The talent pipeline for the energy sector is running dry. In my work, I hear from young people all the time who are more enticed by jobs in tech than they are by jobs in energy.
This is an especially acute problem for women, who make up 47 percent of the workforce but only 18 percent of employees in oil and gas extraction and 22 percent in utilities, according to Catalyst.
Our industry and the economy at large pay a steep price for this.
The U.S. Agency for International Development reports that women’s equal participation in energy would “result in measurable benefits, including increased returns on investments and stronger development outcomes.” KPMG’s Regina Mayor explained in a keynote speech at the HERWorld Energy Forum, presented by Pink Petro, that greater diversity and inclusion would allow the sector to survive a downturn.
The American Gas Association also reported in an August 2015 story in American Gas that women “tend to stay longer with their companies.” So, our industry is facing higher rates of attrition due to the lack of gender equality.
Fortunately, there are proven steps businesses can take to make a substantive difference in this effort.
Part of what attracts people to an organization, and to an industry, is a sense of community. As a Harvard Business Review story put it, the kind of camaraderie people need at work isn’t just about having fun together: “It is also about creating a common sense of purpose and the mentality that we are in it together.”
In male-dominated industries, it can be especially important to build communities for women to support each other. Often, this can be done through energetic, constructive engagements, like one I took part in at Cheniere Energy, run by its women’s group. Women at other sites took part remotely even though, because of the time differences, it was quite late for some. The participation was a powerful sign of how hungry people are to connect and engage.
These kinds of relationships can also be built through activities benefiting the broader community. Enbridge supports a house for women who are fleeing domestic abuse. Inside the company, this kind of work strengthens bonds among colleagues who are deeply concerned about such issues. Outside of the company, prospective employees are attracted by the message of social good.
The importance of building communities is also the inspiration for Pink Petro’s Lean In Energy, a global chapter of mentoring circles designed to empower women in energy to achieve their ambitions.
We need to put more focus into telling the stories of women at all levels, including the professional obstacles they’ve faced and how they overcame them. These stories help give other women blueprints for how to do the same, and they help industry leaders discover and address the obstacles.
That’s why my site tells stories of women including Lorrie Alvarez Thompson, vice president of global sales at Emerson Automation Solutions, who describes the importance of having sponsors and coaches. It’s why the United States Energy Association’s interview with Majida Mourad, vice president of government affairs at Tellurian, is an important opportunity to learn how mentors help draw talent from a different field.
As an industry, we know all about numbers. Having targets for diversity, including gender, can be a big help. But culture is what drives change.
ENGIE, for example, decided that by 2020, women will represent 25 percent of its workforce, one out of three appointed senior managers, 30 percent of new recruits and 35 percent of “high-potential managers.” The senior managers target was hit early, in 2014. Successful change is coming because the company created an internal group that focuses on this issue and has built “a real gender equality culture, shared by all employees, men and women.”
Just as our industry made safety a value, rather than just a priority, we should do the same for gender equality and diversity.
Energy is in a period of transition, responding to the changing business landscape and the push to decarbonize our world. There are big challenges and rewards—if we choose to be in that conversation and to tell the next generation that we want them to be a part of it.
I launched Experience Energy (online at experience.energy) not only to help talented women and energy companies find each other, but also to help show women that our sector welcomes them—and diverse employees of all backgrounds. Our GRIT Awards send the same message by celebrating women and men who are creating the new future for energy. We’re working to personify and humanize the industry.
Every chance we get, all of us who are committed to building a workforce of the future should show women the reasons to join our sector—even as we work to make our companies more attractive to these workers. We can highlight that energy jobs are some of the highest paying on average. And some industry leaders are emphasizing opportunities for work-life integration or, as Southern Company puts it, “a caring culture that encourages balance.”
It won’t be easy. As I recently told CNBC, just a few years ago a man asked me, “What’s a pretty young lady like you doing in a dark, dangerous business like oil and gas?” But there is a place for more women. We need to harness that opportunity.
Energy underpins man and womankind. It’s up to us to boost the talent pipeline before it’s too late.
Katie Mehnert is founder and CEO of Pink Petro and Experience Energy.