Careers

Julia Rowan answers your management, leadership and team development questions I am terrified of making a mistake or being seen as stupid. So, I work very long hours, perfecting my tasks, rarely speaking at meetings and avoid taking any kind of risk. How can I feel confident about what I am doing? When clients tell me about a fear they have, such as making a mistake, I ask them when was the last time they made a mistake. Most clients can’t come up with any evidence at all to support their fear.   In fact, they mostly have evidence to contradict their fear, such as praise from organisational leadership.   Isn’t it interesting that our thoughts trump our lived experiences?   To overcome your fears, write down the evidence you have proving it’s legitimate as well as evidence that contradicts your fear.   What does looking at those lists change?  Here’s a mnemonic I love: FEAR – False Evidence Appearing Real.  The ‘false evidence’ is your thoughts and the ‘appearing real’ is the impact of those thoughts on your emotions, physical experience and behaviour.   It is often worth bringing issues of self-esteem and confidence to a therapist. It could be worthwhile to enquire about access to your organisation’s Employee Assistance Programme.   I contribute a lot at meetings but don’t make an impact.  I love my job; I am always well prepared and I’m a confident speaker – but I don’t seem to get my point across. Whether making a formal presentation or speaking at a meeting, I often advise clients that every word should work for its place.   When we know a lot about a subject, there can be a tendency to want to over-share that information – more than the audience needs – especially at a presentation.  In addition, extraverted types (who make sense of things by talking about them) often use 10 words where one would do, then they add another example, which reminds them of something that happened… You get the picture.   Whenever you have an important presentation, rehearse what you want to say out loud. It takes real discipline to pare your points back to the core and trust that you have said enough.   It’s important to hold onto this learned discipline at the Q&A by giving short answers. People can always ask for more information if they want it (whereas it is hard to say “that’s enough, thank you”). At meetings, I suggest that people preface what they want to say with a line such as, “I have three (two or one) main points” and then number the points as you make them.  This puts structure on what you want to say and helps you to be brief.   Make sure to reflect on your audience – how interested in the subject are they? How much do they already know? What is the objective of your presentation?  What part of your contribution are they more or less interested in? Tailor your answer to their needs.  Julia Rowan is Principal Consultant at Performance Matters Ltd, a leadership and team development consultancy. To send a question to Julia, email julia@performancematters.ie. 

With the concept of a four-day working week gaining traction, three members of Chartered Accountants Ireland give us their take on the potential pros and cons of working fewer hours as standard in the future Kerri O’Connell Principal  Obvio Tax Services The four-day work week is an idea whose time has come! We are all aware that we are living through an era of great societal change, with many people questioning their lifestyle, their desire to buy more ‘stuff’ and the impact all of this has on the natural world around us.  The arrival of more advanced Artificial Intelligence is also likely to have a huge impact on our working lives. From a business perspective, many sectors are struggling to recruit and retain staff. The pressure is on in many aspects of the service industry, including professional, medical, construction and hospitality, and we are all aware of shortages of certain foods, medicines, etc. An economic ‘growth at all costs’ model, and accelerating expectations of ‘always available’ goods and services, create pressures that are doing none of us any good. Neither is a working week model that requires people to work on all of the days during which the services they require are accessible. Consider that the five-day working week (itself only 100 years old) was a sea change from the previously standard six-day week and, at the time, regarded as a great upheaval. That change bedded in over time, just as a four-day working week will too. The opportunity for parents to spend more time with children, for people to have more time available for caring obligations, or volunteer for a social/charitable organisation, is not just a ‘nice to have’ – it would bring fundamental benefits to our society and our environment. Many of us feel very resistant to change and only make a change when we are forced or pressurised to do so. If the past three years have taught us anything, however, it is that we are all more adaptable than we think. Shaun McGlade Managing Director SMCG Ltd. There has recently been a major shift in the perception of a four-day working week, which is now starting to gain real traction as an exciting workplace policy.    