|
 Once regarded as a career setback, taking extended time off work to care for children is no longer a liability as businesses fight to hold onto valuable female executives. A growing number of companies are rolling out lavish welcome mats for returning women, offering a spate of options that ease the transition back.
Women might act as "substitutes," or take advantage of free professional courses, networking events and even lactation consultants. Flexible work schedules are more popular too, with many women opting to "phase back" to work after standard or extended maternity leave.
The programs come amid shifting attitudes about balancing work and family. Last month, a study by the Pew Research Center found 60 percent of working mothers now say part-time work is their ideal rather than full-time, compared to 48 percent a decade ago.
The emerging preference for part-time work clashes with reality, however: Three-quarters of working mothers have full-time jobs.
The discrepancy could signal dissatisfaction with work-life arrangements and eventually spur turnover, one of the biggest costs facing companies, said Suzanne Riss, editor-in-chief of Working Mother magazine.
In hopes of preventing an exodus of talent, a growing number of companies are offering ways for new mothers to balance family and work.
However, the programs are typically reserved for a smaller subset of women in managerial or executive positions.
Of Working Mother's 100 best companies last year, for example, 81 offered a variation of "phase back" plans for new mothers. The programs let women phase back to work at their own pace after maternity leave, perhaps starting by working a few hours a day before ramping back up to full time.
Other programs go much farther, providing personal time far beyond the 12 weeks of unpaid maternity leave guaranteed to most women under federal law.
The Personal Pursuits program at Deloitte and Touche lets former employees stay connected through freelance assignments and career coaching. Participants likely won't get the same exact job back
-- companies need to find permanent replacements -- but the idea is that participants will return at a comparable level.
Similarly, the Full Circle program at PricewaterhouseCoopers lets women take up to five years off (unpaid) while staying connected to the company through mentoring, free training classes and invitations to networking events.
[to top of second column]
 |
 "The message is that leaving is not only OK, but that the company will do everything possible to help them return," said Jennifer Allyn, director of gender retention and advancement at PricewaterhouseCoopers.
At IBM, many women work with managers to map out a personalized strategy for returning before going on extended leave. At Deloitte & Touche, employees can dial workloads up or down depending on personal needs.
Such programs, which are typically intended for new mothers, mean women no longer have to pick between their career or their family, said Ellen Galinsky, president of the Families and Work Institute.
The shift reflects a broader transformation in the typical career trajectory in America. With more people adjusting workloads and taking "time outs" for personal reasons or to try their hand at a new field, the linear career path is no longer the only way up the corporate ladder, Galinsky said.
That doesn't mean returning to work after a long absence is easy, especially in industries that can undergo radical changes in a short time. Former peers and subordinates may have moved on, clients may have changed, and new managers may be in place.
But for Thoma and others, the hope is to minimize such pitfalls.
Since leaving her job in January, Thoma has sat on a panel for the company's women's networking group, lunched with her career coach and attended several company social events. The company is also flying her to Canada this month for a free training conference.
While Thoma doesn't expect to get the same job back when she returns, the hope is that she'll still be able to continue her rise up the corporate ladder. Thoma, a San Marin County, Calif. resident, still plans to become a partner after she returns.
"My plan is to be out for one or two years," she said. "At the same time, I don't want to be bumped down."
___
On the Net:
Families and Work Institute, http://www.familiesandwork.org/
Working Mother, http://www.workingmother.com/
[Associated
Press;
by Candice Choi]
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or
redistributed. |
