Scheduling
Time & Attendance
Forecasting
Employee App
Payroll Integrations
Communications
Workplace Culture
By Amy Byrne
Apr. 24, 2018
During Women’s History Month last March we heard inspiring stories from women forging their own paths.
And every day we see examples of women using their voices to enact change. We gather with other women to share experiences and visions of what we want our world to look like.
As chief human resource officer for a company with close to 9,000 global employees, I believe that those of us in HR have a huge responsibility when it comes to promoting gender parity and creating an inclusive workplace – not just in March but as we move forward through the rest of the year.
In the automotive industry specifically, we have our work cut out for us. Women make up an average of just 19 percent of employees at new car dealerships, according to 2016 data from the National Automobile Dealers Association. Many women don’t even consider the automotive industry as a career option because auto has long been seen as an all-boys club.
Women influence 85 percent of car buying decisions, so why aren’t they more involved in an industry that so heavily relies on their buying power? Not harnessing the perspectives of women on important business decisions will only hurt dealers and original equipment manufacturers in the long run.
Once they’re in the door, we need to do a better job of creating a culture of inclusion not just for women but for all employees. Of the women who are in the automotive industry, 68 percent have been told they are too aggressive, according to an Automotive News survey. That same survey found that 43 percent of women felt that they had been passed over for promotions because of their gender.
At CDK Global, we recognize our dual role in the automotive and technology industries and our responsibility to help change those statistics. The women who work at CDK Global are talented, driven and passionate about what they do. One way we support them is through our business resource group, Empower. The group focuses on engaging, supporting and providing the tools for women at CDK to advance their careers and drive total business performance. It was our first resource group to go global and currently has 280 members.
We are also a dedicated sponsor of ChickTech, a national organization that engages girls and women in the technology industry. Many of our female engineers are involved in the workshops and mentorship programs the organization provides.
Like most industrywide changes in the business world, this only works if we all consciously make the effort together. It’s important that we, as HR professionals, do whatever we can to support the unique needs of women in our workplaces. Below are a few ways to begin:
Only 25 percent of the automotive workforce is women, and we don’t think that’s nearly enough. Through our dedicated efforts, we’re happy to say that 33 percent of those who call CDK Global home are women but we’re certainly not stopping there. We have plans this coming year to offer targeted training and development opportunities that focus on the skills women often lack such as self-promotion and assertiveness. Our ultimate goal is to advance more women into leadership roles here at CDK.
It’s long due for women to feel secure and excel in the workplace. While it’s especially apparent in male-dominated fields like automotive, it’s something that all industries are grappling with at this moment in our collective working history. Of course, it won’t all be fixed overnight, but as long as we’re constantly and strategically addressing the problem, we’re moving forward.
Amy Byrne is the chief human resources officer at CDK Global. Comment below or email editors@workforce.com.
Come see what we’re building in the world of predictive employee scheduling, superior labor insights and next-gen employee apps. We’re on a mission to automate workforce management for hourly employees and bring productivity, optimization and engagement to the frontline.
Workplace Culture
Workplace productivity statistics and trends you need to knowSummary There was a 2.4% decrease in productivity in Q2 2022 – the largest decline since the U.S. Burea...
productivity, statistics, trends, workplace
Workplace Culture
5 lunch break statistics that shed light on American work cultureSummary Research shows how taking lunch breaks enhances employee engagement and productivity. Despite t...
lunch breaks, scheduling, statistics
Workplace Culture
6 Things Leadership can do to Prevent Nurse BurnoutSummary Nurse burnout is a serious issue in the healthcare business and has several negative consequenc...
burnout, Healthcare, hospitals, nurses