BOOK Summary: Going Back to Work

by Mary W. Quigley and Loretta E. Kaufman, published in 2004

10 Points for the W2W Community from Going Back to Work

1. A survey of over 1000 women conducted by the authors revealed that the number one work issue for women is flexibility. This does not mean occasional schedule changes for appointments, but changes in the way jobs are structured. Different structures such as: telecommuting, compressed work weeks, job sharing, variable start/end times, and part-time work.

2. The new ways of working are largely being fashioned by individuals, not institutions.

3. Flexibility should not be interpreted as various perks dangled by employers such as gyms or concierge services. “I feel that what we often call family-friendly is often work-friendly in the sense that it frees the workers from family responsibilities so they can concentrate more on their jobs.” – Dr. Phyllis Moen, University of Minnesota.

4. A survey by an organization for stay-at-home moms, Mothers and More, found that 71% of their members plan to return to work. One third do not plan on returning to the same occupation and another third are undecided about their career path.

5. If you intend on having a certain level of career success, then at some point you have to act. This does not mean a full-time job, but it does mean taking measurable steps toward a goal. Possible steps include working part-time, going back to school, and gathering information by simply talking to people in your field of choice.

6. Stay in touch with former colleagues using e-mail. Some suggestions for keeping the lines of communication open:
   • Look to forward resumes to your former employer.
   • Ask your former boss for a special project.
   • Set up a separate e-mail account for your business contacts. Make sure the address sounds professional.

7. Thoughts on what to do while out of the work force:
   • Volunteering can fill holes in resumes. You can move up a chain of responsibility quickly if you are willing to take on projects. Also, be picky about your volunteer work – choose something that will sound good when you describe it to a future employer.
   • Education sends a signal to employers that you are serious, it can fit into a schedule well, and it exercises the mind.

8. From their survey of over 1000 women, the authors found the following answer to their question: “How did you first return to work?”
   • 49% - Part-time outside the home
   • 35% - Full-time outside the home
   • 13% - Part-time at home
   • 3% - Full-time at home

9. The authors offer the following tips for would-be job sharers:
   • Create a team name and use it. For example, put it on your business cards.
   • Answer the phone with your team name.
   • If you don’t want to break new ground, find an industry where job-sharing is already prevalent, e.g. pharmaceutical companies.
   • Look for a partner with complementary strengths; not a clone of yourself.
   • Start using “we” instead of “I”.

10. The authors offered the following in a list of “Dos and Don’ts of a Flexible Arrangement”:
    • Don’t be afraid to negotiate a deal – it won’t happen if you don’t ask
    • Don’t expect an open-ended arrangement. A manager will more than likely want to try it for a designated period of time.
    • Don’t expect colleagues to be thrilled – they will probably think it will mean more work for them.
    • Don’t think flexible means less time.
    • Don’t be inflexible with your demands for flexibility – it’s a two-way street.