Opting Back In: Demand Equality & Flexibility.
Was reading the Styles Section this morning and came across an article on what has become a repetitive topic in the media lately... "Moms, the work place and 'opting back in.'"
In this article, the writer says that the idea of moms being able to opt back in to the work force more easily is wonderful. (And I agree!) But, that the movement is still in its infancy. And employers are often "all talk" and "no walk."
From the article:
"So I am too jaded to believe that this small handful of trendsetters will bring transformation overnight. They will not change the fact that too many employers still look at a résumé gap as a disqualifying mark; or that women who leave and return pay an average 18 percent salary penalty compared with those who never pause; or that men feel constrained from asking for flexibility because it carries a stigma; or that the only way to eliminate the stigma is for men to start to ask."
An 18% penalty... YIKES! And I agree that men SHOULD start aggressively asking for the same flexibility that women are asking for from an employer. Again, a kid has two parents, not just one. When you become a parent, you both should be asking for flexibility when it come to the parental duties.
Demand flexibility people. You can do it. If you're denied, there's always another job out there waiting... Or there will be in a few years when the workforce experiences its labor shortage.
In this article, the writer says that the idea of moms being able to opt back in to the work force more easily is wonderful. (And I agree!) But, that the movement is still in its infancy. And employers are often "all talk" and "no walk."
From the article:
"So I am too jaded to believe that this small handful of trendsetters will bring transformation overnight. They will not change the fact that too many employers still look at a résumé gap as a disqualifying mark; or that women who leave and return pay an average 18 percent salary penalty compared with those who never pause; or that men feel constrained from asking for flexibility because it carries a stigma; or that the only way to eliminate the stigma is for men to start to ask."
An 18% penalty... YIKES! And I agree that men SHOULD start aggressively asking for the same flexibility that women are asking for from an employer. Again, a kid has two parents, not just one. When you become a parent, you both should be asking for flexibility when it come to the parental duties.
Demand flexibility people. You can do it. If you're denied, there's always another job out there waiting... Or there will be in a few years when the workforce experiences its labor shortage.
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