“Where to Now?” 4th Women on Boards conference CareerMums Q&A profile

Today, we are profiling Dorothy Topfer who is is a lawyer for the Department of Regional Australia, Local Government, Arts and Sport. Dorothy has over 20 years experience in government - in both legal and non legal areas. She has a broad understanding of governance and corporate issues enhance by practical experience as a board member and company secretary.

Dorothy also has counseling qualifications and is an experienced mentor. Dorothy is also a mentor for Women on Boards.

What do you do? Commonwealth public servant – more specifically I head up the legal team in a Commonwealth Department as the Principal Lawyer.

How old are your children?21,25 and 27

What do you love about your job? The variety and the interaction with all levels of people in the department and across the Commonwealth public service.

Did you always have the intention of progressing your career after having your children? I always intended to continue to work but as my family took precedence I worked part time for many years and was mindful that by doing so it would impact on my career progression. And it did – it is unrealistic to not think otherwise. However when looking back on it I am very comfortable with the choices I made.

It takes a village to raise a family. Who helps you to manage work and family? When they were little I relied on childcare and occasional assistance to collect children from school. Our parents did not live nearby so I was not able to rely on them except for emergencies. Girlfriends and mothers of other school children helped from time to time but as we lived in the country we did not have neighbours who could help. Working part time meant I was the primary care giver. However when the children were teens I managed to work full time as the eldest chose to become a weekly boarder at school and the other two kept their horses at a riding school near to their school so were busy with their horses each afternoon after school – this meant I could work until 6pm.

When you come home each day, are you good at switching off from work? Mostly.  If work is busy this can be difficult – at times I do need to work at night – which I do if I have to so I don’t wake up in the wee small hours and worry. It also helps that I live out of town on a farm in a beautiful natural environment and have a number of hobbies and pets. For instance most evenings I try to find time to work on my knitting projects as I find it an excellent form of meditation.

Every parent should have a selfish pursuit or ‘not-negotiable’ that provides them with an opportunity to relax and re-charge their batteries every week. What is your ‘not-negotiable’? Over the years it has varied – from fitness activities such as the gym and bollywood dancing to gardening or an annual girls ski trip. Currently I am involved in some volunteer activities and am about to join a book club.

Have there been some difficult moments in your career with young children? What were they? Finding time – there is only so much I can do if I work and raise children and it is important to accept that some things must give – important to work out what I can let go of eg cleaning and standards of catering and just finding time to relax with family. When children were little and became ill so couldn’t access childcare that was always a challenge. For some reason it always happened when we were both busy at work with deadlines or court appearances etc which did cause stress.

What advice would you give to parents who are about to return to work and resume their careers? To find a job that has flexibility and that you like – children always get sick and it is important to have an employer who recognizes that this will happen. Negotiate to be able to work from home if necessary or part time if you can afford it. I have worked all types of hours as the children grew – from 3 days a week when they were little to school hours when they were at school (which was great as I could collect them from school – but getting away from work in time was always a juggle).

Don’t be too hard on yourself – we are all doing the best we can and don’t try to be perfect. Good enough in most areas is fine.

Enjoy your children – the time you put into them when they are little is not only fun (by and large) it lays the foundation for a better relationship when they are teenagers. My children remember the times that to me were not so significant – sailing egg carton boaTs on the pond – playing hookey from school when there was a good snowfall so we could go skiing- Sorry school they weren’t really sick – but they still remember that we did this on a number of occasions. 

We learn so much from being a mother – how to negotiate, time management and acceptance of different ways of doing things. And these skills also benefit our career.

What support measures should employers be offering to working parents? 
Flexible working hours and ability to job share (if the work function permits) or work from home.

“Where to Now?” 4th Women on Boards conference: CareerMums Q&A profile

Today, we are profiling Nicki Bowman who is an experienced non-executive director. Nicki is currently chairman of the audit committee for an ASX300 listed mining company Blackthorn Resources Limited, and deputy chairman of a sporting not-for-profit organisation, Football South Coast Limited.

