Work-life balance an issue for everyone

As one of the judges for the recent AmCham Women of Influence Conference & Awards – part of a committee tasked with selecting women who stood out in their industries in Hong Kong – I had the privilege to learn more about some very highly qualified women working in a variety of businesses.

What I discovered didn’t surprise me. They share similar traits to successful men: they work hard, stay focused and are determined to succeed.

How can management teams engender these traits in staff? By supporting work-life balance efforts, mentorship programmes and support networks, management can help ensure employees can keep their eye on the ball and maintain a passion for work.

Although “work-life balance” is often cast in light of a “woman’s issue” it needs to shed that cloak because it’s everyone’s issue. If your staff can’t find time for their life issues it’s difficult to expect them to give 100 per cent at work.

Figuring out how to do that can be made easier if they have role models. My experience is that most successful women have had more than one mentor, and they aren’t always other women. Companies that partner people up, and create their own sponsorship programmes tend to have good track records in promoting diversity. But while this is a management issue, it’s also an individual’s responsibility. The successful men and women I have encountered over the years talk to a peer in another industry to see how they handle similar issues.

But while success is ultimately up to the individual, it helps if employees genuinely believe their company cares. Accenture employs more than 130,000 women and has pledged to grow the percentage of women it hires to at least 40 per cent worldwide by 2017. We have made steady progress towards this goal. In fiscal year 2015 – the 12 months to the end of August – approximately 39 per cent of the company’s more than 100,000 new hires were women. Today, four of the 11 independent directors on Accenture’s board – including its lead director – are women, and the company’s global management committee, which has ultimate accountability for running the business, includes three women.