Golden carrot

Economic and lifestyle choices mean that many women want to return to paid work soon after having children. However, in today's demanding world, balancing work and family life is challenging and requires the help of an enlightened employer. Companies that allow their employees to get the job done, wherever and whenever, are not only attracting talent, but are also winning loyalty from their existing staff.

Surveys reveal that two in five parents regard the opportunity to work part-time as an essential part of returning to work. Childcare is also a consideration, however, the high cost of childcare provision can be a major deterrent, particularly when there is a marginal difference between the cost of childcare and the salary earned.

To address this concern, some companies have invested in family-focused initiatives such as the provision of childcare centres on their premises to attract mothers back into the workplace. "If my employer wasn't flexible, and if they didn't have the day care centre, I think my family would have suffered," says one working mother at a leading pharmaceutical company. "Right now, I feel as if I have the best of both worlds, because I can have a fulfilling career and I can have a fulfilling family life and feel like I am spending enough time at both places."

Cost to companies
The needs of working parents often generates increased costs and an administrative burden for companies. For this reason, despite tighter employee rights legislation in the UK, there is evidence that some employers still harbour negative thoughts about women and work. According to the UK Equal Opportunities Commission, 30,000 women a year lose their jobs after becoming pregnant or going on maternity leave. Furthermore, studies show that as many as 8 in 10 human resources (HR) professionals believe some managers think twice about employing women of childbearing age.

This is concerning, especially when one considers that participation of women in the labour market is essential to the success of the UK economy.

Thankfully, the pharmaceutical industry is largely enlightened in supporting women wishing to return to work after having a family and, historically, big pharma companies have offered attractive benefits to their employees.

Pharma's generousity is, however, not completely philanthropic. Competition to attract top employees has always been rife and the economic boom coming out of the 1990s meant pharmaceutical companies could accommodate the outlay of attractive benefits and incentives. But the landscape has changed – the economy has slowed down considerably, the cost of benefits is spiralling upward, and the number of retirees (usually large drains on benefits funds) is expanding. This means that even pharma has to focus on getting the best quality for their dollar.

Recognising that women bring skills, experience and a female perspective on healthcare decision making, leading companies are now coming up with creative, cost-effective solutions aimed at enticing mothers back into employment. Examples of such initiatives include:
• Flexible and part-time working arrangements (Merck has a website with a job-share database and an online request form that employees can use to develop a business case for their flexible work arrangement)
• Onsite crèche facilities and childcare support
• 'Flex' benefits programmes where employees can design their own package based on their needs (many companies now have diversity programmes designed to ensure equal opportunities for, and treatment of, all employees, regardless of gender and ethnic origins)
• Flexibility in choosing what is best for employees' families (one company offers employees benefit credits that can be used for a range of services such as financial planning services and medical insurance.)

Many healthcare communication companies that provide services to the pharmaceutical industry also employ flexible working solutions. Within the KnowledgePoint360 Group, for example, flexible hours, part-time working, home-working and childcare vouchers help parents to enjoy a healthy work–family balance. Staying in touch with maternity leavers so that they do not feel detached from the company, and 'easing' them back into the office by working just mornings or afternoons for the first few weeks, all make for an easier transition back into the work environment.

Conclusion
In an article for European Business Forum [www.ebfonline.com], Gill Samuels, Pfizer's former director of science policy in Europe, talks passionately about women in the pharmaceutical industry. Samuels believes there is a solid business case for ensuring talent is not lost, particularly at a time when large pharmaceutical companies are struggling to get new drugs from the pipeline to market. She says that if women have a period off work to have a family, companies must make sure all options are available to enable a return to work. It is not just about policies and practices, but about awareness and commitment.

According to editor-in-chief of US based Working Mother magazine, Jill Kirschenbaum, more and more working dads are now demanding work–life benefits too. This is good news for working mothers. "The more it becomes the norm for both parents to stay involved with their kids, the less women's family obligations will negatively affect their advancement — or their pay cheque," Kirschenbaum said.

The Author
Kate Ward is Human Resources Director at KnowledgePoint360 Group