This week I had a great chat with a senior partner at one of the Big Four accounting firms about diversity. What I liked about it was he was really honest—and authentic. The firm, he said, was not going to reach its diversity targets within his lifetime. He just couldn’t see it happening when there are so many blocks in the way of women progressing through the firm.
Now you might think this is a bit depressing, but I prefer honest conversations about diversity to the ones that I often have with people who just want to tell me how great things are at their organisation. I particularly dislike when firms talk to me about how many female partners they have but fudge what ‘partner’ really means in this discussion—i.e. do you mean full equity partner?
Honesty is always the best policy because then it allows people to make the best decisions for themselves. For example, I think that organisations should tell women the truth when they go off on maternity leave or take a career break. The truth is this—if you are out of the market for more than two years it gets hard to get back in. I see this all the time with discouraged women who have been trying to get back into the market after a two-plus year break and are dismayed at how hard it is.
Why is it hard? It’s hard because in these fast-paced times the firm that they worked for has often restructured and the senior manager who personally knew how great they were is no longer there. It’s hard because in recruitment terms they have become a risk by being out of the market for more than two years, and that puts them at a disadvantage when compared to the person who has not taken any career breaks.
A more honest conversation when women (or men) take career breaks would be to say: Hey, that’s great you are taking some time away from work, please stay in touch and be aware that if you are away for more than two years it can be hard to get back in. And, when/if you do come back your career will not progress in the same way. These can be hard things to hear, but then at least women would be able to make choices and plan their lives accordingly.
There are some good part-time lawyer roles available at the moment—a sign I think of not only an increasing openness to flexibility but also to how firms think about resourcing projects. Sometimes a full-time resource just isn’t needed. Check out this role at Brown Wright Stein and also this one at a smaller firm also in Sydney. There’s also a great part-time role with a major firm in Brisbane that is looking for a banking and finance lawyer. The role has the potential to become a job-share in the future.
Happy flexible job-hunting!