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18 18 Recruit and retain Recruit and retain Rural hospitals' creative strategies to Rural hospitals' creative strategies to secure talent secure talent 21 21 Bridging the gap Bridging the gap Expanding opportunities for employees Expanding opportunities for employees with disabilities alleviates shortages with disabilities alleviates shortages S P R I N G 2 0 2 5 / W O R K F O R M E 1 7 Rule No. 1: Build a culture where women want to work. WORK WORK F O R C E F O R C E Some of the areas of focus to consider: Build a culture where women want to work. Male dominated industries must overcome lingering stereotypes that women could face harassment, microaggression, or bias in the workplace. Establish an open-door policy for employees and create a two-way flow of communication. Build strong anti- harassment policies, offer flexible schedules and develop a positive work culture where everyone wants to work, not simply females. Recruit Intentionally. Partner with schools and universities and develop internships and mentorship programs that encourage women to explore all opportunities within the industry. Offer professional development. Many em- ployees are likely to enter an industry when they see upward mobility and potential to advance their career. Companies can de- velop equal access to career advancement through educational classes, mentorship opportunities, training and leadership courses for all employees. Be transparent. Develop equal pay scales, and fair hiring and promotion processes to provide opportunities and advancement based on merit, skill and ability. Generous family leave and benefits. Build a generous benefit package and encour- age all employees to use all personal and vacation time. A number of fields that had been male dominated are seeing more women. Den- tistry, graphic design and medicine are examples. Maine employers have an op- portunity to participate in making all types of adjustments to their workplace and industry in order to build Maine's work- force. Together, we can pave the pathway for Maine to continue building stability and strength that leads to a bright economic future for generations to come. n Possibly no other industry has been under as Possibly no other industry has been under as much stress in recent years than health care much stress in recent years than health care industry and hospitals. Ongoing efforts are industry and hospitals. Ongoing efforts are addressing the shortage of nurses, but more addressing the shortage of nurses, but more help is needed. help is needed. S TA RT I N G O N T H E N E X T PAG E S TA RT I N G O N T H E N E X T PAG E ยป C o m m e n t a r y