Recent research has shown that a quarter of companies now offer female executives extended leave or ‘parenting sabbaticals’ to avoid losing them permanently. But how can companies ensure that female executives remain fully skilled? Laura Kelly of Thomson NETg looks at one solution.
Retention issues and the skills crisis
In successful organisations employees possess the knowledge and skill to continually drive success and deliver results. However, attracting and retaining skilled staff in an increasingly competitive market has become a key issue for companies.
A survey by the Learning and Skills Council has shown that almost a quarter of employers in England feel their workforce is not up to the job, and more than one in ten workers were branded “incompetent”. In addition, the UK skills crisis is only set to deepen as our population ages. A hundred years ago, there were five people working for every pensioner, but as the birth rates continue to fall there will soon be just one person in employment for each retired person.
With a lack of young people entering the workforce, organisations are going to have to do all they can to hold on to skilled staff.
The growth of parenting sabbaticals
A recent survey by the Department of Trade and Industry has found that companies such as Barclays Bank, Ford and Ernst and Young are so keen to retain skilled staff in the face of these changing demographics that 24% of companies now offer female executives extended leave or ‘parenting sabbaticals’ of up to five years in order to avoid losing them permanently.
But how can companies ensure that women maintain their skills throughout the course of their sabbatical period or learn new skills to ensure that they are fully equipped with the right knowledge to perform their roles on their return?
Combining a career with motherhood
Whilst at present 65% of mothers work, women without children are defined by the National Statistics Organisation as more likely to be ‘economically active.’ Motherhood undoubtedly brings about changes for the career of women, with many putting them on hold on a long-term basis.
Improved maternity leave and flexible working options has enabled a number of women to successfully combine a career with motherhood. However, whilst larger numbers of women are working than ever before, according to an article in The Sunday Times (4 Jan 2004), the US are starting to see the beginning of a trend where fewer and fewer women are returning to work after having a child. Concern has been voiced about a similar trend starting to emerge in the UK as people return to family values.
It’s a tough choice for mothers who have the desire to work as well as be a parent and the balancing act is often made harder. For example, research by Bristol University funded by the Department for Education and Skills found that children of women who returned to work before they were 18 months old are slower to develop basic learning skills.
Whilst plans to promote maternity breaks that last for up to five years is a shrewd move, the challenge for organisations is making sure that when mothers come back into the workplace they still have the skills and the confidence necessary to progress individual and company performance.
Concern has been expressed that female executives may leave the workplace as valued employees but return to find that their role has changed and so has their required skill set.
In today’s fast evolving business climate, five years is a long time to be absent from the work place, so what can companies do to address the inevitable skills gap?
Taking advantage of new learning technologies
Fortunately, advances in learning technologies mean that mothers who wish to return to work can stay completely up-to-date with the latest skills.
Many organisations have implemented e-Learning which is an ideal medium for providing flexible and tailored company training programmes to mothers on sabbatical. They can access company training programmes over the corporate intranet or via CD ROM if they don’t have remote access. This means that course content can be accessed any time of the day or night – whilst children are asleep or even after a 2:00am feed when mothers can’t get back to sleep!
Such flexibility enables both female and male executives to keep up-to-date with the latest business and professional skills and IT skills. By ensuring that training programmes for employees are tightly linked to organisational objectives, HR departments can be more confident that employees returning to work after an extended absence are equipped to perform to their maximum capacity.
Staff on parenting sabbaticals can also be kept up-to-date with company developments and the latest business strategies. This means that rather than losing touch, employees can continue to feel a valued part of the organisation.
Encouraging parents back to the workplace
The skills crisis is an unwelcome reality for companies, which needs to be addressed now in order to ensure long term business success and avoid a potential future time bomb.
Companies should be implementing strategies which encourage mothers to remain in the job market and ensuring they do not lose or alienate this valuable resource. Too often the careers of women are halted early because of motherhood.
The opportunity to remain skilled while away from work means women can successfully combine work and parenting, and so remain a valued part of the workforce. Forward thinking organisations who adopt this strategy would be making a highly positive move to help address the growing skills crisis in the UK.
