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February 28, 2000

Women At Work
Companies are helping women in IT balance work and family

Illustration by Rick Smith

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t's no secret that fewer women than men have been drawn to IT careers. But that's changing, thanks to the flexibility that IT tools offer in the workplace and because IT solutions increasingly require many of the nontechnical skills women possess. Eager to fill IT positions and retain valued workers, companies are becoming adept at helping women juggle work and family while climbing the IT ladder.

"Information technology is a natural fit with flexibility," says Harriet Edelman, a 20-year veteran at Avon Products Inc. who was promoted to CIO of the cosmetics company earlier this month. Technology allows for mobility and round-the-clock accessibility. It's no wonder more women are taking advantage of adjustable work schedules, telecommuting, job-sharing, on-site day care, and training--as well as many companies' willingness to hire and develop the skills of women with nontechnical backgrounds for IT-related jobs.

At Avon, scheduling can be flexible as long as the demands of particular positions are met, Edelman says. The company offers IT employees many options, including flexible hours, condensed work weeks, working from home, and on-site day care.

Mary Lorusso, an IT manager in Avon's sales-systems group, works a four-day week--one of those days from home. That flexibility and Avon's day-care center help Lorusso and her husband, who's also an IT manager at Avon, juggle life with their two preschoolers. "The flexibility is good now, but I'm sure I'll even find it more beneficial once my older child starts school," she says.

Avon isn't the only company that lets women set their schedules. Lotus Development Corp. IT manager Sue Lanich worked on a three-day, 28-hours-a-week basis after the premature birth of her twins a little more than two years ago. An ISDN line at home let her catch up on E-mail and work on her days off. Though she returned to a full-time schedule last fall, Lanich still works at home one or two days per week.

Kathleen Bailey, a Web developer at Lotus, switched to a four-day work week after the birth of her first child five years ago. Because Bailey's job involves meeting deadlines, her IT work fits well into a shortened week, although she's still under pressure to deliver. "Scheduling the work is more of a challenge when you only have four days instead of five," she says. "I'm very conscious of time. I probably do less socializing and make sure I use my time very productively."

Harriet Edelman Photo by Catrina Genovese Bailey could do her programming from home, but she says going into the office makes it easier to stay in touch with managers and the other four developers in her group. Time in the office also lets her get the training she needs to update her skills. "I'm learning as many new skills as I would with a five-day schedule," she says.

At Cigna Corp., 20-year IT veteran and project manager Tracy Dorsey keeps "early-bird hours." She's often in her office by 7 a.m. and on the way home by 3 p.m. to manage her two children's after-school activities. Dorsey also works at home every Wednesday to drive her kids to school and sports. "It's a wonderful benefit," she says.

Flex time and telecommuting programs aren't attractive only to women with children. Patty Ashauer, managing director of shared services at Charles Schwab & Co., frequently takes advantage of Schwab's telecommuting program to avoid San Francisco Bay area traffic. "I live 1-1/2 hours away from the office," she says. When the roads are bad, she works from home, staying in touch via conference calls and E-mail.

Not all programs designed to help women manage their IT careers revolve around work schedules. General Electric Co.'s Information Management Leadership Program lets promising junior-level IT employees of both genders rotate through assignments and classes every six months for two years. The program, designed to groom IT employees for management positions, has helped a lot of women advance their IT careers at GE, says Patty Morrison, CIO of GE's Industrial Systems business.

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