The Untapped Recruiting Outlet: The Career Break Women
I first met Eloise when both our children started at the reception class in our local primary school. Both our sons got on well from the first day, calling each other as “my bestest (sic) friend”. While I never stopped working, apart from the statutory maternity leave, Eloise had stayed at home since Daniel was born. A sharp and energetic woman, she had graduated with a first in Maths at a top University in the UK. She had also worked as an Accountant in three different countries before being made redundant. This was shortly after she gave birth to Daniel.
Just as with our children, we became good friends straight away. I admired her intelligence and confidence in expressing well-built opinions openly. Despite not agreeing on everything, we could have healthy debates and long conversations on so many different topics. Eloise was very active and took many responsibilities running the school’s Parent and Teachers Association, regularly fundraised and helping the school achieving its outstanding status. While I couldn’t contribute as much, I tried to attend as many fundraising events on weekends, where it was impossible not to notice her leadership and organisational skills. Besides, I was grateful for her keeping me in the loop about everything going on in the classroom.
Throughout the years of our children’s primary school, it was very clear that Eloise was eager to go back to work. This was not only to have her financial independence back but also to make use of all her skills and experience. She needed to feel valued and not just to be seen as someone’s mom and a house-wife. While at home, Eloise embarked on a series of projects showing her entrepreneurship, communication skills, analytical mind and determination. In the IT industry, she could have made an excellent Technical Programme Manager.
According to a 2016 PriceWaterCoppers research, Eloise is just one out of 500,000 women in the UK eager to return to work after a long career break. Despite persistently and regularly applying for opportunities at her level, after 6 years out of the job market, she ended up taking a job as a Dinner Lady at the local secondary school. Although she was pleased to return to work, this didn’t provide her with the chance of utilising all her skills and to make an income proportional to the investment she had made on her Education and Training. Eloise was still far from having her financial independence, as her income was only complementary.
This underutilisation of talent is very common. PWC’s 2016 research states that 3 out of 5 women who had a long term career break to care for family, are likely to take on jobs far below their skills and capabilities. They include scientists, researchers, doctors, lawyers, engineers, directors and accountants like Eloise. All professional women who invested time and resources into their qualifications and experience. They are an untapped outlet of well-rounded individuals. They have the potential to greatly contribute to the success of organisations with their maturity, commitment and adaptability in any industry. In terms of IT, their skills and experience could not only be easily transferred to but also add a breath of fresh perspectives and innovative approaches. PWC claims that addressing this underutilisation of talent could boost up to £1.7 billion to the UK’s GDP.
The findings from PriceWaterCoopers’ research also identifies several obstacles in attracting more women back to work. One of them is the bias from Recruiters who tend to believe that the time away has eroded their skills or that they are no longer relevant. This is especially true in IT, as it is an area that changes rapidly. For this reason, organisations such as IBM and Capgemini have introduced a re-entry programme targeting professional women who want to resume their careers while matching their expertise, interests and abilities. At IBM, this programme consists of an 18 week paid apprenticeship that might lead to employment within the company. However, this scheme is currently only available in the USA, Canada and India.
While re-entry programmes could help to get more women back to work, it could also help to build a pipeline of women ready for leadership positions. This would, in turn, improve the diversity of management teams. The experience brought by women returning to work is key in identifying patterns and distinguishing what is innovative from what is just a cycle of buzzwords and fads.
More than ever, their experience and perspective are important to predict the risks and benefits of introducing change. A more diverse workplace is paramount in preventing bias in Artificial Intelligence systems, which can have the power to either help society to progress into an economically sustainable and free of conflict World or to regress into an era devoid of rationality and new opportunities.
