There’s a lot of talk about gender diversity these days. How little there is and how much there should be. Commentators point in particular to the lack of women in senior roles, which is often linked to women being more likely than men to take an extended career break to raise a family.
As the saying goes, actions speak louder than words. That’s why it’s refreshing to see PwC tackling the problem head on. In doing so, they’ve landed a place on the Times top 50 employers for women list seven years running; for policies setting ambitious diversity targets, being one of the first organisations to publicly report their gender pay gap analysis and offering shared parental leave to all employees. They’ve also introduced the back to business returner programme, a six-month senior internship that makes it easier for those who take time out of work to restart their careers.
“Women who took time away used to be seen as being different. Agencies were not prioritising them or giving them a platform,” says Albertha Charles, partner with PwC and a strong advocate of the programme. “Back to business is about helping anyone who is working through that difference, and changing the lens through which PwC looks at it. Rather than see it as a problem, we now see it as something we value – an opportunity for both sides.”
Jenni Gray agrees. Having originally trained as an accountant with PwC in the early 90s, she moved abroad to raise her children and launch her own image consulting business. She came back to PwC as a returnee and is now an assurance manager.
“I’m much more mature, more self-motivated and have greater global awareness having been overseas for so many years,” says Gray. “I can see where the other aspects of my life are entirely relevant to the success I enjoy in my role today. PwC has recognised that I have these skills, which extend beyond the technical, and I am passionate and grateful for the opportunity they have given me.”
Not all employees are able to see the bigger picture, which means this untapped talent pool runs deep. According to research published by PwC, 427,000 UK female professionals are currently estimated to be on a career break and likely to return to the workforce. Of those, three in five are likely to enter lower-skilled roles when they do.
Jenny Lau, a tax manager at PwC, started in law, then trained in tax consulting before working on the tax compliance team with Shell. A move to Houston to support her husband’s career, combined with taking time off to raise her children, resulted in a longer than intended career break.
“There is a whole population out there who are fully able, highly trained and experienced, who have taken time out and feel they are not able to come back to work,” says Lau. Back to business has helped her overcome that: “This experience has expedited my progression, and I feel this is the right place to get my career on track.”
As part of the programme, PwC offers an opportunity to secure a permanent role, which many go on to do. And those who don’t stay on still benefit from having recent experience on their CV, a fact that remains important to the many recruiters who are more prone to seeing the gap than the career that came before it.
This gap was exactly what returner Rebecca Field was dreading. After qualifying as a lawyer in 2008, she launched her own business in food photography and freelance writing before deciding to come back.
“I knew that interviewing would be really difficult. I wanted to get in front of people and discuss my skills rather than be represented by a sheet of paper with boxes I couldn’t necessarily tick,” says Field, tax risk and quality manager with PwC. “The fact that my employer knows I’ve had time out, and they wanted to take me because of that, gave me more confidence. I can’t think of a better way of being introduced back other than through this scheme.”
PwC isn’t just aiming to get women back into work at senior levels: they want to keep them. According to a 2015 Timewise study (pdf), only 6% of advertised roles with a salary of £20,000-£30,000 were available on a flexible basis. This shrinks to a mere 2% for roles with a salary of £100,000-£200,000. Yet flexibility is vital for those with childcare responsibilities.
Rosanne MacKenzie credits PwC for providing her with flexible work options. Now a pensions credit advisory manager with PwC, the company’s commitment to flexible working meant she could accept a full-time role while raising her three daughters.
According to Georgie Blyth, people director at PwC, it’s not just about hitting diversity targets. “The fact that we take a large percentage on as permanent hires demonstrates that we are bringing tangible value to our clients,” he says. “This validates the programme and proves that many organisations are missing an opportunity.”
Albertha Charles also believes the programme sends a powerful signal across PwC. She is particularly proud of the ripple effect they’re already seeing. She’s found that their global clients are rethinking what they are doing around diversity, viewing PwC as a progressive company they are proud to do business with.
“In the end, diversity and inclusivity is about encouraging people to bring their authentic selves to work. Our back to business programme achieves this by offering PwC a great opportunity to recruit very talented people, with diverse life experiences which are relevant to our clients, while giving our candidates the right platform to restart and accelerate their careers by making the most of those life experiences.”
To find out more about PwC’s back to business programme, head here.
Content on this page is paid for and produced to a brief agreed with PwC, sponsor of the women in technology hub