At its core, the paradox of shortening working hours for no less pay is in stark contrast to the dominant burnout culture of past decades, where working more was viewed as working better. Pilot schemes trialling the effectiveness of the four-day working week have yielded positive results. The largest to date was carried out last year in the UK by 4 Day Week Global, in partnership with Autonomy, an independent research organisation, the University of Cambridge and Boston College. Sixty-one companies employing 2,900 people took part in the UK’s Four-Day Week Pilot between June and December 2022. More than 92 percent opted to continue with a four-day working week after the six-month study concluded. With many people having adapted to flexible working following the pandemic, and a greater focus on work-life balance, there is a growing need for businesses to think differently about how they operate. A four-day working week could give some a competitive edge in the war for talent.  One of the most interesting findings of The UK’s Four-Day Week Pilot was that, among the 61 participating companies, revenue remained broadly the same over the course of the six-month trial, rising by 1.4 percent on average, weighted by company size.  When compared with a similar period from previous years, participants reported an average 35 percent revenue rise. So, while some employers are sceptical about the potential benefits of a four-day working week, my view is that it holds numerous potential benefits. These benefits range from a competitive edge for employers in the employment market, to higher staff retention, improved well-being, lower absenteeism, less burnout and reduced childcare costs for employees. Teresa Campbell Partner FPM  Around the world, interest in the potential benefits of a four-day working week is on the rise as employers and employees look for ways to improve well-being, enhance organisational performance and reduce the adverse impact of working life on society and the environment.  It is these positive outcomes that could make the four-day work week popular among employers in the future, so I think it is likely that we will see it become increasingly common – including in SMEs and accountancy practices – provided it is introduced in ways that do not adversely affect customer/client service.  In our own organisation, all of our team are actively encouraged to think about how we structure each working day.  We want our people to enjoy a healthy work-life balance, develop their careers and contribute to society in a meaningful way. We support flexible working and have measures in place to ensure that this does not disrupt our client services.  We are largely laptop-led, with a ‘work anywhere, anytime’ culture. We hold monthly virtual team gatherings and have developed and implemented a hybrid and flexible working policy, which piloted a four-day working week. More than 10 percent of our team avail of this option and our people say that the flexibility has changed their quality of life.  This is in addition to the over 22 percent who are working part-time, with the remainder either finishing at 1pm on a Friday or working the standard working week.     Our strategy has enabled some team members to continue to work while travelling internationally, and has also facilitated higher levels of female participation in our leadership teams.    One of the main factors for the success of our flexible working policies is that they enhance job satisfaction and encourage autonomy. Our experience is that team members both appreciate flexible working and are themselves very willing to be flexible, stepping up where necessary to meet urgent client demands.  Overall, it is a two-way process with everyone committed to enhancing, rather than diluting, our clients’ experience. 

As this year’s annual LGBTQ+ celebration begins, we talk to six BALANCE members about their experiences in life and work As Pride celebrations kick off all over the world this month, six members of BALANCE, the Institute’s LGBTQ+ Allies network group, tell us about their experiences and what employers can do to support true equality.  Eimer Proctor Senior Manager When I first came out, Pride felt like a celebration and a safe space to be myself. Over the years, I’ve come to appreciate that this is not always possible, but I respect the path that has been forged by others to get us where we are today. During Pride 2023, I will remember those who lost their lives and stand in solidarity with my LGBTQ+ community around the world who still face persecution and continue to fight for their right to be who they are. It’s eight years since Ireland achieved marriage equality, and yet it was only in January 2020 that the law in Northern Ireland finally caught up. Given our current political situation in Northern Ireland, it’s unlikely that we will see any further advancements in LGBTQ+ rights and equality in the near future.  I find this very concerning given the rise in hate crimes, conversion therapy and anti-trans rhetoric in the media. It is up to everyone to help end discrimination for the LGBTQ+ community and promote equality.  There has been some great progress in recent years concerning diversity and inclusion in the workplace, but there is still work to be done to protect LGBTQ+ employees and at the heart of this is education.  Employers can introduce diversity and inclusion policies and practices, for example appoint diversity champions and work with employees to help them understand the appropriate language they should use in the workspace. Liaising with employees in the LGBTQ+ community and their allies is vital to understanding the obstacles the members of this community face every day. This, in turn, facilitates a greater understanding of how and why diversity and inclusion policies can directly impact business.  