Brainpower. Sylvia Ann Hewlett
Читать онлайн книгу.
due to lack of support from their employer during pregnancy, on maternity leave and on their return.
In recent years Goldman Sachs has seen a steady rise in the number of senior women taking maternity leave in Europe, both in absolute numbers and as a percentage of headcount. Over 50% of these women are at vice president level and above; the majority of women who return go on to a formal flexible work arrangement (FWA) within two years of return or return to an existing FWA.
Goldman has long provided extensive maternity leave benefits, ranging from a competitive enhanced maternity pay policy to maternity mentors (women who have successfully returned to work after childbirth) to on-site back-up childcare facilities. Every pregnant woman has one-to-one support from Human Capital Management to help manage her maternity cycle.
However, focus groups revealed that a lack of clarity about coverage arrangements while a woman is on maternity leave can be a major source of anxiety and that support is required in equal measure from her manager, cover, and team. The key takeaway: strong manager engagement and sensitivity is the single biggest factor for a successful return to work and instrumental in a successful career going forward.
The firm’s Senior Diversity Council recognized an opportunity to increase the support provided to women and their managers throughout the maternity cycle. Responding to these findings, in 2009, Goldman strengthened its comprehensive maternity leave benefits with additional programs to further support pregnant employees, the maternity population, and their managers.
All managers with a pregnant employee now receive one-on-one and group interactive training. Regular communications throughout the maternity cycle identify key actions for managers to initiate, including a pre- and post-maternity leave performance review for new mothers.
Returning mothers, in turn, can access structured “Keeping in Touch” days to help them reintegrate into the workplace. Expanded back-up childcare facilities will include permanent childcare places to support returning parents with children up to the age of two years. And a revised parenting handbook for employees describes and clarifies the program changes.
In 2009, a Maternity Committee consisting of managing director champions was piloted in several divisions. Its role is to provide support to managers and women throughout the maternity cycle, including regular touch points during the first year of return. The committee continues to meet monthly during which members discuss their learning and feedback.
“The continuity of manager support at every stage—before, during, and after the maternity leave—helps the transition be successful,” says Donna Burns, head of human capital management, Federation, EMEA. “With better communication and transparency between managers and employees, we hope to see a reduction in the number of women resigning in the two years after returning from maternity leave.”
Intel: New Parent Reintegration Program
Many new mothers struggle to return to work full throttle after their maternity leaves have come to an end. So in order to smooth the transition back into full-time work, Intel launched the “New Parent Reintegration” (NPR) program in 2007 as part of their broader flexibility initiative. The program allows employees to temporarily modify their work schedule for a defined period of time after exhausting time available through Intel’s Bonding Leave and/or Pregnancy Leave guidelines. Under the NPR program, employees can either work a temporary part-time schedule or modify their work schedule to continue working full-time. NPR participants have worked phased or temporary part-time hours, staggered hours, and telecommuted. In addition, employees may also work jointly with managers to develop an alternate strategy that meets both the need of the employee and the business. This may include variations to on-call expectations, break schedules, and other alterations to normal working hours.
Although most employees who take advantage of the program are women, new fathers are eligible to use it as well as a compliment to Intel’s paternity leave program.
Intel encourages employees to work out a preliminary arrangement with their managers before going on parental leave. The NPR program is not intended to provide a permanent change to part-time status, but allows managers and employees to develop a customized reintegration plan. There is no formal time limit for how long employees can stay on a part-time track after they return from parental leave; the choice is left up to the employee and her manager.
Intel’s employees appreciate the flexibility and balance that the NPR program provides. Christy Brundage, HR strategic program manager, used the NPR program for the births of both of her daughters, who are now two years old and four months old. She combined several of the program’s options, telecommuting and working a reduced work schedule. “For the birth of my second child, I returned part time for one month doing project work. This helped me to gradually ramp back to the pace and schedule for my role as well as providing my family much-valued transition time,” Brundage says. “While I was on my most recent maternity leave, my management team contacted me about a great career opportunity. The role had the scope of work that aligned directly to my strengths and career interests. Although I was out for an extended amount of time, I had the opportunity to continue to grow my career at the pace that aligns with my personal career goals.”
Moody’s: Backup Childcare and Eldercare
In late 2008 after hearing from the newly formed Women’s Network on the challenges employees were having finding the right child or eldercare solution in an emergency situation when regular care arrangements fall through, Moody’s researched best practices in the industry and decided to launch a backup childcare and eldercare program.
Working with Bright Horizons, a national provider of work life services, employees can take advantage of up to 20 days of care, per dependent per calendar year, at rates that are far below the average market pricing. Care is available both in an on-site facility with others and one-on-one in the home. Employees are even able to utilize the eldercare program from other states; for example, a New York City-based employee with a sick mother in Florida can request a caregiver to go into to her mother’s home. Additionally, employees can request a caregiver they’ve used previously.
Moody’s took significant steps to make its employees feel comfortable about using the program and parents are encouraged to call and visit the day care center during the work day, and they often do.
The program has been appreciated by employees who would have otherwise had to stay home from work to take care of a sick child or parent. Daisy Auger-Domínguez, Moody’s vice president of diversity & inclusion, says, “The impact on productivity speaks millions.”
Lisa Douglass-Doe, vice president HRIS at Moody’s, used the backup childcare program more than ten times in 2009 to care for her three-year-old twins. Douglass-Doe, who has a one-hour commute from home to work, generally chooses at-home care. “I loved having a caregiver come to my home where the children are comfortable, instead of having to dress them up and take them out to a facility. You can come to work with peace of mind knowing there’s someone there to watch your kids,” she says. One time, when one of her children was in the hospital, a caregiver from Bright Horizons came to the hospital to sit with the child. “The flexibility of being able to have them anywhere is great,” Douglass-Doe says.
Encouraged by the positive feedback from program participants, in late 2009 Moody’s expanded the backup care program into Germany and Canada.
Claiming and Sustaining Ambition
Boehringer Ingelheim: Inclusive Leadership Conference
“Senior leaders need an open door and an open ear,” explained one high-potential woman in describing the challenges of managing diverse teams. Boehringer Ingelheim USA’s internal celebration of leadership, “Developing Inclusive Leadership at Boehringer Ingelheim: A Spotlight on Women,” which took place on January 11, 2010, aimed to encourage that openness, explore the issues confronting high-performance women, and propose workable solutions. The conference was “three years in the making” for Nancy Di Dia, executive director, Office of Diversity, Inclusion & Engagement.
With the endorsement of President and CEO J. Martin Carroll, who kicked off the event, the conference brought together not only talented female employees from all divisions