PENN Entertainment gives women tools to grow career

PENN Entertainment has relaunched a program to help its female employees succeed. 

PENN Women Program, led by a committee of female executives and leaders, is designed to provide female employees with tools to advance their careers, said Michele Collins, assistant general manager at Hollywood Casinos Grantville. 

The program gives women a tool kit to move to the next level in their career, Collins said. It also offers women ways to navigate work-life balance, adjust management styles and have a place to feel seen and heard. 

Collins said 30 women are participating at the Grantville location, with 100 participating across the Pennsylvania locations and 800 companywide. 

“For so long this was a male dominated industry, especially as you moved up,” Collins said. “We want to make sure women have the opportunity to advance when they are ready.” 

The program was originally launched in 2018 as Women Leading at PENN but was shut down when the pandemic hit, Collins said. 

When gearing up to relaunch the program that she said was successful, Collins was tasked with developing the curriculum.  

“It was exciting and fun,” she said.  

The first thing she did was to pitch the new title. 

“I had been to leadership conferences where I heard conversations around how lead or leader in the title was not inclusive, especially for front line workers,” she said. “It felt like it wasn’t for them.” 

Collins pitched PENN Women to make the program inclusive of all female employees, no matter what their job is.  

“The idea is to give them a tool kit to get to the next step and the name took it in that direction,” she said. 

Each property has assigned champions that roll out the content and develop the program to fit the needs of the participants. Collins said the programs include a variety of workshops, book clubs, meet and mingles, and mentor programs.  

“The goal is to empower and uplift our women, helping them to overcome their personal and professional roadblocks, and to excel to their highest potential. We recognize that investing in our people, and especially women, is a top priority and the PENN Women program provides structure and accountability for doing exactly that,” she said. 

The program brings women from all positions together which Collins said is helpful for everyone as they get an up-close look at what each is dealing with.  

People can “just get their feet wet” with social networking or they can opt for the more in-depth program that includes the leadership training and mentor programs. 

“The entertainment business is 24/7 so work-life balance can be difficult,” Collins said. “This program can help them figure out a schedule so they can be at their kid’s events. They can stay successful at their job and still have time for family with support.” 

For managers, Collins said they get first-hand knowledge of what front line workers deal with and can be more flexible making schedules. 

The program launched a month ago with a vision board making session. Collins said everyone cut pictures out of magazines to create what they want their future to look like.  

“It was a little bit of fun,” she said. “We will pull those boards out in six months and see where everyone is at.” 

The group also has a book club and is reading Be the Calm Or Be the Storm by Captain Sandy Yawn.  

“These are not your typical seminars. They are very immersive, interactive programs,” she said  

Another part of the program offers a web portal where people can access resources like interview skills, time management and public speaking. 

“Within that, there is a mentor program that pairs mentees with someone who can help them navigate their career path and gain insight into what that might look like,” she said.  

Collins said when she started in the industry 15 years ago, women made up around 30% of management. Now it is a 50-50 split.  

“There has been a shift in the way Penn Entertainment looks at things,” she said. “There has been success in bringing women to the table.” 

Collins said the biggest goal of the program is to build confidence, so people don’t feel held back when they are ready to move forward.  

“It has always amazed me how in this organization you have the ability to move up when you’re ready,” she said. “We’re all really proud of this and can’t wait to see what path people take.”