Women work in the drilling industry — but nine times out of 10, you won’t see them doing field work. We tend to overlook half the population when recruiting for entry-level field-services roles, and that is something we can’t afford to do when the labor market is this tight (and we shouldn’t do even when it’s not). So where do we start?
The first challenge is identifying and overcoming internal stereotypes and unconscious biases that may exist. When made aware of such biases, it’s possible to prevent them from interfering with our recruiting and hiring decisions. Training programs can help find and address some of those blind spots. After all, work boils down to applying knowledge and accomplishing tasks, and competency — not gender — is what matters.