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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 21 D E C E M B E R 1 1 , 2 0 1 7 thing is about having that choice. It's an area fraught with emotion and disagreement, but the good thing is that, if people keep talking about it, everyone will understand the issues and make their own decisions." Harnish says challenges around alternative working arrangements are fading with younger generations, and that women and men alike are inter- ested in these opportunities. "Our younger workforce prefers to have more fl exibility, which means they're more virtual and they can reach the same goals and expectations as their colleagues in a more traditional setting at the offi ce," she says. "When we're recruiting students and recent graduates, they are asking, does it mat- ter when or where I work?" Salary strategies ere are no easy answers for these issues, and there's no magic bullet for the pay gap, experts agree. ey also agree that they haven't seen any inten- tional discrimination. "We don't hear employers saying, 'Well, I'll pay this amount to a man applying for the job but I'll pay a dif- ferent amount to a female applicant,'" Olken says. Fortin agrees. Even so, she says, a sys- tematic approach to determining salaries for new hires and promotions is useful. "One of the fi rst things I did was to create a chart listing all new attor- ney hires with a description of the diff erent factors that went into their off ers," she says. " at was my rudi- mentary eff ort to make sure we were being consistent and that women were getting off ers that were as good as off ers that went to men." Fortin also off ers appropriate sala- ries right off the bat. "I absolutely do not shoot low with the expectation that someone's going to negotiate up," she says. Fortin cites the book "Women Don't Ask: Negotiation and the Gender Divide," by Linda Babcock and Sara Laschever, a book that still resonates a nearly 15 years after being published by Princeton University Press. Women tend to accept the fi rst off er put before them, whereas men are likely to nego- tiate for more. "So I try to fi gure out the appropriate salary and off er that, and then hold fi rm," she says. Mentoring Experts also agree that mentorship is key for helping women understand how to advocate for themselves, especially in traditionally male-dominated fi elds. "It's really important for women to support other women," says Gina Tapp, the city of Portland's director of human resources. "I think in the past there's been an established way for that to happen naturally with men" — like doing busi- ness on the golf course. "A lot of those informal structures are already in place for men, and might not be for women, so we need to create that same kind of networking to help bring people along." Mentoring is important, says Harnish, not only for career advancement, per se, but for promoting awareness of how women and men might work diff erently. "Women tend to be more collab- orative and take a team approach, and men tend to take full credit," Harnish says. " at diff erence is something we do mentoring and coaching around — for women to say, 'I did this,' and to be proud about that." She's seeing a cultural shift: "We're seeing younger people who know what they want. ey're confi dent, they're driven. Isn't that what we want in our future leaders?" L aUr i e S c h r e i be r, M a i n e b i z s e n i o r writer, can be reached at Lschreiber @ m a i n e b i z . b i z a n d @ M a i n e b i z R E I " " " " Colors Pantone 2747 Pantone 1807 IT Solutions Designed for Your Business Finding the right IT partner is one of the most important decisions your company can make. At WGTECH, making information technology work for your business is our core competency. We develop individualized solutions that help you grow your business, improve operations, and boost efficiency. We're Northern New England's resource for advanced technology – we'd like to partner with you. www.WGTECH.com 207.856.5300 Control Costs & Increase Productivity F O C U S A lot of those informal structures are already in A lot of those informal structures are already in A lot of those informal structures are already in A lot of those informal structures are already in A lot of those informal structures are already in A lot of those informal structures are already in A lot of those informal structures are already in A lot of those informal structures are already in A lot of those informal structures are already in A lot of those informal structures are already in A lot of those informal structures are already in A lot of those informal structures are already in A lot of those informal structures are already in A lot of those informal structures are already in place for men, and might not be for women, so place for men, and might not be for women, so place for men, and might not be for women, so place for men, and might not be for women, so place for men, and might not be for women, so place for men, and might not be for women, so place for men, and might not be for women, so place for men, and might not be for women, so place for men, and might not be for women, so place for men, and might not be for women, so place for men, and might not be for women, so place for men, and might not be for women, so place for men, and might not be for women, so we need to create the same kind of networking to help bring people along. — Gina Tapp Director of HR, City of Portland Debby Olken, business development director for KMA Human Resources Consulting, urges women taking a break from work to stay active in other ways, earning certifi cations, studying or volunteering. P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY

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