Telecommuting keeps care givers in workplace
Daisy Gallagher, president of Gallagher & Gallagher, a marketing, advertising and public relations firm in Stroudsburg, Monroe County, is "the classic career person, turned mom" who started her business at home when her children Scott, 21; and Lori, 17; were 9 and 5.
"My career started long before I had children," she said. Early on, Gallagher worked for 10 years in the corporate headquarters of one of the world's largest companies. "When I decided to take time off and be home with the children, my husband, who knew how much I enjoyed my profession, brought home an IBM 486DX computer as a present. I began to work around the children's and my husband's schedule, doing freelance projects involving marketing and public relations." Gallagher's husband, Robert J. Gallagher, was a teacher who changed careers, served in the Fire Department of New York for 20 years, then retired and resumed his teaching career at Marywood University.
"My husband's job was not the normal 9 to 5. He would be gone for 24 hours with his shift and then be off for a couple of days, then back for another 24. On his days off, I was able to get most of my work in. Otherwise, I was mom, dad and part-time (when the kids slept) career woman." Gallagher said 12 years ago, there were no flexible alternatives for working mothers, or fathers, unless they started a business outside of an office setting. "If I wanted to continue in my profession, it would have meant having to work full time in the office with no flexibility for time off with the children," she said. "This set of standards literally forced me to start my own business, and is one of the main reasons why I instituted telecommuting at our firm."
More businesses across the country are adopting polices such as flex-time, job sharing and telecommuting. According to one study, 51 percent of U.S. companies offered some type of flexibility in 1990, and in 1995 the number of companies offering alternatives rose to 73 percent. Christian Pope Campbell, an account manager/copywriter at Gallagher & Gallagher, is an example of a mother whose full-time job "is being mom," to sons, William, age 3 and Cole, 2, and wife to spouse, Sean Campbell, who works in business development at Aventis Pasteur, Swiftwater. Pope Campbell telecommutes with the office, in Stroudsburg, where she can "put in just enough hours to be satisfied professionally without infringing on quality time with my family."
She pointed out that home computers, fax machines and e-mail have facilitated the continuation of her career, but an "honest and open relationship" with her employer helped her "determine her priorities and not be ashamed of them." Pope Campbell said she has not encountered any major problems with telecommuting and finds her contributions valued. "I have very good proofreading and editing skills, so I am often asked to review printed work before it goes for publication. This enables me to have a hand in many projects Gallagher & Gallagher produces."
Another company; other alternatives In 1977, Procter & Gamble Company's (P&G), Mehoopany plant which employs approximately 2,800 in the production of the company's consumer paper brands introduced an early variation of a work/family initiative with benefits including short and long leave of absence, paid maternity leave, child care leave/split leave, extended reduced work schedule, flex-time, advancement and equitable distribution of benefits; adoption assistance; and part-time work in lieu of child care. These benefits, as well as corporate culture, employee population, work/life policies, and women's advancement earned the company a place on the Top 10 list of Working Mother magazine's annual "100 Best Companies for Working Mothers for 2001."
"People are critical to the success of the company and family is a part of that equation," said public relations manager, Chuck O'Hara, "therefore, work balance is important to P&G in order to employ the best people. P&G wants people to be successful. Data indicate that employees like working for a company that provides the opportunity for balance in family and work. This does lead to improved morale and reduction in turnover," he said.
|
