Today’s Opportunity Now report covers flexible working from many angles and the findings mirror our own experience working with women returners on the Back the Business Ship initiative. Women coming back to work after a break can be skilled and ambitious. They’d also like to be measured by output not by hours. Elsewhere on its site Opportunity Now reports The Women And Work Commission finding that unleashing women’s full potential could be worth £23 billion a year to the Exchequer. That’s not far off the total annual central government budget for education.
“Project 28-40” tells us what 25,000 people think about women at work. The media has picked up on ‘hot’ subjects such as bullying, harassment and resentment. But the beauty of this report is in its call to action for companies and for women.
The report advocates creating agile organisations to defeat the flexible working stigma and to allow for non-linear careers. “Your top talent will have times in their lives they need to take a step back,” it says.
To women aged 28–40 it says: build your network and be in a position to know about opportunities as they come up. Get real on sponsorship – identify senior people who will advocate for you. If you want a mentor, ask them.
You can read the exec summary and download the full report here http://opportunitynow.bitc.org.uk/research/Project28-40Theresults
Opportunity Now is a Business in the Community initiative.