Flexibility is not an F Word, and we proudly
proclaim as much on Professionelle's unique T shirts. It's not just
a women's issue either, even though it often gets talked about as
if only working mums need and want it. We know plenty of
men who want to see their families, or study, or run marathons,
or generally add meaning and richness to their lives beyond
the work they do.
But for women and men alike, flexibility remains frustratingly
elusive. It's probably no coincidence that a third of our members
are part timers, or have moved to being self employed or
contractors in some way - as we two at Professionelle have
done.
It seems that if you can negotiate enough flexibility
to make your life workable it comes at the price of
having a meaningful career. So often we hear from professional
women who discover that 'part time' can be spelled as 'career
dead-end'. Many of our members tell us that it's full
time or nothing if you want to keep progressing. Off ramps and
on ramps for careers? As the beer ad says - yeah, right!
In this theme we keep tabs on research and progress in the area
of non-traditional work models. We follow new evidence
for the business case for flexibility. We ponder how
to recognise firms that are truly flexible. We reflect the
wisdom of our members who tell us how they "make it all work". If
you have fresh insights or have read something thought-provoking on
this tough issue, do please share them with us and we will
pass them on through this theme page.
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12 December 2011
By Sarah Wilshaw-Sparkes
If you're in the grip of year end dreams of getting out of the rat race, but unsure how much is due to work itself or to overwork, reflect on the factors that make you want to work. They will be very different from those that drive you to overwork. It's really important to disentangle the profoundly positive things about work from the drag of overwork!
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25 November 2011
By Jayne Muller of Altris
Just because you feel guilty, doesn’t mean you are guilty! However, if you sometimes struggle to manage your working mum’s guilt, here are 4 tips to help.
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30 September 2011
By Jayne Muller of Altris
"Women have been having babies for years, it's no big deal". Wrong, it is a big deal! Jayne Muller of Altris argues that pregnancy and baby should be treated by the new mum and her manager the same as a change project. From the perspectives of each party, she provides advice on the three phases of change to give the mother and her employer the best chance of a successful return to work.
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01 September 2011
By Sarah Wilshaw-Sparkes
There's an economic prize for bringing more women into paid employment and lifting their productivity, say Goldman Sachs. It's an argument that interests the Government and has the power to bring important policy changes for working women to the table. So Sarah wants to believe it - but struggles with the economic logic. Can wiser heads help her understand?
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04 August 2011
By Professionelle's Christchurch Chapter
At a recent "Struggle of the Juggle" Professionelle networking seminar, we talked about the many different challenges that professional women (and men!) face when combining paid work with the many other important things that happen in our lives. Here we distil some of our top tips from the seminar.
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17 July 2011
By Jen Dalitz, Australia's thought leader on gender balance
What is unconscious bias, really, and how can you know if it's happening in your workplace? Jen Dalitz explains why it's still a live issue for professional women's careers and lists 10 tell-tale signs that middle and senior managers are making decisions based on familiar, but outdated, assumptions and mental shortcuts
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09 March 2011
By Sarah Wilshaw-Sparkes
What sustains women's careers after their children arrive? Sarah provocatively points to something - or someone - quite different to the usually prescribed ingredients of mentors, stretch assignments and networking, important though those are.
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07 January 2011
By Jennifer Mills, Partner, and Anne Shirley, Senior Solicitor, at Minter Ellison Rudd Watts
A recent 'Ask the Expert' article looked at the issue of flexible working arrangements from an employee's perspective. However, women may not only wish to request such arrangements - they may also, as managers or employers, find themselves having to respond to respond to these requests.
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11 October 2010
By Jennifer Mills, Partner, and Anne Shirley, Senior Solicitor, at Minter Ellison Rudd Watts
At Professionelle, we often receive requests for advice on flexible work arrangements and how to set them up and negotiate them. Every case is different and there are some tricky situations. Here, Jennifer Mills and Anne Shirley from Minter Ellison provide their expert advice.
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27 September 2010
By Linda Coles of Blue Banana
Facebook is a strategy you shouldn't ignore. It would be the world's third largest country if its 500 million monthly visitors were the population. Professionals, contractors and businesses of all sorts can benefit from following some simple principles.