Sequencing Moms
The Case For Hiring Mommies
Sequencing moms—women who are returning to the workforce after having children—have career experience and proven skills that makes them attractive to employers. Money comes into the equation as well: It costs a bundle to lose an employee, recruit a new one, and train that new one.
Major employers are creating new programs to entice their pre-mommies to decide against a permanent exit. Deloitte & Touche is one of the front-runners with their new program that allows qualified employees to take up to 5 years off to tend to personal goals. This is not just for women—men can opt for it as well. The employee uses company resources and a mentor to stay skilled and informed. She can also ask for temporary paid assignments with the company. Having a program like this is a great recruitment tool for those pre-mommies.
The case for hiring mommies gets even better. According to Scientific American, once a woman has a child she becomes smarter—and this new smartness lasts into old age! Research by Craig Howard Kinsley and Kelly G. Lambert indicates that the dramatic hormonal fluctuations that occur during pregnancy, birth and lactation may remodel the female brain, increasing the size of neurons in some regions and producing structural changes in others. And if multitasking is necessary in your business, remember this: “Mother rats nearly always beat virgins in competitions that involve multitasking.” That’d be good on a bumper sticker.
An increasing number of today’s young mothers say they expect to return to work. About 84% of Generation X stay-at-home moms are considering returning to work, according to Boston-based marketing strategy and research firm Reach Advisors. That compares with 57% of baby boomers who have the same intentions.
Companies are also allowing more flex-time and part-time arrangements to retain valuable employees. USA Today reports that IBM offers a program that allows employees to take up to three years off. Typically, working mothers who use the program take a year or more off, and then they use the remainder of their leave to re-enter work on a part-time basis. After the three years are up, they have the option of returning either full or part time. IBM surveyed employees who had taken the leave and found 59% would have left the company if the program hadn’t been available.
Tip: My tip for this week is to take a look at Working Mother’s 100 Best Companies for 2005. If you’re not satisfied with your current company, consider one of these. And even if you’re happy with your company, spread the word about the great new programs these winners have for working mothers. It’s this type of buzz that will get the ball rolling in the right direction—for families.
Further Reading:
L A Times, by Molly Selvin, This Mommy Track May Go Somewhere – Some companies offer a chance to advance on a schedule that allows more time at home.
WomensMedia.com Site: Negotiating Work/Family Issues, by Deborah M. Kolb, Judith Williams, and Carol Frohlinger
Scientific American, January 2006, “The Maternal Brain” by Craig Howard Kinsley and Kelly G. Lambert
Working Mother 100 Best Companies for 2005
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