Here at FlexCareers we are lucky to be surrounded by inspiring female leaders in the work that we do, and it got us thinking what makes our essential feminine qualities great qualities to leverage at work? Join us as we share the innate skills we think are needed in the modern workplace now and in the future.
Please note: these qualities aren’t reserved for gender but are more traditionally viewed as feminine, we prefer to think of these qualities as ‘strengths’ regardless of who is leading the way with them.
A recent Harvard business review found that when rated on their business skills, women scored higher than men in most leadership skills. Not only do women have the competency to lead, they also excel in taking initiative, acting with resilience, practicing self-development, driving for results, and displaying high integrity and honesty.*
We’re agreed these strengths are optimum workplace traits. So what about strength in numbers? Are two brains better than one? We caught up with our FlexReady Certified Employer Water Corporation about how they utilise job share for the best results.
With over 12 years at Water Corporation, Rebecca Matsen is an advocate for sharing her role with job share partner Angela Davie. As a change management enthusiast and a mother, being able to work flexibly has been vital for balancing her career and family life and job share has given her the flexibility she needed.
The job share arrangement means both women share the load of the role at work , bringing in two sets of unique skills and experience while being able to maintain family responsibilities. This not only fulfils work life balance goals but has also contributed to success in career growth and satisfaction through making a contribution to important work in the community.
“At Water Corporation it is all about the great people you get to work with and knowing
you are helping the WA community. I’ve also been able to learn so much about the water industry, and experience a wide spectrum of projects allowing me to build my change management skills. From starting part-time work right from the outset, I have been able to adopt a variety of flexible work arrangements over the years depending on the needs of my family.”
- Rebecca Matsen
Job share partner, Angela Davie, has also experienced great accomplishment on her career trajectory. Starting as a personal assistant, business analyst, business planning partner, continuous improvement specialist and now, change implementation manager in job share with Rebecca.
Having an empathetic employer like Water Corporation has enabled both women to kick their career goals and be a present parent in an industry that their essential strengths are extremely in demand for their workforce capability, diversity and resilience.
Safe in the knowledge that the wider team adopts a flexible approach to work, Angela manages to balance her family commitments with work. This security also helped her return to work go smoothly. Like her colleagues, Angela has the ability to adjust her start and finish times, work from home, or swap which days she’s in the office to complement her needs. This flexibility enables her quality time with her daughter and allows her to contribute her essential skills to the organisation.
Along with job share partner, Rebecca Matsen and FlexReady Certified employer, Water Corporation, this arrangement is an inspiring example of the how job share can create increased personal satisfaction, fulfilling job opportunities and show just how well it can go when progressive organisations get creative!
“I got my work persona back and felt like I could be more than just “mum” again. I was
able to get a quiet coffee, connect and socialise with people at work, and be alone on bathroom breaks all while feeling supported with an understanding of the life you hold outside of work.” - Angela Davie
You can unlock a plethora of benefits by empowering your workforce to embrace their essential strengths, and watch them thrive! What can your organisation do to get creative in your talent acquisition strategies? Do you have roles that two brains could be better than one?
We are here to provide tailor made solutions that align with your unique needs— Talk to a solutions expert now!
Or if you are a candidate seeking a new challenge, log in and create a profile to see how your strengths can shine with the leading flexible and most progressive organisations in the country.
References
* (Jack Zenger, 2019)