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Pioneering the Return of Senior Women
It’s no secret that attracting diverse talent is on most business leaders’ agenda. Whether it is dictated by
quotas, social pressure or because they genuinely see the benefit of having a balanced leadership team,
women are sought after for their lateral thinking, relationship building, efficiency and impact – critical
qualities in building value in their business.
However, in focusing their effort on the attraction of diverse talent, businesses can lose sight of a pool of
talent ‘under their nose’. That is, re-connecting with ambitious, talented women who foresee that after
time-out, there isn’t an option to return in any other capacity other than the circumstance or environment
they left.
The reasons women opt out of their career are well known; the result is low representation of women at
senior levels. Often, this is not for want of trying: companies genuinely attempt to retain female talent with
flexible policies around part-time work, childcare and working from home. This is not always enough to keep
women engaged, or to encourage them to return after significant time out of the market. Women hesitate
to return after time out not just for practical reasons: sometimes they may lack some of their former
confidence, or feel isolated from the core business – or simply feel that there is only one acceptable way to
return: as a permanent employee, working 5 days a week, in the office or travelling extensively, expected to
be connected 24/7.
Women leave and often don’t commit to returning because they’re unwilling or unable to commit to the
24/7/365 working model most firms implicitly continue to espouse. And they’re not alone in this respect:
the millennial generation has a very different idea about what constitutes a work-life balance and they’re no
more willing to sacrifice themselves for their career than most women are.
Are senior women prepared to
return?
So, is there a community of willing
senior female professionals who
would be open to returning to their
careers, without lowering their
expectations of role or
responsibility? The answer is: yes,
if they knew they could achieve this
for mutual benefit of the business
and themselves. Women often
assume that the business would
expect them not to be able to
operate at the level they did before
and as a consequence either do not
return to work, or return to a lower
level, perhaps in a part-time
permanent role. With the right
support, this assumption can be
challenged.
To discuss further please contact Elizabeth
Roberts at eroberts@sheffieldhaworth.com or
0207236 2400
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Projects lend itself to this model…
Consultancies and businesses could take advantage of the opportunity to re-engage women who would enjoy returning to their careers after periods away, but often make the mistake of
assuming that personal circumstances make this impossible. Put simply, they don’t realise there are alternative ways of working: flexible hours, working from home (or other place of
convenience), using technology to enable remote working and to allow projects to be easily managed (and measured). Project work lends itself to working from different locations and at
non-standard times. Milestones can be clearly defined and can be segmented and shared between consultants. Returning to the workforce as an independent consultant, either via a
consulting firm or direct with a business, suits perfectly this approach to flexible working. With technology facilitating this change, the phrase ‘out of sight, out of mind’ is no longer relevant!
Communication is key: when reaching out to this community, women want to know there is support available on a practical level. Businesses need role models at the senior levels, women
or men, who can dispel traditional views of working practices and are acutely attuned to the challenges returning women face. Research has shown that women attract women and that
senior women have a disproportionately big impact because they provide an environment in which other women can and do thrive. The empathy of leaders in similar situations can reassure
women their situation is noticed and it is not just ‘lip service’. This involves providing mentoring, support, training and a network, in a structured and practical way.
Interim consulting has often been seen a ‘distressed purchase’, going to market for someone in a crisis situation or a forced transition or change. The approach of engaging with an additional
pool of professionals means consulting firms and businesses can have access to an already screened pool of qualified professionals, to resource their projects proactively, rather than waiting
for an incident or capacity issue to arise before ‘going to market’ to find a suitable resource. The key to making this work effective is to ‘manage the community’, ensuring the policies are
firmly in place, the mentoring scheme works and you are technologically enabled.
How can businesses lead this movement?
For businesses to re-engage with experienced female talent, they need to genuinely offer a supportive, agile environment that is conducive to flexible working. There need to be structured,
clear policies that outline how the work is allocated and measured. Flexibility doesn’t mean ‘complete the work whenever suits’. Timeframe guidelines and clear deliverables are imperative
to the success of utilising a flexible workforce. This is equally critical for the employer (to see value) and to the returning professional (to know their output is being noticed and valued).
Isolation is a key concern on both sides: how do you stay connected to the core of the business if you are working on a project remotely? Apart from the obvious technology enablement, it is
important for the professional to engage with ‘the team’ on a regular basis, even if a face to face is not always achievable, then video or conference calls are very much acceptable these days.
Flexible work practices need to be visible, practical and achievable and have the support of the business at all levels. Senior leaders need to endorse these practices and ensure that staff in
general understand the value of different ways of working. Women will thrive in environments that have support and mentoring helping them to be reintroduced into a workplace that is
markedly different to the one they left, however contributing and being respected as they should be for their experience.
The opportunity to work in an agile way has traditionally been seen as a ‘nice thing to do for loyal employees’; an employee benefit, allowing the employee to return, fit into the workplace to
give them flexibility to work and manage their family obligations. The tides are turning to businesses realising the benefit to the business by attracting returning female talent to meet their
strategic goals at a time when they are trying to succeed in an ever-competitive market.
Pioneering the Return of Senior Women
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