Professional Life
Young Women Bring New Value to High-Tech Workplace
By Bruce E. Phillips
Nov 15, 2006, 19:26

For Daisy Jenkins, working in human resources means getting the right people in the right jobs at the right time. As vice president of Human Resources and Security for Raytheon Missile Systems in Tucson, Arizona, she works to fill the employee pipeline with women and men who can lead the organization to the next level of defense technology.

We recently interviewed Jenkins to ask her about her challenges and to find out where women of color fit into her plans.

Women of Color: What are the major trends you are seeing today regarding women of color in technology?

Daisy Jenkins: One thing that worries me is the decline in the number of qualified STEM graduates overall, including both men and women. That said, we’re getting some bright and talented women in the company.

WOC: Are you seeing different attitudes in young women today from a previous generation?

DJ: Young women today want to do meaningful work right from the get-go. They want to get into the meaty assignments quickly. While they are competitive and want parity with men, they also want balance. While they want to be part of a group, they also want to be respected for their talent. They don’t like to wait indefinitely for opportunity, and they will move quickly to another company if they are not satisfied. Companies need to nurture and develop young employees so they don’t lose them. This means providing them with challenging technical assignments that will keep them engaged and sharp.

WOC: Where are you finding new employees to replace the baby boomers who are retiring?

DJ: We start when children are still in elementary school to plant the seeds of interest. Our "MathMovesU" program reaches out to kids and helps with educational resources for teachers, students, and parents. We are especially eager to help girls get over their fear of math and science. We work closely with colleges and universities to identify and attract potential employees. For example, our mentoring program at Tuskegee University helps identify freshmen and sophomore women and pairs them with professional women at Raytheon. We also offer summer internships and a number of scholarship programs.

WOC: What are you doing to help women succeed once they are in the work force?

DJ: Early career employees have a good grasp of what success means to them. We’ve learned you can’t take for granted that you know what they think, so an important part of our strategy is to ask them.

Mentoring is an important part of our development and retention strategy for early career employees. We also are looking at broadening our reverse mentoring efforts, where early career employees mentor senior employees to make sure communication is a two-way street and we learn from each other. This strategy promotes a stronger system of mutual support that crosses generational and hierarchical barriers.
We also encourage new employees to get a technical mentor, someone really smart they look up to. That ensures a knowledge transfer that is vital to our future success.

WOC: What is the main point you want to leave with young women of color?

DJ: I want young women of color to know they are valued assets in the workplace. We need them and we want their talent. I encourage young women to get a technical degree, learn as much as they can, aggressively pursue relationships with companies that visit their campuses. There is no limit to how far they can go and what they can achieve, and I urge them not to limit themselves.