A quick look at some of the flexible roles on offer this week.
Flexibility has been in the news quite a bit this week. First up was a survey by FlexCareers which stated that 52 per cent of working mothers felt they had been discriminated against while 54 per cent didn’t feel they had enough flexibility. Meanwhile Chief Executives Women and Bain & Company released a report that found few men take up flexible work opportunities because of the perception that it hurts their career.
These kind of surveys are always a bit gloomy, but there were some bright spots. In the FlexCareers survey, 46 per cent of women either had the perfect flexible arrangement or arrangements that they could live with. While in the CEW survey, women who had flexible arrangements were shown to be more likely to move into senior positions. The message I get from both of these is that we are on our way, but we haven’t got there yet.
There are some good flexible roles out there this week and in particular I’d like to highlight this part-time in-house counsel role at BDO. The advisory firms have been making a real effort in terms of flexibility and gender balance — and so they should, given the last census showed there are equal numbers of men and women working as accountants until the age of 28, after that women rapidly start falling out of the profession.
The BDO position is in Sydney, and the successful applicant will be responsible for the day-to-day legal requirements of the firm’s east coast partnership in Sydney and Melbourne, so it sounds like a meaty role.
I work part-time for a not-for-profit and, as it’s the first time I’ve worked in the NFP sector, it’s been a bit of an eye-opener, mainly in terms of how great it is to work with organisation where the mission is not just about the bottom line. That’s why I wanted to highlight this part-time role at The George Institute for Global Health. It’s a 3-day a week (or school hours over 5 days) role for a lawyer or paralegal in Sydney. The Institute is a health research institution that has as its mission to improve the health of millions of people worldwide. Perfect for someone with children, and also perhaps for someone who is looking to move out of the mainstream corporate world.
I really try to focus on highly-skilled roles, where it’s often hardest to find flexibility. That’s why it’s encouraging to see this role at nab. They are looking for a senior analyst, portfolio management and analytics in Melbourne, and it is advertised as permanent part-time. It’s worth mentioning that it’s a Select Employer with Women’s Agenda.