Returning to work after having children can be very challenging. With the high cost of childcare, an extended career gap and the lack of part time opportunities, many highly educated and qualified women are struggling to find a work situation that makes sense for their long term career goals. 

Despite these challenges, the government has recognised that women returning to the workplace is fundamental to pulling the economy out of recession. 

The latest budget for the 2021-22 period has a strong focus on the female workforce, and highlighted women’s workforce participation to be an economic and social imperative that is essential to building the workforce required to support economic growth and Australia’s future prosperity. 

One of the five action areas the Government has highlighted to improve women’s workforce participation, is workplace flexibility.

Dalton FP is leading the way in providing flexible workplace arrangements for women returning to the workforce.

Dalton FP has recently hired Sally and Sarah, two educated and highly qualified Client Services Officers, to job share. Both employees are local Mums returning to the workforce after having an extended career gap to have children. While neither employee could work full time, Dalton FP recognised the strengths that they could each bring to the role, so offered a job share arrangement instead.

Job Sharing allows two qualified applicants to share the one role by each working part time

Job sharing allows employees to leave the office on their days off, knowing that their workload is in safe hands and that the job is being managed. This type of arrangement takes a lot of the stress of working part time away. Because as many part time working women will attest to, just because the role is part time, the workload is still full time. 

For the employer, they are getting two sets of skills with two sets of ideas and experience for the role. Each employee will have their own strengths and can also support the other in annual leave and sick leave arrangements.

Both Sally and Sarah have vast experience in the financial planning industry and were keen to get back to work. But with young families to support, they knew it would be difficult to find working arrangements that financially made sense for them to work. 

By Dalton FP offering a job share opportunity, they could return to work in a role that reflected their experience, while also having time with their children during those early years and the cost of childcare not becoming disproportionate to the amount they were being paid. 

Australia has a high proportion of highly educated women. But despite this, Australia also has a huge gender pay gap. 

According to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency, flexible working arrangements such as job sharing, drives employee engagement and productivity as well as boosting employee well-being and happiness.

One way of driving down the gender pay gap is having women in more management and senior roles, that reflects their skills and qualifications. Job sharing is just one way that women can return to the workplace earlier, thereby increasing their chances of progressing in their careers. 

Dalton FP is supporting women in the workplace by not just offering flexible working arrangements, but the chance of furthering education and offering career progression by putting women in management roles. 

As a financial planning company dedicated to securing their client’s financial future, Dalton FP understands that having loyal, experienced and well rounded employees is paramount to running a successful business and providing the best for the clients. It is not just about the amount of hours that a person works, but the value that each employee brings to a role while they are there.