Recently, I have come across many women who have returned to their employer after parental leave as a consultant. Obviously, not everyone can do this and it does depend on the role you currently perform.
One example is a women who was in a senior HR role prior to having children. She wanted to return to work but required flexibility. She did not want to be relegated to a junior HR role within the team she used to run. So instead she re-created herself as a training consultant and offers her services to the same employer on a regular basis.
If you are in a position to request this change in your employment conditions, the benefits are enormous. Think about the following:
- Consultants are often given project based work with deadlines. This allows you to create your own flexibility/hours and still be challenged in the work you are performing.
- The business knows you and understands your capabilities. They would be more interesting in hiring back someone they know who understands the business and will get the job done.
- You can charge on a per hour basis and potentially get paid more. Factor in superannuation, sick leave, holidays etc.
1 comment:
I was a HR Manager and did consulting work post my first baby. Mainly writing new policies and procedures. This works well.
However, since then, and years down the track, I can't even get an interview for a clerical job! I believe it is the HR people being very prejudice or frightened about employing an ex-HR person. Why, I don't know, but a person with my skill set not even being considered good enough for an interview for base clerical job seems very discriminatory.
I really don't know how they can get away with it, but they do.
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