Sir, It is good to see the gender diversity debate shifting, through practical initiatives such as Peninah Thomson and Jacey Graham's cross-company mentoring for aspiring female directors ("The hidden obstacles to women's final ascent", September 12).
However, many challenges remain, particularly for client-driven businesses, such as management consultancies. Here, client pressures and travel requirements can make juggling a career and domestic responsibilities difficult even among relatively junior ranks. The answer is not to reduce the client burden. Client-facing activity is the most important performance measure in such businesses, and reducing this load for people with special circumstances will disenfranchise them from core business activity and reduce progression opportunity.
Companies need to see the long-term potential of an employee and recognise that there are particular points in a career where employees can be less flexible than others. So, offer flexibility in hours and location at these points; offer peer support from others who have had similar experiences; measure and reward managers on how they support and retain staff; pro-rata targets in line with time worked but don't devalue client-facing activity. By taking a long-term view and retaining core client-facing values, you increase loyalty and, in turn, retention.
And do not forget that more and more men also seek career flexibility that will enable them to spend more time with the family while maintaining successful careers.
