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Building an "on-ramp" for talented employees returning to work

When parenting and elder care responsibilities clash with the demands of a fast-track career, many good employees opt out of the workforce, sometimes for a few months and sometimes for several years. This can be a real loss for an organization.

Businesses can avoid the loss that can happen when they don't welcome these employees back. Yet, it's the common experience of talented employees seeking to reenter the workforce after an extended absence. Organizations seem to have many "off-ramps," but a scarcity of "on-ramps" down the road. As the baby boom generation reaches retirement age, organizations may also need to develop reentry strategies for older workers who retire, then later decide to rejoin the workforce.

Study finds apathetic reaction to returning workers
A recent study, Back in the Game: Returning to Business After a Hiatus, by Monica McGrath, Marla Driscoll and Mary Gross (completed under the advisement of the Wharton Center for Leadership and Change Management) looked at the experiences of women and men with advanced professional degrees who left executive or management positions and returned to the workforce after an absence of two or more years.

The findings show that a majority of these skilled employees had a difficult time finding "on-ramps" to restart their careers and bring organizations the value of their training and experience. Most were surprised at the obstacles they encountered. These included disinterested and unhelpful recruiters, lack of support from the career offices at the schools where they earned their degrees, and negative reactions from hiring managers who viewed their interrupted work history as a sign of lack of ambition and commitment. A bias against hiring older workers may also have been a factor in what was largely reported as a negative job search experience. A majority of those in the study sample ended up joining companies smaller than those they had left and a high percentage returned to work as self-employed consultants or entrepreneurs.

Progressive programs and ideas
Demographers predict a growing talent war over the next decade as the baby boom generation reaches retirement age and begins to step out of the workforce for good. A small but growing number of employers have identified a staffing opportunity in recruiting former employees who left their jobs for personal or family reasons and are now considering a return.

Merrill Lynch, for example, has co-sponsored job fairs called, What to Do When Mommy is on Your Resume, which have attracted hundreds of applicants and led to a number of hires.

Deloitte & Touche USA LLP launched a Personal Pursuits pilot program in 2004, allowing participants to take up to five years to pursue personal goals, with the mutual expectation that they remain connected to the organization and intend to return to employment with Deloitte. This program keeps employees linked to the organization through mentoring, training and opportunities for paid work assignments.

"The pilot was a success," says W. Stanton Smith, national director, Next Generation Initiatives at Deloitte. "There really was no downside. It has kept us connected with a pool of strong talent, one of whom has already returned as an employee. It has helped keep these program participants technically competent, tied to our culture and their professional networks, and prepared to reenter our workforce. It has created an available, contingent workforce for ad hoc assignments. And it sends a message that we're working to find and keep talented people."

The researchers in the Wharton study recommend that organizations encourage the reentry of talented employees by offering:

• A recruiting staff that's trained to recognize the value of returning employees.
• Flexible work programs to allow reentry with tailored work schedules.
• Formal and informal mentoring initiatives.
• Connections to the workplace during an employee absence through paid project work opportunities.
• Structured ramp-up programs similar to those in place for relocating or expatriate employees.
• Training to help returning employees catch up on changes that have occurred while they were away.

The study also offers recommendations for employees reentering an organization:

• Build and maintain a professional network to keep up with developments and people in the field.
• Keep up with professional literature and research.
• Maintain professional licenses and memberships.
• Keep skills current and learn new skills that are valued in the workplace.
• Engage in contract or consulting work during absence from the workforce.
• Be flexible and consider different roles with different pay and responsibilities when reentering.

In the competition for top talent, adept organizations may find an attractive labor pool in professionals returning to work after taking time off. Some are already doing it!

Sources

1. Sue Shellenbarger, "Employers Step up Efforts to Lure Stay-at-Home Mothers Back to Work." The Wall Street Journal, February 9, 2006.
2. Monica McGrath, Marla Driscoll, Mary Gross, Back in the Game: Returning to Business After a Hiatus. Wharton Center for Leadership and Change, 2005.