The Society of Petroleum Engineers' Talent council conducted a 2013 survey on factors impacting retention of the science, technical, engineering and mathematics (STEM) workforce. The insights from this survey will enable seasoned leaders and management to better understand why women engineers stay with an employer or change employers. The insights will also provide guidance to recent graduates and employees on developing their own plans and criteria for comparing competing job offers from multiple employers.

1. What Do Women Engineers Consider in a
Decision to Stay with or Leave an
Employer?
Eve Sprunt* and Susan Howes
Chevron
*Independent Consultant beginning November 2013

2. Opportunity or Insufficient Opportunity
are the biggest drivers for people to join
or leave an employer
For older people, Opportunity is still the
most important factor, but not by as big
a margin

3. For Both Men and Women Under Age 40
Same Top 4 Reasons
• Opportunity, challenge, career potential
• Develop new competencies & grow into
a position with new responsibilities
• Respect
• Good Pay
But top 4 account for about 25% of “most important” reasons

4. Between men and women under age 40
Women consider the following factors to be
much more important than their male peers
• Flexible work schedule
• Good relationship with co-workers
• Trust in organization and management

5. For Both Men and Women Under Age 40
Same Top 5 Reasons
• Insufficient opportunity
• Develop new competencies
• Better fit to core competencies
• Leadership/direction of company
• Better pay
But top 5 reasons only account for about 40% of “most important” reasons

6. Biggest differences between women and men under age of 40
Men rank as more important
• Lack of recognition
• Self-employment
• Severance pay
Women rank as more important
• Conflict with boss
• Inflexible work schedule
• Follow relocated partner
• Conflict with co-workers
Are conflicts with supervisors and co-workers more common
and/or more severe for women?
Do you like the “chemistry”?

7. Whose career comes first?
Who is asked by the question?
• Women more likely to be asked
• Women with children are about 2x as likely to be asked as
men with children
• People working for the same employer as their partner
When both currently contribute about equally to household income,
86% women and 80% men say both careers are equally important.

8. Disadvantages
• Employer requires
that one career
leads and the other
follows
• Benefits reduced
• Employer
coordinates careers
as a couple
• Job security
Advantages
• Coordinate
relocation
• Ease in picking
home location
• Easier childcare
• Coordinate travel
• Coordinate daily
schedule

9. • Special programs for
women lead to resentment
• Special treatment reinforces
second class status
• Look for win-win, work-life
benefits programs and
policies
• Men should be able to
access benefits too
• Work-life benefits should
be available and accessible
to all

10. Of 20 possible incentives,
3 were most enticing to
both retirees and mothers
• Part-time work
• A chance to make a difference
• Telecommuting

11. • SPE Retention Survey suggests
women are less motivated than
men by money at all stages of
their careers.
• What is most important to you?
• Are women more uncomfortable
than men negotiating
employment terms?

12. What will you negotiate
with a potential employer?
• More pay
• Higher level position
• Flexible hours/better
hours
• More vacation/time off

13. SPE Talent Council has conducted three
surveys:
• May 2011 of entire SPE membership with
5570 responses, SPE Paper #160928
• December 2011 of SPE members under
age 45 with 1392 responses, SPE Paper
#151971
• January through July 2013 social media
survey on factors impacting retention with
1737 responses, SPE Paper #168112