David Joe, an audit senior at Deloitte, had been with the firm for three years when he found out about the program. He and his wife wanted to do an extended volunteering program overseas. They spent a year teaching English in China. Joe is now back at Deloitte full-time and in the same position he was when he left in summer 2008. “The one thing that increased my loyalty more than anything was the support that I had while I was gone,” he says. “The leadership was really excited for me doing this and they wanted me to come back. That meant a lot to me.”
Meredith Lincoln, an audit senior manager, enrolled in Personal Pursuits after learning about the program from some of her superiors within Deloitte. At the time, she was expecting her third child. She stayed out for four years taking care of her children. When she left the firm, Lincoln was on an 85% schedule; she now works three days a week, one of which she telecommutes. She knew that she wanted to work a part-time schedule when she returned, and the partners at Deloitte worked together to find a position for her that met her wishes. Now Lincoln considers herself a poster-child for Deloitte. She says, “When I wanted to come back to work, I knew that Deloitte was where I wanted to be and where I wanted to come back to. I don’t know that there are other places that would have been as flexible with my wishes in returning. Deloitte has shown me great flexibility.”
Goldman Sachs: ReturnshipSM Program
Launched in the U.S. in the fall of 2008, the Returnship Program at Goldman Sachs is a novel way of recruiting candidates who, after an extended, voluntary absence from the workforce, are seeking to restart their careers. A returnship serves as a preparatory program that leverages the skills of on-rampers who are in the process of transitioning back into the workforce. In the same way that an internship offers a guided period of exploration during which interns learn the skills that will serve them in their future careers, a returnship provides returnees with an opportunity to sharpen the skills essential for success in a work environment that may have changed significantly since their most recent work experience.
Applicants to the Returnship Program include individuals who have taken a voluntary career break of two or more years and who potentially are seeking to reenter the workforce. While many candidates have experience in financial services, other candidates are looking to transition to Wall Street from other industries.
Born out of Goldman Sachs’ New DirectionsSM program, the Returnship Program aims to address the concerns of many on-rampers, including a fear that hiring managers may question their ability to transition into a new area of expertise or that employers may interpret an extended absence from the workforce as a loss of momentum or reduced ability. In providing on-rampers with an opportunity to strengthen their skills set and demonstrate their capabilities, this program works to address the concerns of both on-rampers and hiring managers, while offering on-rampers a realistic peek into the responsibilities and demands that may come with their new roles.
Returnees join teams across the firm for intense training and work experience. As integral members of their teams, returnees have their own responsibilities and a real opportunity to add value to their business from day one. To assist returnees in adjusting to the workplace, Goldman taps into the affinity networks, including the Goldman Sachs Women’s Network, to pair program participants with mentors. Returnees in the 2009 class were also mentored by former returnees from the pilot program. In addition to formal training, returnees participate in weekly professional development training and brown bag lunches to address networking and career development strategies as well as to orient them with new and emerging market trends.
The 2008 U.S. pilot program lasted eight weeks and was limited to 11 returnees, who were selected from more than 250 applicants. The 2009 program remained competitive, including 16 returnees chosen from more than 350 applicants. Following the completion of the program, some returnees received offers to join Goldman Sachs as full-time employees. Still others received extensions on their returnships in order to complete their projects.
Based on the program’s success in the U.S., it was expanded to Asia in the fall of 2009.
Accenture: Future Leave
Accenture conducted work-life surveys among its employees between 2004 and 2006 and learned that many of them—Baby Boomers and Generation Y professionals in particular—wanted to take a break from work. The reasons varied. For Boomers, family obligations often were the trigger: the need to settle an aging parent into an assisted living facility or the wish to spend more time with teenagers before they left for college. Members of Gen Y reported different motivations: a desire to travel or pursue altruistic interests such as teaching English in a developing country or working for a local nonprofit. Few in either cohort wanted to leave Accenture permanently; they just wanted a break.
In response to these findings, Accenture created Future Leave, a program that permits employees to plan short sabbaticals—up to three months long—with the guarantee of continued benefits during the sabbatical and a job awaiting them upon their return. The sabbatical is self-funded, with employees financing their paid time off by arranging paycheck deductions in advance. To be eligible for Future Leave, employees must have worked at least three consecutive years at Accenture, maintained a consistently high level of performance, and obtained approval from their direct supervisors.
Sharon Klun, manager of U.S. Work/Life Initiatives, noted that the program is a great success, in large part because of the lack of restrictions imposed by Accenture. Said Klun, “Participants need not give a reason for their sabbatical request; they only need to give management sufficient time to make arrangements to manage during an employee’s absence.”
Jeremy Began described his reasons for signing on to Future Leave: “I had a difficult decision to make—either support the family business, which was in the midst of a difficult time and impacting the health of my father, or continue my commitment to Accenture and our clients.” Continued Began: “I took advantage of the Future Leave opportunity because it allowed me to help with the family business and make a seamless return back to Accenture.” “Future Leave,” he says, “allowed me to create the right balance between meeting family responsibilities and keeping a job I continue to enjoy, ultimately creating a win-win for the family business, myself, and Accenture.”
Accenture continues to receive positive feedback from employees who have taken advantage of the program and from managers who have helped employees plan their leave. Employees feel refreshed, relieved of worry and distraction, and energized by their outside activities. Managers find that, when these employees return, they are newly committed to Accenture and to their work, thankful for Future Leave, and enthusiastic and glad to be back delivering high performance.
Reimagining Work-Life
Citi: Maternity Matters
Between 2005 and 2008, the number of women taking maternity leave from Citi’s U.K. offices quadrupled. While the majority of women took nine months of leave, one-quarter of them were out for a full year, making it more likely that the women could feel disconnected from the company. On returning to work, many women felt less confident yet keen to prove themselves and reengage with managers and colleagues. “The mothers felt that their relationship with the organization changed the moment they announced their pregnancies,” says Carolanne Minashi, head of diversity, Europe, Middle East, Africa. With national legislation around maternity leaves evolving rapidly, managers can feel under-skilled to help their employees. Leaders at Citi realized that it was crucial for retention that they provide support for both the women on leave and their managers. This logic led to the creation of Maternity Matters in 2006.
Central to Maternity Matters are workshops for expectant and post-maternity leave employees and their managers, which are led by representatives from two external vendors. Expectant mothers participate in a pre-leave workshop, a mid-leave workshop that allows them to return to Citi and reconnect with colleagues (where childcare is provided), and a final workshop usually around one month after their return, which includes one-on-one coaching over the phone.
In researching the needs of women taking maternity leave, it was found that women had varying experiences of maternity briefings. To mitigate this, Citi centralized the maternity briefing sessions for managers to ensure delivery of a consistent message. All managers with pregnant employees