Office Productivity
Regus Sets Stage for Return of Working Moms
Published December 18th, 2009 by Jennifer LeClaire
A sign of the expected economic turnaround, 44 percent of companies around the world plan to hire more mothers for part-time jobs over the next two years. So says a new Regus Group study of more than 11,000 corporations in 15 countries.
Stateside, U.S. firms are slightly more aggressive than the average, with 46 percent reporting plans to recruit more moms. The U.S. highlights breaks down like this: 47 percent of companies with 1,000 or more employees expect to recruit more part-time moms compared to only 39 percent of smaller firms. Noteworthy is the face that 51 percent of media and marketing businesses plan to hire moms while only 41 percent of manufacturing and production businesses report such expectations.
“As businesses worldwide take tentative steps toward recovery, we are starting to see the emergence of shifting workplace strategies,” said Guillermo Rotman, CEO of the Regus Group Americas. “Businesses have learned that adhering to a rigid 9-to-5, 5-days-a-week mentality with no room for flexibility can mean sacrificing talented workers – and in a time when companies are focusing on cutting costs and maximizing profitability, firms can’t afford to operate without the best and brightest talent available.”
Making Way For Moms
According to Regus, U.S. companies are challenged to make the workplace flexible enough for the unique needs of working mothers. Regus points to a survey from the Society for Human Resource Management that reveals only 35 percent of American companies offer health insurance for part-time employees, just 16 percent of businesses offer job-sharing, and only 11 percent offer stress reduction programs.
“While we have seen that companies intend to take on more mothers as part of their strategy to combat the financial downturn, there is much work to be done in making the transition from maternity leave back to the workforce as smooth as possible,” said Rotman. “Allowing mothers to take advantage of workplace flexibility demonstrates an understanding of the challenges that they face and paves the way for them to be more productive and less stressed at work.”
As Rotman sees it, one of the most significant factors in improving employees’ work-life balance is offering the flexibility to work remotely, either in whole or in part. That’s where companies like Regus come in. By taking advantage of such flexible workplace schedules, virtual office space, meeting rooms and day offices, Regus contends, businesses are better able to attract and retain talent – including working moms.
Would you expect Regus to come to any other conclusion? In this case, I do agree with Regus. If you want to attract moms to part-time jobs in the white collar workforce, then you need to make some accommodations for when little Johnny is home sick and mom needs to work remotely. Regus and others have those solutions, which should come in handy for employers as the market recovers.
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About the Author
Bill Brookshire December 18th, 2009 at 2:38 pm
I think in this economy, many moms are probably looking for work. And it they can work from home while the kids are at school through virtual office technologies, I think that’s the ideal scenario. Companies like Arise offer this type of set up. It’s the future of the workforce. In the long-term, there’s a labor shortage, not a labor excess. Regus is positioning itself as a go-to for companies. Smart study.
Elizabeth Sanchez December 18th, 2009 at 2:43 pm
You gotta love Regus. The serviced office giant always has an angle to push. I think the studies Regus does do offer some value in terms of keeping tabs on hiring trends and other topics. I just somehow can’t help but think they come up with these topics for surveys based on the virtual office and executive suites angle of the day they want to get out there.