Women returning to the workforce after taking a career break are often seeking more flexible work arrangements to be able to maintain a manageable work/life balance. Unfortunately, finding opportunities which provide flexibility are not always easy to come by.
Whilst working from home has become more commonplace as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are other flexible work arrangements you can also explore such as:
- Reduced work hours
- Job sharing
- Longer hours over reduced days
- Working for yourself
A positive trend I am seeing is more organisations offering 'Returnship' programs for women returning to the workforce after taking career breaks. They are definitely more commonplace overseas, although I'm really hoping more Australian organisations will offer these types of opportunities for women in Australia. There are a few websites I recommend to explore potential flexible employment opportunities, as well as gain a better understanding of some of the employers that promote flexible work arrangements. These include:
A recent article in The Sydney Morning Herald links increasing female participation rates in the NSW workforce with greater opportunities for flexible work arrangements, allowing better work/life balance many women simply need to be able to work. This is very positive to hear, after the very negative impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on women in the Australian paid workforce.
The fact is, more and more employees are seeking better work/life balance for a variety of reasons, and my hope is flexible work arrangements simply become the norm in the future. Many organisations are realising if they want to attract and retain great employees, they must offer opportunities which promote better work/life balance.
At our monthly 'Returning to Work After a Career Break' workshops, you can also learn about strategies to successfully uncover flexible roles in the hidden job market (jobs that aren’t advertised), as well as learning how to boost your employability and sell yourself effectively.
For more details, please visit www.helmcareers.com.au/workshops