Holding degrees in Economics and Law (with honours) from the University of Sydney, she began her career as a corporate lawyer in a top 10 legal firm. A desire for close involvement in the commercial decision-making process saw her move to in-house roles at BHP and BlueScope Steel, and she then successfully transitioned to executive roles, first in BlueScope and then in the financial services industry. Since 2008 she has pursued a career as a non-executive director, with particular focus on strategy and governance.

Nicki is committed to encouraging and mentoring other women, and to examining and unraveling the cultural and behavioural biases that can often conspire to impede job satisfaction and advancement.

Nicki is also a valued mentor for Women on Boards. 

What do you do? 

I am a professional non-executive director

How old are your children? 

One child, 4 years old.

What do you love about your job? 

The ability to create and drive the strategy of an entire company.

Did you always have the intention of progressing your career after having your children? 

Yes, it never occurred to me that I would not.

It takes a village to raise a family. Who helps you to manage work and family? 

Definitely a village! A great child care centre, supportive husband, several baby-sitters, my parents.

When you come home each day, are you good at switching off from work? 

Yes and no. I tend to always have ideas rushing through my head, whether work or home related,  so it’s hard for me to “switch off”.

Every parent should have a selfish pursuit or ‘not-negotiable’ that provides them with an opportunity to relax and re-charge their batteries every week. What is your ‘not-negotiable’? 

Monthly remedial massage is crucial! On a smaller level, now that my daughter is a little older I can usually manage a morning cup of tea and quick scan of the paper while she watches cartoons!

Have there been some difficult moments in your career with young children? What were they? 

Yes! Apart from general dramas arising from kiddie illness or last-minute cancellation by child minders, there is a constant juggling process – teleconferences making prodigious use of mute button to mask toddler sounds, late pick-ups at child care due to long meetings and bad traffic, “Murphy’s Law” of critical meetings and commitments taking place on days which are not ordinarily days when my child is in pre-school…it goes on!

 What advice would you give to parents who are about to return to work and resume their careers? 

Flexibility of both partners is the key. It is NOT always the woman’s job to “solve” the childcare “problem” (even those terms are perjogative). If there is a genuine commitment to share parenting load, and a solid network of child care alternatives, then this will relieve many of the stresses and dramas which can be a huge disincentive to continue working. Think hard about your work and financial arrangements – lengthy commutes make flexibility in childcare much more complex. Having massive financial commitments adds to stress – really think about whether there are alternatives to your location/size of house/lifestyle. It is not always possible, but often we are sucked into a certain pattern of living without really interrogating what it means to us in terms of overall lifestyle.

What support measures should employers be offering to working parents? 

Employers should, where possible, focus on output and value, not “bums on seats”. Time, and flexibility of time, are huge issues for parents, and the “punch-clock” mentality of many employers is inappropriate in the modern age. There are many jobs that can be done remotely, job-shared, completed in less than the traditional 40 hrs/week, done in staggered shifts etc.

Women, Superannuation and Work

 According to Office for Women, it is estimated that by 2019, women will have on average half the amount of superannuation that men will have. Currently, the average superannuation payout for women is a third of the payout for men - $37,000 compared with $110, 000.

Why is this?

The work patterns of women are very different from men. Women are more likely to take time off work to care for young children, sick children, or other family members. It is important to acknowledge that taking time off work to care for others lessens a person’s opportunities in the job market and therefore the ability to earn superannuation – and secure a healthy financial future.

What are some possible solutions to this growing problem?

• The provision of paid maternity leave has the potential to increase women’s superannuation balances. Where women receive an income during maternity leave, they will continue to accumulate superannuation.
• More family friendly workplaces to increase women’s participation in the workforce. Job sharing, flexible hours, child care facilities, and working from home arrangements are all measures which support men and women to balance work and family responsibilities.
• Encouraging father-friendly practices in the workforce to lessen the sole burden of caring on women. Women now account for nearly 50% of our workforce.
• Speaking to a financial planner about superannuation so families are aware of the latest superannuation laws.

