The Research Edge - Sustaining Career through Maternity Leave and Beyond

Newly published research explores the managing of work and career during maternity leave and beyond, and implications for organisations.

In a recent study conducted in Western Australia, women currently on maternity leave anticipated restricted opportunities in the workplace on their return to work, and a slowing and restricting of their longer-term career development.

The factors perceived to inhibit their careers beyond maternity leave included organisational (employer) factors - such as problematic access to training and professional development and a lack of opportunities to advance their careers and take on senior roles. It was noted that employers were unwilling to invest in training for women going on maternity leave or working part-time. In addition, training was often held at unsuitable times and there was an additional child care cost burden for part-time employees.

There were also institutional factors (related to professional associations and government regulations) including restrictive provisions around professional registration and training. This was particularly the case for women returning to part-time roles or taking lengthy career breaks, due to professional registration requirements around recency of practice and the number of hours required to maintain professional registration.

Of interest to women pursuing leadership roles will be the restrictive conditions to taking on or continuing in senior roles, which were not available in part-time or job sharing mode.

source

In further research, family decisions pertaining to responsibilities for child care following return to work after maternity leave were explored. 50% of women expected to elect to have child caring provided wholly by family members, including extended family. Only 15 % anticipated the use of formal arrangements alone. The planned arrangements for child care can best be understood within a framework of a ‘family budget’ of time to be allocated by members of the family between market based work and child caring.

Critical to these child care decisions, and the ability to manage work and non-work demands, were employee centred workplace flexibility. However, dissonance between stated organisational family friendly policy and practice at the management level was observed. This dissoance created substantial difficulty for employees, disrupting their child caring arrangements.

The findings have important employment policy implications for workplaces and the issues issues raised have broad applicability, especially in the light of the Commonwealth’s “Parental Leave Pay Scheme” 2011. This research also raises some interesting questions:

• Can we explore a ‘technology’ of work organisation where career defining tasks/responsibilities can be aggregated into different sized bundles to support flexible workplace arrangements?
• Are “family friendly” policies subverted by claims for  “managerial discretion” and a prevailing orthodoxy that part-time work and senior roles are not compatible?
• Do restrictions by professional organisations add value or represent restrictive professional practice? 

We'd love to hear your thoughts - drop us a line below, on facebook or twitter to share your experiences or accounts of workplaces managing this well.  BB

For full articles, please refer to:

Sustaining Career through Maternity Leave - M. Nowak, M. Naude & G. Thomas. Australian Journal of Labour Economics, Vol. 15 No 3, 2012

Returning to Work After Maternity Leave: Childcare and Workplace Flexibility.  M.Nowak, M. Naude & G. Thomas. Journal of Industrial Relations. Vol. 55 No 1 2013  p118-135.

Do you have a Network Perspective? The Importance of Connection.

There are never a shortage of opportunities to meet people, establish new contacts or nurture and maintain existing networks. Certainly on The Bickley Blog, we frequently share a large number of great events being organised by and held for women in leadership each month.

Most of us know that developing relationships is important professionally. We often hear the phrase "it's not what you know, it's who you know"... that gets things done, opens the door to that job you were looking for...

But do you have a Network Perspective?

A recently released paper from The Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) - Developing Network Perspective - might reveal the answer. 

According to CCL, someone with a network perspective is able to look beyond a formal organisational chart or formal titles. They can see and understand the significance of the informal and invisible structures that support the formal organisation.

They understand the importance of relationships and are aware that often the real influencers are those without the senior title.

They understand that the key to success is that "everything is, or will be, connected" (CCL 2013).

Why is having a Network Perspective important? There are seven key reasons:

1. Connections matter - connections provide opportunities and create constraints.
2. Work often happens through informal channels - particularly in flat, team-based and agile work environments
3. Leadership occurs through relationships
4. Successful leaders develop networks of strong, diverse relationships - purposeful (strategic) and authentic networking is the key
5. Network knowledge is an asset in change efforts - this is critical in cultural transformation
6. Innovation networks can be identified and supported
7. The most important challenges leaders face today are interdependent - complex challenges are best address by groups, working collaboratively, not by indiviudals in isolation.

As a leader, how can you develop a this perspective? How do you get it if you don't have it?

1. To begin with, improve your understanding of how your organisation really works. How does  information flow? Who are the influential people?
2. Understand and strengthen your personal network. Is yours a network of convenience or have you built it with purpose?
3. Finally, build connections with those who offer "support, energy, information, feedback and diverse and challenging viewpoints?" (CCL 2013)

Of course, this perspective extends beyond your individual workplace, and into your broader industry, into the social and political realm. 

We challenge you to think about this before your next function! What shape is your network in?  Which relationships do you need to establish and nurture to achieve your plans and goals? Who are the key influencers in your space?

Drop us a line by email or facebook, or leave a comment below to let us know how you went.

To read the full paper on Developing a Network Perspective, visit the CCL webpage: http://www.ccl.org/leadership/pdf/research/developingNetworkPerspective.pdf

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Bubbles & Boobs for Breast Cancer Care WA - 11th June 2013

A special post to promote Chica Catering's Bubbles & Boobs Afternoon High Tea to be held on Tuesday 11th June in Perth, Western Australia. Featuring a deluxe high tea, champagne, a fashion parade and a silent auction to raise funds for Breast Cancer Care WA. Gather your friends together to support this very worthy cause.

For ticket information and reservations, please visit the event webpage.