Anita Borg Institute Study Shows That Technical Women Are Especially at Risk of Disengagement During the Economic Downturn

Research Report Shares Strategies for Companies Looking to Retain a Diverse
Technical Pipeline During and After a Recession
PALO ALTO, Calif.--(Business Wire)--
Technical talent retention is critical to weathering the downturn and responding
to upcoming growth, yet top talent is critically at risk of disengagement now,
and of flight when a recovery starts. According to a recent report by the Anita
Borg Institute for Women in Technology, Retaining a Diverse Technical Pipeline
During and After a Recession, this is especially true for female talent. The
research concludes that this economic downturn represents a significant
opportunity for executives to engage and retain diverse critical talent and
cement their competitive position for the recovery.

The report, authored by the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology, is
available at the Anita Borg Institute website.

Retaining a Diverse Technical Pipeline During and After a Recession reviews data
about the impact of the recession on employees from high-tech companies and its
implications for future retention. It also discusses why the retention of
diverse talent is a critical issue for successful companies, and examines
successful strategies that allow companies to retain their female technical
workforce.

"An unprecedented economic downturn has hurt employee engagement and further
jeopardized the focus on practices important to technical women," states Dr.
Caroline Simard, vice president of research and executive programs for the Anita
Borg Institute and author of the study. "As a recovery occurs, companies are at
risk of further losing female technical talent. An ongoing focus on practices
that impact retention and advancement, such as establishing a culture of
employee development and flexibility, will give companies a competitive
advantage in the recovery and position them for renewed recruitment."

Key strategies for retaining technical women suggested by the report include:

* Developing and sustaining a culture of employee development and mentoring
* Promoting programs for leadership and technical growth
* Establishing vehicles for peer-interaction, mentoring and collaboration
* Offering increased opportunities for flexibility and work-family balance
practices
* Leveraging technology to create virtual workplaces and telecommuting options

The study also offers recommendations for attracting tomorrow`s generation of
technical women and returning to recruitment, including:

* Supporting managers that understand the value of diversity and flexible
workforce arrangements
* Developing and sustaining a culture of collaboration

About the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology (ABI)

The Anita Borg Institute provides resources and programs to help industry,
academia, and government recruit, retain, and develop women leaders in high-tech
fields, resulting in higher levels of technological innovation. ABI programs
serve high-tech women by creating a community and providing tools to help them
develop their careers. ABI is a not-for-profit 501(c) 3 charitable organization.
ABI Partners include: Google, Microsoft, HP, Cisco, First Republic Bank, Intel,
National Science Foundation, NetApp, SAP, Sun Microsystems, Symantec, IBM,
Lockheed Martin, Thomson Reuters, CA, Intuit, Amazon, Facebook, Raytheon, and
Genentech. For more information, visit www.anitaborg.org.

Anita Borg Institute
Jerri Barrett, 650-857-6095
jerrib@anitaborg.org

Copyright Business Wire 2009