Flexible working helps retain women with talent in the workplace
An article by Mabal Tan and Ahmad-Fakhri Hamzah of Shell Malaysia, August 2008
An effective work environment is something that Shell Malaysia prides itself in delivering well to employees. This ranges from the leadership creating an open work environment by living the Shell values of Honesty, Integrity and Respect for People, through to providing the tools, facilities and conveniences to allow individuals to find their own work-life balance formula.
Pn Soraya Yahya had the opportunity to take extended maternity leave to care for her new arrival
With regards to women in the workplace, Shell has a stated goal to have more women in the company, with at least 20 per cent of women assuming senior executive positions. This means there is a need to see more women added on shortlists, while appointments in Shell remain merit-based.
Shell found challenges to get women into leadership positions to be due to a combination of factors, including the lack of visible female role models, responsibility to the family, lack of management experience, as well as challenges in having senior leaders present women with opportunities.
To help address these issues, Shell embarked on various initiatives including organising career development programmes for women and gender sessions for senior leaders, supporting and sponsoring women networks, and offering flexible work options.
Indeed, to demonstrate its commitment to retain and increase its women employees, Shell introduced greater choice and flexibility in working arrangements last year. Flexible work options are open to all employees, subject to business needs and the individual’s situation.
“One of the ways to retain women with talent is to offer them choices,” says HR director Jonathan Kohn, “and flexibility in working arrangements are particularly welcomed by many who need to juggle work with responsibilities at home.”
Among others, these flexible working policies cover a range of benefits including extended maternity leave (half pay), career breaks, part-time working and flexible working hours:
• Half pay leave (30 days maximum) is offered to employees who wish to extend maternity leave, or to care for an immediate family member undergoing a health crisis.
• Career break (unpaid leave of between three months and three years) is offered to employees whose skills and expertise are expected to be on demand in future and where they provide long-term value to Shell.
• Part-time working where employees may opt for fewer working hours per week, for example, a three-day week.
• Flexible working hours where the employee agrees with his/her manager on start and finish times outside of the regular pattern. Eligibility will depend on the job role and the employee.
Several women in Shell have taken the opportunity to apply for flexible working and here, they share their personal stories on how these options have enabled them to achieve their work-life balance goals.
“It’s definitely worth it!” - Soraya Yahya, HR Advisor, went on extended maternity leave.
Before I went on extended maternity leave, I ensured that all critical tasks and assignments were addressed, and that my replacement was fully briefed and equipped to do the job.
Since the extended maternity leave was on half pay, it meant a reduction in the household income. After weighing the pros and cons, I decided to proceed with it. This is definitely a good option for mothers who wish to spend more time bonding with their newborns - those ten tiny fingers were well worth it!
This is a great move for Shell in a competitive market which is getting more diverse in its workforce, where more women choose to work and bring up a family at the same time.
“It’s helping me maintain sanity.” - Ting Hoon Kiow, Process Engineer, returned from extended maternity leave and adopted part-time working.
I had just resumed working after being a full time mother to a three-year-old, and I was also expecting my second baby when the flexible work options became available. With my manager’s approval, I went on a three-month maternity leave, and a part-time work pattern thereafter.
I go into the office everyday, but I work shorter hours. As such, I can be at home half the day with my children, and I do not suffer the guilt of leaving them with a caregiver. In this way, I was able to return to work happily and keep things at work and home sane.
“Time off to focus on child’s development means better focus on work.” - Norina Ahmad Nordeen, Business Finance Manager, goes on a three-year career break in October.
As a working mum, flexible working is one of the key value propositions that Shell offers, as it recognises the trials and tribulations that mothers face, and provides the flexibility to better manage our time commitments for work and family life.
I’m already practising flexi-working where I sometimes work from home when the need arises. In my job, part-time working is not suitable as I need to be hands-on and be close to the business team.
I will be starting my career break in October, to focus on developing my son who has a learning difficulty. I realise taking time off could result in a setback to my career progression, but I feel I would be able to focus better on my career when I return, knowing that I was able to take time to attend to my immediate priorities first.
“It’s all about managing expectations.” - Diana Mashudi, Change Manager, works Mondays to Thursdays.
I have been in Shell since 2003, and I had recently come to a phase in my life where I needed to spend a little more time with my four children. I work in a team spread across the globe with members in Houston, The Hague and Malaysia, and having telephone conferences in the evening or out of regular office hours is the norm.
As Change Manager, I have had to manage the expectations of my “clients”. All too often, our Asian culture expects us to please the customer at all costs, which makes it difficult to say no to requests. Thankfully, I have learnt to be more assertive. Managing my customers’ expectations of what they can expect me to deliver as part of my new working arrangement has proved to be vital.
