Female potential being missed

UK business could potentially benefit by £5bn a year if companies unblocked the talent pipeline for their 500,000 female middle managers, a new report claims.

A report published this week highlights a high level of frustration caused by a lack of opportunity and clarity of career path that female talent is experiencing at middle management level.

Research commissioned by talent management and resourcing solutions provider Alexander Mann Solutions, and women in business specialists everywoman, reveals that 43% of female middle managers feel they are likely to leave their current employer in the next two years.

The report, ‘Focus on the Pipeline: Engaging the full potential of female middle managers’, is based on research involving 400 female middle managers and 200 senior HR leaders, from SMEs and corporates across a range of sectors.

The aspects of work that female middle managers were least satisfied with were the lack of opportunities (48%), the likelihood of progression (47%) and the clarity of career path (40%). Of significant cause for concern, only 11% of female middle managers described themselves as ‘extremely satisfied’ in their job.

Karen Gill, co-founder of everywoman, said: “After 13 years of working with women in business we know all about the frustrations and challenges that women face. While diversity is much more front of mind than several years ago, some companies still don’t know where to start to unlock the productivity of their female middle managers. The good news is that there are practical steps companies can take to improve their female talent pipeline.”