Practices of Retention of Women in Traditionally Male Jobs in Quebec: What Can We Learn from the Experience of Female Inspectors?
Workforce diversity is a promising strategy to overcome problems in recruiting and retaining skilled and competent employees in organizations. Among diversity groups, women are under-represented in many jobs requiring specific skills and competencies. The literature shows the importance of management practices as a tool for retention. The purpose of this article is to document management practices that contribute to the retention of women inspectors in the hygiene, health and safety fields. More specifically, it aims to understand the reality experienced by women inspectors in order to identify, from their point of view, management practices that favour their retention in the organization. This study is based on two professional groups: inspectors in occupational health and safety and inspectors of food and animal hygiene. Researchers conducted group interviews with 62 individuals: 10 managers and 52 inspectors. The results show six major strategic practices: valuing work and expertise, risk management at work, adjustment of remuneration and working conditions, flexible schedules, autonomy at work and, finally, the transformation of internal and external work dynamics. Success requires a strategic transformation of all processes to create a positive context for the recruitment and retention of women. Based on retention perspectives in human resource management and on women’s professional progression perspectives, a model for acting at various levels on these issues of diversity in workplaces is proposed. This model helps to better document organizational practices and to go beyond the obstacles faced individually by women.