you would like to increase your organization's sales and profits, market share, access to talent, and management performance, you have several options:

• OPTION 1: If you are ready to place a secure, online credit card order for eLearning course “virtual seats”, click here to access our secure ordering page. If you would like to place an order using a purchase order, please give us a call.
  
  
• OPTION 2: If you would like additional information about the Bridging Gender Differences© eLearning course, please give us a call or contact us using our online form. Please feel free to suggest several dates and times when you can schedule 20-40 minutes for a telephone conversation. We will call you to discuss your specific training needs and jointly determine whether the Bridging Gender Differences© eLearning course is a good fit for your organization.
  
  
• OPTION 3: If you would like to view a brief online demonstration of the eLearning course, click here to initiate the demo. If you would like to arrange for a complete demonstration of the course, please contact us using one of the methods described in Option #2.

Give us a call TODAY!

(866) 955-5984

The Diversity Academy
4611 East Sands Drive
Phoenix, AZ 85050

info@diversityacademy.com