Federal Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick has called for a broad Productivity Commission Inquiry to look at options to overhaul the care sector and acknowledge the impact of unpaid care on career progression and retirement savings for women.

Key among the proposals for reform, Ms Broderick is calling for the Productivity Commission to implement a carers' credit system, aimed at supporting those who provide care for others in their retirement.

"That would be where the government made a national superannuation payment each year for those carers who are doing a certain amount of care, maybe 20-25 hours a week, but that would ensure they weren't disadvantaged significantly in retirement," she said.

There is a great resource on MoneySmart (ASIC and Australian Government website) that provides calculators and tips to help you make better financial decisions. There is also information about contributing extra money to your superannuation account.

The other important resource to refer to is the Australian Taxation Office website. Find out more about:

• Superseeker
• Low income super contribution
• Spouse contribution – tax offset
• Super co-contribution

How good is your gut feel?

Everyone thinks they can spot ‘the one’ when it comes to the perfect employee. But sometimes it doesn’t work out. There are some simple measures you can take to back your gut feel.

A client of mine has a small but growing IT consulting business. I recruited his 3rd employee 9 months ago and we are now working on his 7th employee. Last month, he let an employee go after 3 weeks in the role. The interview process went well and the referee report checked out too. The bit that didn’t check out was the employee’s technical skills. Verbally, they were ticked off, but they were non-existent in reality. The employee had secured a role that was punching way above her weight, when in fact, my client needed someone who was equipped with a specific knowledge base and could learn quickly on the job.

My client is lovely. He wants candidates to feel comfortable and at ease during the interview. But at some point, the hard questions have to kick in. There needs to be more rigor in the recruitment process. 

Skills assessments can provide a more practical insight into the candidate’s knowledge of a particular topic and their aptitude. The key to this type of testing is to make the tests simple, practical and clear.

Methods of assessment can include:
•    Demonstration of techniques (testing thought process and ability)
•    Verbal (testing communication and ability)
•    Written (testing writing skills and ability)

For my client, they should consider three different assessments that test the basic knowledge and requirements of the candidate. For example:

•    You may wish to test the candidate on their experience with administration and support of windows, desktops and servers. Consider three typical scenarios and ask the candidate what they would do – or there might be an opportunity for the candidate to demonstrate their knowledge on a laptop.

•    You may consider a test for a specific programming language. You could devise 3 questions that require a written answer. This question will test their technical ability and writing skills.

These skills assessments may take 20 minutes in total.

The assessments should be outlined in a word document with specific instructions.

Another form of testing is an online cognitive ability test. Cognitive ability tests (aptitude tests, general intelligence assessments) are one of the most powerful predictors of future work performance. Cognitive ability tests measure verbal, numerical and abstract reasoning and the resulting score reflects the person's ability to acquire, retain, organise and apply information. Visit www.onetest.com.au or www.skillcheck.com.au to access simple and effective tests for candidates who have been shortlisted.  These tests can be conducted from the candidate’s home computer. The results and then formulated and provided in a detailed report.

These tests are certainly useful. However, I would encourage you to perform your own specific workplace assessments to get a handle on communication and written skills as well.

If you require cost effective recruitment assistance for your business, get in touch for a chat.

The right to request flexible work arrangements set to become more flexible

The flexible working issue is one again back in the headlines. The Federal Government is proposing to expand the opportunity for employees to request flexibility. It started with parents who have children under school age or a child with a disability under 18 years of age. Now they are proposing to offer it to all caregivers, mature age workers, and people experiencing domestic violence. 

Australia is not a trail blazer; we are simply playing catch up with other countries. For example, The UK brought in their right to request flexibility back in 2003. In 2014, they are working towards offering it to all employees – regardless of whether you are a caregiver or not. And don’t think it is a hard and fast law – in both the UK and Australia, the employer has the opportunity to refuse on reasonable business grounds. It is far better for an employer and an employee to work out a sensible flexible work arrangement that benefits both the employee and the business. Small businesses are particularly good at this. Communication is critical for it to work.

