Forget the long hours, unequal pay, "no-women-at-the-top" companies. Women are voting with their feet when it comes to finding their perfect job. If it's not what they want, they leave. From the mailroom to the boardroom, women are looking for a much better deal regarding pay, training and career advancement opportunities.

Aurora, an international organisation set up to advance women, knows the consequences for companies if their female employees decide to leave: organisations can expect to lose up to 50 per cent of the annual salary when a member of staff walks out (recruitment and training costs as well as drained know-how and experience).

Substantial evidence demonstrates that women are not prepared to endure a gruelling job studded with inequities. Statistics prove that more women than ever start their own businesses, thus exiting corporate life. Research shows that the number of females setting up in business has grown to more than 150,000 in 2004. The majority of women start their own business so they can choose what hours they work. This exodus from companies may signal a significant problem ahead for UK plc, considering that by the year 2010 women will have outnumbered men in the workplace.

Obviously not every woman leaving a company is starting her own business. Many go and add considerable value to the organisation's competitor, where she knows what awaits her: better work-life balance, a multitude of career development opportunities, fair and equal wages, supportive maternity schemes, etc.

Networks for success

And how does a woman know this? Women use various sources of information to make more discerning choices regarding where they want to work, spend and invest. They use their networks to figure out where they can fulfil their professional aspirations and which company is best to work for.

Another smart way to find out who is top and who is not is to use the online service "Where women want to work" (www2wk.com) to research companies and to read women's comments.

Aurora has provided this free service since 2002 to answer questions like: "'I am ambitious but who will reward me for my hard work?" or "Where can I work flexibly to enjoy my private life?". The service "Where women want to work" identifies "Employers of choice for women" and tells women what companies do to attract, retain and advance top female talent. Moreover Aurora helps organisations to recruit and advance women.

But how do we know that we can trust the information we read on www2wk.com? How do we know it's not simply lip service? "We ask companies to provide evidence about how they advance female staff. We want to know about the positive things that are going on in firms," says Glenda Stone, Founder and CEO of Aurora. "Women can search our service for particular organisations. Some of them support their evidence by quoting their women and presenting case studies, because we all know: theory is good but practice is better."

Recruitment resource

Apart from giving information, the service also provides a heavily-used recruitment portal. Women can search and apply for exciting, challenging and definitely rewarding careers. Using Internet technologies Aurora makes companies' recruitment processes more efficient and spreads the word to women where they can ensure the right career in the right organisation. More than 80,000 visitors per month (and this number is increasing continuously) use "Where women want to work" to inform themselves about organisation's commitment to women, to apply for inspiring careers, and to read latest business news from a female gender perspective.

Innovative and forward-thinking organisations like HSBC, Shell, Accenture and PricewaterhouseCooper have already taken necessary steps to ensure optimal business success by hiring the best and brightest - regardless of gender. These and many more organisations profiled on "Where women want to work" acknowledge that salary alone is not enough to attract and retain female talent. Today's open-minded women are seeking far better opportunities at work. Old-fashioned companies with antiquated cultures that exclude women are simply becoming "no-go" areas.

The "war for talent" will get tougher in future - and rightly so. Women are moving to the forefront of business and will no longer accept being ruled out or left behind. They are ready to conquer the boardroom and to accelerate their careers alongside their male colleagues. Organisations who appreciate these changes and who are actively targeting women as potential employees know that this is not simply about being nice. This is about ensuring business success.