It was heartening to see the January 8 New York Times article, “Flex Time Flourishes in Accounting Industry.” Work/life balance in the finance field is at the core of RoseRyan: When I co-founded the firm in 1993, I was looking to get off the 60- to 65-hour-a-week treadmill myself (which ironically didn’t happen for me personally, but it’s a main feature of the firm for our gurus). We truly “walk the talk” on this issue. We instituted flextime in 1996 and at last count 35 percent of our workforce was taking advantage of it.
I’m certain that’s why are able to attract and retain top-shelf finance talent. Generally speaking, we find that seasoned professionals seek sustainable work weeks, and they see this gift of time as a remarkable perk. (I also wrote on this very topic in a different post in response to a recent article in CFO Magazine that lamented the perils of flextime for CFOs.)
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I read Alix Stuart’s article “The Perils of Flextime” in the July/August issue of CFO Magazine and want to share my perspective. As the co-founder of a talent-centered accounting and finance consulting firm, I have a different take on some of the issues raised.
It’s certainly true that in 1993 women faced the mommy track in corporate finance. That’s partly why my former colleague, Sue Macias, and I started RoseRyan with an eye toward making it family-friendly and more.
We’ve found that top finance talent is hungry for non-traditional work hours, and it’s been the key driver to our success. Today, RoseRyan is a bustling business for men and women who work part-time or flex-time while enjoying satisfying, challenging work. Half of our seasoned finance gurus are parents, 41 percent work flex hours and 65 percent are female.
It’s heartening to see that companies like Bain & Co. are investigating alternative promotion paths for employees on nontraditional schedules. I’d like to add the kind of high-level consulting work we offer as another option for finance pros who are struggling with work/life balance issues.
While the general stats for women in the field at the CFO position remain dismal, it’s also true that the profession is innovating and alternatives do exist. Certainly, change is afoot. I think the next generation of finance leaders will pick up the ball and charge further down the field.
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