Fast Company - Article Response #1

While the Balance of Power has Already Begun to Shift, Most Male CEOs Still Dont Fully Get It. By: Tony Schwartz

This article begins with the following statement, The cost of employing women in management is greater than the cost of employing men. According to this article, the reason for this statement is because women give up their careers to have children. Many companies lose considerable investments through training, recruiting, and the development of women employees. The author suggests that corporations should become more responsive to the needs of women when it comes to the family and work combination. Some suggestions were for corporations to have more flexible benefits, longer maternity leaves, and job sharing.

I agree that companies need to provide more flexibility for their women employees. Women should not be forced to choose between raising a family and a career. This article states that women would be more inclined to give up their careers in order to raise their families. Women shouldnt have to make that choice. Even though todays workforce represents an increasing percentage of women, companies are not finding ways to meet the needs of women with children. In order for companies to compete, they will need to find more support and flexibility for their women employees.

Dont get me wrong--women cant have it all. Even with the support and flexibility of a company, women will have to give up something. If raising their children is their highest priority, then their career will be impacted. The same holds true if their career is their highest priority--they raising a family will be impacted. However, both of these situations could be made easier with the encouragement of the company.

This article provides options for women such as part-time work, job sharing, longer maternity leaves, and more flexible benefits. My own personal thoughts would be to have a day care center built within the company. I would think that this would save dollars for the company in the long run. Actually, the families would be paying the money they make back into the company day care to care for their children. The day care would be organized for parents to have lunch with their children, do activities with their children, come in and nurse their infant, and just spend quality time every day with their child/children.

Many companies today have built work-out centers for their employees in order for them to remain physically and mentally ready to work. So why not build a day care center into the company, too? Thats what I call being supportive and flexible!

-- Anonymous, February 13, 2000