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Women of Water Forum
WOMEN OF WATER FORUM
Forum Celebrates the Accomplishments of Women in the Industry
Acknowledging the importance of, and contributions by, women in the water and wastewater industries, the fifth Women of Water (WOW) forum was presented at the conference on April 25. The facilitators for the session were: S Marjorie G. Craig, P.E., director, environmental utilities department, City of St,
Cloud S A. Randolph Brown, utilities director, City of
Pompano Beach
The two-hour session attracted more than forty people (mostly women, with some men), and the interaction among the panelists, moderators, and audience members—students, those new to the industry, and seasoned professionals— produced a lively and informative discussion. The panelists for the program were: S Monica Autry Wallis, P.E., operations manager, Destin Water Users Inc. S Rhonda Harris, P.E., BCEE, PMP, senior owner/advisor, Brown and Caldwell S Terri Lowery, senior vice president, Jones
Edmunds and Associates Inc. S Suzanne Mechler, P.E., BCEE, client service leader, CDM Smith S Emilie Moore, P.E., PMP, ENV SP, senior program manager, Black & Veatch S Lynn Spivey, director of utilities, City of Plant
City
Background
Craig and Brown welcomed everyone to the session, which was held in a hollow-square format to help facilitate discussion with the audience. Craig stated that the purpose of the forum is to allow everyone to share their stories about their work experience and to support each other.
In the United States, less than one in five water workers is a woman, according to new research by the World Bank’s Water Global Practice. Women are also underrepresented in technical and managerial positions where, in sampled utilities, on average, only 23 percent of licensed engineers are women. The figure is the same for female managers. Some utilities have no women in technical and managerial positions at all—one in three (32 percent) utilities in the sample have no female engineers and 12 percent of utilities have no female managers.
The industry has a long way to go, but great strides have been made over the last 20 years.
Their Start in the Industry
Craig asked the panelists if they chose the water industry or if it chose them. S Autry Wallis said that she chose to work in water. S In college, Mechler didn’t like chemical engineering, so she switched to water. S Harris was in civil engineering for six years, earned an MBA, and then started in water. S Moore liked the environmental aspect of water and wanted to “save the world.” She first got involved by joining the Florida Section
AWWA. S Lowery thought that engineers drove trains!
She learned that she enjoyed doing things that engineers didn’t (securing project funding, public communication, going to board meetings) and proved herself useful to the industry. S Spivey fell into the work. She started in electrical engineering and switched to chemical engineering, which led her to water treatment.
Finding Success
Craig posed this question to the panelists: What does a woman need to be successful in the industry? S Women need to be encouraged to speak up about what they want. S Mentors can give women advice and guidance about their experiences. S Many younger women enter the industry as consultants and should be encouraged to learn all aspects of the industry to open up new opportunities. S Find a network, join an association, volunteer on committees. S Create a viable work/life balance. People have different needs at different stages of their careers. S Never feel alone or that you have to succeed on your own. There are many people (women and men) who can help you navigate a workplace. S Look beyond a job description and seek out other projects that might be of interest. This will help others to see your worth.
Brown stated that workers should be willing to take on new tasks, but they should be allowed to fail, as that’s when you learn what to do (and not to do) the next time. When workers feel empowered to try new things, that’s when innovation occurs.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, more than half of water industry workers will be eligible to retire by the end of this decade. This massive wave of retirees will leave a large gap of experience and
The panelists took questions from the audience
The audience included women and men.
knowledge in the workforce. Utilities, and other water-related companies and organizations, depend on their people to provide clean water to customers, and the ability to retain and attract new talent will help to minimize the impact of this worker exodus, building a base of dedicated employees who can grow within organizations.
Brown asked what organizations can do to address the worker shortage and the following was offered by the panelists: S Companies need to capture the institutional knowledge of its workers before they retire.
The ideal is to keep the current employees when new ones are hired to mentor them and pass on their knowledge, but this isn’t always economically feasible. S Operators have a lot of knowledge that can be captured before they retire. S Look at the pay structure of other industries and try to match them, or at least offer other benefits and compensation. It’s hard to have competitive salaries when they’re governed by boards of directors and public commissions. S To attract younger women, use social media outlets to post job openings and tell your company’s story. Younger workers want to make a difference in the world, and working in the water industry can provide meaning to people to provide a public service and address environmental issues, climate change, etc. S Create more internships for students and those who’ve recently graduated. S Promote jobs in the water industry at the junior high and high school level.
Preparing for Opportunity
What Women Can Do
Present and future water challenges call for the industry to attract and retain the best talent it can. Craig asked the panelists: How can women work to overcome current barriers, contribute to a more supportive work environment, and prepare themselves for the future? S Realize that a degree doesn’t teach you everything you need to know. You have to be open to learning from superiors and colleagues on the job. S Have a basic knowledge of financial issues: ratemaking, asset management, and budgeting. S If you’re an engineer or technical person, learn all you can about communications, management, public relations, human resources, and other nontechnical fields to increase your marketability.
What the Industry Can Do
Ensuring that everyone has safe water to drink and essential wastewater services is a top priority for the industry. How can utilities and other employers attract the workers they need to provide communities with vital water services that protect public health and the environment, while also driving the economy? S Water has been the “silent service” for too long. Increase public awareness of the industry, which is vital to every aspect of human life. S Accurately define the specific skills and competencies for a job to help get the right candidates. S Encourage interaction and communication between engineers and other technical staff, and operators and administrative staff.
Understand that everyone is working toward the same goal. S Increase the pay scale for everyone (the water industry has not kept pace with other industries), but especially for operators. S Continue a hybrid home/office work schedule, but be ready to address resentments that may exist with employees who have jobs that don’t allow for a work-athome option. S Realize that women in nontechnical jobs at the company (finance, human resources, public affairs, information technology) can be good candidates for management and other senior positions.
COVID-19 Changed the Workplace—and the Workforce
Brown stated that COVID-19 has resulted in a rapid transformation of the workplace, and it can be a catalyst to reinvent the future of work, especially for women and younger workers.
Employees are giving the following a top priority in their lives: S Job satisfaction S Career progress S Family life S Overall happiness
It was suggested that employers consider the following to attract and retain workers: S Consider a 10-hour, four-day work week for employees. S Introduce flexible employee policies that address sick leave, time off, childcare, and eldercare. S Offer childcare and transportation subsidies. S Allow employees to work on projects that may not be in their job descriptions, but that they feel would increase their job satisfaction and lead to promotions. S Ensure that customers and clients understand the value of the work of employees.
Thanks and On to Next Year!
Craig and Brown thanked the panelists for their participation and the audience for attending. They also asked the attendees to make suggestions, submit questions, or recommend panelists (or volunteer as a panelist) for next year’s forum by emailing Craig at marjorie.craig@stcloud.org.
They look forward to seeing everyone at the next forum, which will be held at the 2023 Florida Water Resources Conference in Kissimmee.
