Top recruitment agencies in London are looking at how flexible working arrangements could encourage more women to stay on after motherhood.
Flexible working and the gender imbalance.
A recent report by the global management consultancy McKinsey & Co reported that of the 1400 managers surveyed 80% believed that having children was compatible with a top career for men, whilst this figure dropped sharply to 63% when they were asked about women’s capabilities at managing both these commitments. Clearly these people have never heard of women’s renowned ability to multi-task! Joking aside, these numbers illustrate that whilst there have been big strides taken in eliminating the glass ceilings for women, there is still plenty of work to be done.
Flexible working needs to be flexible!
One of the ways that many firms are exploring to keep their female talent pool intact is adopting a flexible working policy-either allowing remote working or looking at alternative start and finish times.
Obviously working from home is nothing new, but it is the way that firms approach this and other arrangements that can make all the difference for women who are trying to assess the potential impact on their professional lives that starting a family may involve. One of the factors can be making sure that staff engage with networks that can help them discuss their options in a forum outside of the workplace, for example Women in Recruitment, which might give them access to options that neither they, nor their employers had considered.
Mobile communication is key
When it comes to flexible working hours the ability to stay in touch via mobile platforms means that the lines are much more blurred when it comes to interacting with colleagues, but the ability to drop a child off at school or perhaps collect one on the way back, can make it much easier for a woman to make the decision to stay on in work.
Recruitment agencies in London are constantly looking at ways of improving the work/life alternatives available to women after childbirth and here at RMS Recruitment we maintain a constant dialogue with both clients and candidates to make sure that the needs of both parties are aligned as much as is possible.
Source: Could flexible working shatter the glass ceiling? We are the City