For employers out there, don’t panic. You won’t receive a flood of applications when the law is changed. Australia has a long way to go in terms of changing our workplace culture. Many of us (and our managers) still associate working hard with the number of hours we work as opposed to the quality of work we churn out. There are also managers who have the opinion that once you put your hand up to work flexibly, you are no longer serious about your career. These perceptions will continue to stop workers from asking.

Demographics, technology, traffic, illness, caring responsibilities and an ageing population will continue to challenge all of us to think about the way we work – and how we can work better. I think sometimes we forget that life happens while we are working.

Focus on a practical approach when it comes to receiving flexible work proposals. Rather than just state the flexible work arrangement required and for how long, ask employees to respond to the following questions:

• Ask the employee to clarify their needs. Why do they require flexible arrangements?  You need to understand their reasons for requesting flexibility so you can assess it on a case-by-case basis and identify the most feasible options.

• Ask the employee how they propose working flexibly could work and to provide several options for consideration.

• What flexible working arrangements are they seeking? For example, they may wish to work school hours only. Are they able to suggest other flexible work options for consideration?

• What are the potential positives and downsides of working flexibly for them and the business?

• Ask the employee to review and analyse their job responsibilities to consider what elements of their job will be impacted.

• How do they propose that it will work in terms of their existing workload?

• Can they identify what work can only be done in the office versus what can be done at home/via phone/via email.

 Agree to trial the new working arrangements to assess if it will work. 

CareerMums and WorkLifeBliss run Flexible Work Masterclasses for managers. We do travel.

The road back to work

 By Susan, a CareerMums member, NSW

I decided to put my middle management public sector career 'on ice' after I had my first daughter in 2004. I'd just finished post-grad studies, but wanted to take some time out after working for the past 20 years. With my second child approaching her second year, and 8 years out of the workforce behind me, I decided I would begin my search for work in earnest. My biggest concern was that I had left my re-entry too long; the longer I was out of work, the more de-skilled (and therefore less employable) I would become.

Feeling slightly daunted by the task, I had anticipated doors closing, numerous hurdles and barriers and a general apathy towards return-to-work mums. But I was pleasantly surprised. My initial research project revealed many resources to assist my return to work (e.g. blogs, websites, agencies who focus on mums back to work, media articles, social networking sites). I registered with as many sites with search options as I could find and kept sifting through the possible opportunities that landed in my in-box, with a view of eventually applying for the role that fitted my requirements.

With luck and good fortune, I found a role that suited my background and I believed I would make a strong candidate. On the plus side, it was two day a week job-share position with flexi-time. On the negative side,  the job classification was at the same level that I had began my public sector career in 1993!   But it was the first job that ticked all my boxes - and to my surprise I was offered the first job I applied for.

Whilst I am over qualified and generally under-employed, I view this role as my stepping stone to bigger and better opportunities in the future. The bonus is that my children get to enjoy the benefits of having me at home 3 days per week, and I have the benefit of being able to 'get my foot in the door', build on my work current experience, make new contacts and generally move forward again towards the career I always wanted.

Tips:

• Utilise any experience outside of paid employment to demonstrate reliability, flexibility, initiative, trustworthiness, etc. In particular, volunteer work or involvement in community activities can be used to cite examples of skills and attributes that suit the role being applied for.

• Research and then research more; the internet is your job search friend and there are thousands of sites, articles and blogs dedicated to the topic of those who want return to work.

• Familiarise yourself with the challenges and create strategies to tackle them. Enrol and register for email notifications that suit your criteria and the roles will come to you.

• Make sure you have all your family responsibilities and obligations sorted out before you approach an employer (which daycare/preschool days, drop offs, pick ups, before and after school care, school holidays, sick days, etc.) so that if you're asked about your availability, you can be confident that you can advise accordingly.