Back from maternity leave: aim high and join the board

Coming back from maternity leave? One expert says you should head for the boardroom.

Director Institute chief executive Kylie Hammond says pregnancy and maternity leave can have adverse outcomes on women’s careers and their confidence to progress.

This can be caused by returning to work and finding their positions have changed, they have been made redundant while on leave or they have been overlooked for promotion.

Hammond, who has facilitated more than 2500 board appointments, says few women consider a board career as a viable work option because the pathway to securing board roles is unclear, seemingly out of reach and not widely promoted.

But she says there is no reason executive director-level or chief executive-level women who have had a successful corporate career cannot return to working life as a board director in an advisory or non-executive director capacity.

Women can refresh their corporate brand, update their resume, create a LinkedIn profile, get connected at director levels and prepare for formal interviews for board careers.

Change fatigue

Corporate performance specialist CEB has found frequent organisational change — mergers or acquisitions, restructuring or new product development — is hurting corporate Australia’s bottom line and costing large organisations $41.8 million annually.

Human resources advisory leader Aaron McEwan says Australian companies averaged three big changes in the past three years, compared with half that three years previously.

“While organisational change has been increasing, few businesses have been able to implement or communicate that change effectively,” he says. “As a result, workers aren’t able to adapt quick enough, and lost productivity and low morale can be felt across the workforce.”

McEwan says successfully implementing change and meeting goals are critical, but many companies focus on one-off responses to change rather than keeping employees in the loop. He says organisations should ensure people are given resources and training to understand changes, monitor progress, remind employees of past achievements and promote peer progress.

It’s safe to ask

Law firm McDonald Murholme says employees who find it difficult to raise salary negotiations because of fears they may be treated poorly or sacked should be aware they are legally protected.

Lawyer Bianca Mazzarella says studies have found 26 per cent of women aged between 18 and 24 are likely to ask for raise, compared with 42 per cent for men. She says women lack the confidence to ask. “Women are disadvantaging themselves by avoiding these conversations with their employer,” she says.

Mazzarella says employees are protected under the Fair Work Act from consequences resulting from pay rise requests.

Internally resigned

Recruitment firm Robert Half says up to half Australian workers experience internal resignation, when they are present at work but have checked out mentally.

Senior managing director David Jones says the situation is worse in larger companies where workers often feel like a number.

This leads to lower productivity and these workers can have an adverse effect.

“Employees need to find out what is causing their dissatisfaction and lack of motivation, and be prepared to address the issue with your manager or take action and move on to a new job,” Jones says. Employers can encourage people to express their views, provide constructive feedback, establish common goals and take an interest in workers.