Parenthood vs. promotion: a public servant's dilemma

By Ian Palmer

Courtesy of Photo Disc.

Public service policies were weighed in the balance and found wanting.

OTTAWA – A growing number of parents who work in the federal public service are discouraged by barriers to career advancement, a new study shows.

"The findings show that those who have been promoted tend to be childless," says Natalie Lam, who teaches resource management at the University of Ottawa. Lam headed the study in conjunction with fellow researchers Linda Duxbury and Lorraine Dyke of Carleton University.

"They also tend to have reasoned, 'If I have children, I may not be promoted.' This presents a problem for government."

Lam says the attitudes of public service managers toward parents, especially women with small children, will hurt efforts to recruit and keep managerial talent.

This backs up the study's findings that the federal government may face unexpected problems with its drive to recruit future managers and knowledge workers. Along with the projected shortage of new talent entering the public service, the government faces the loss of some of its best employees to the private sector because of employee unhappiness.

Scientists, economists, engineers and other professionals are among those opting for better working conditions and more money in the business world because they aren't happy with working conditions in the public service.

Conditions like maternity leave.

Lam says the public service's rules allow for maternity leave, but women still feel they have to make a choice between career advancement and raising a family.

"Even if there are policies in place, people feel if they do take time off to have children, to raise a family, that they will be penalized and won't get ahead. They shouldn't have to sacrifice one for the other."

The report, paid for with a Royal Bank donation of $350,000 over seven years, was released Jan. 25 by researchers from Carleton's Centre for Research on Women and Work, part of the university's School of Business.

The researchers surveyed 2,300 federal employees and held in-depth interviews with another 254 workers. These employees represented 48 different job classifications in 19 departments.

The report focuses on how the work/life balance affected the mobility of parents in general, and mothers in particular. It paints a picture of a federal government that needs to change entrenched attitudes that penalize family-oriented employees.

The study also shows that, for many respondents, the hectic work schedule and heavy workload means sacrificing not only family time but also community and leisure activities.

"Being a mother doesn't jive with what the public service looks for," says study co-author Duxbury. "The problem is that while the government has policies in place which are designed to accommodate parents, the public service culture contradicts them.

"Many women say that the fact they have children makes it harder to get ahead. And it's not just women with children who have problems advancing. It applies to both parents."

Though the government has, on paper, policies aimed at promoting equality between upwardly-mobile childless people and parents coping with raising children, the study blames the public service sub-culture for reinforcing stereotypes that hurt employees who want to have children.

Lam and Duxbury presented their findings at a two-day symposium held in Ottawa attended by public service employees, supporters of policy reforms and government officials.

Peter Harder, Treasury Board secretary and this year's Royal Bank Visiting Chair on Women and Work at Carleton University, was the government's representative at the conference.

Harder is responsible for human resource management within the government, and says the meeting shed light on the problems faced by parents who are finding it difficult to further their careers.

He says it's now up to the government to create a work environment which encourages both personal and professional growth.

"We need to probe a bit more on these policies," says Harder.

Study authors Lam and Duxbury say they are impressed by the initiative Harder has shown and hope his support rubs off on policy makers.

"At the conference, Peter Harder's message was that he'd move forward with our recommendations," says Lam. "The conference ended up on a high note. Harder said government will try to provide a culture that will reward learning, support learning and provide career development."

Duxbury agrees, saying Harder's "leadership role" at the conference may signal a significant step toward solving the problems identified by the researchers.

For more information about some of the issues covered in this story:

Carleton Centre for Research on Women and Work

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