Those employees will, in time, become more comfortable to be themselves within their workplace, as they navigate the corporate world with the full support of their employer. Having these policies in place will also help to attract talented candidates, who will be carefully considering organisations with a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion.  Conor Hudson Finance Director It’s a general perception that Pride means ‘celebration’ and ‘party’. And, yes, this is a part of Pride – a platform to be yourself and express yourself, but still people are also joining Pride to ‘protest’ and it is important to remember that Pride started as a protest. Equality for LGBTQ+ colleagues in the workplace isn’t about sticking up a rainbow flag at the start of June.  Last year, in my organisation, a colleague and I launched an LGBTQ+ Employee Resource Group (ERG) with the intention of discussing Pride. While the initial reaction was positive, one response we received was, “We support LGBTQ+ rights; why do we still need to talk about Pride?” This remark justified why we needed an ERG – to increase visibility and offer a safe space to LGBTQ+ colleagues and colleagues with LGBTQ+ family. It is important for employees to feel part of an open and inclusive workplace from day one and allyship helps support this.  One of the actions we have taken to demonstrate visible allyship is to create MS Teams backgrounds and badges to highlight that this person identifies as an ally. We have found these a useful tool during recruitment and first introductions.  Allyship and open workplaces not only positively impact LGBTQ+ colleagues but can also support colleagues with LGBTQ+ friends and family.  Creating safe spaces for allies is equally important. They can’t be expected to know all the answers and they should be able to ask genuine questions without being judged. This culture not only creates open environments for LGBTQ+ colleagues, but also for other intersectional aspects of diversity. Hugo Slevin Head of Function Pride is a great day for us as an LGBTQ+ community, along with our allies, to come together and show unity, and strengthen through open visibility. It is always around this time of year that we start hearing the same question, “Why do we still have Pride?”, but I think it remains such an important day as shown by events over the past 12 months. First, we continue to witness attacks against our community members in ever-increasing numbers. Attacks across Europe are currently at a 10-year high and recent media coverage in Ireland has again brought this sharply into focus.  As a community, we should be able to feel safe in expressing and being who we are. Pride is very much our time to come together and have a platform to vocalise and display these concerns. We have also witnessed attempts to control the narrative on gay rights across the globe. Of significant concern has been what appears to be a regressing of rights in parts of the US, where this downward trend seems set to continue.  Even in Ireland, we have seen attacks on libraries and the cancelling of drag events in the last 12 months. Pride is the time of year during which our voices can be heard, and we stand against deliberate attempts to silence our community. Finally, Pride is fun! The streets of Dublin come alive – there is a real sense of occasion and happiness in the air. We get to walk the streets, dance and celebrate with our family, friends and co-workers. Jonathan Totterdell Major Programmes, Financial Services Pride in 2023 means a day of visibility and courage for both the progress we have made and the long path ahead for LGBTQ+ people around the world.  Recent events such as anti-LGBTQ+ Bills being passed in Florida and – closer to home, the rise of the far right and their anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric – remind us that progress can be rolled back quickly, and it is imperative that those who live in relative safety can make some noise for those who can’t, without fear of repercussions. Over the past decade, I think we have seen some huge successes with gay marriage, a more open culture and a focus by corporates among Ireland to bring diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) to the C-suite. The financial services sector has been making really impressive strides. While there is a business case for DE&I, and many studies have shown that it leads to improved return on investment, I would like to see corporates in Ireland mature on this front, continue to grow their social consciousness, and see DE&I as a positive without the need to prove its financial return. Employers are expected to be ‘all in’ on DE&I in 2023, having the uncomfortable conversations that sometimes come with this topic, appointing champions and including DE&I as part of their leadership ethos. Inclusion is key on the DE&I agenda. You can have a diverse workforce, but without active inclusion, you will be missing a vital ingredient.  One thing I practice is to try to make sure everyone gets a chance to speak up at meetings and contribute ideas and viewpoints to decision-making. When people feel comfortable, they will be able to communicate their ideas more effectively.  Padraig Kilkenny Finance Manager For me, Pride is first and foremost a celebration. It is also an opportunity to reflect on the struggles for equality, not only in our own country, but for LGBTQ+ people across the world.  There is no doubt that Ireland has made considerable progress in terms of LGBTQ+ rights and fostering greater equality in recent years. Landmark victories such as the 2015 Marriage Equality Referendum and gender recognition legislation have increased visibility and acceptance across Irish society.  The Ireland of today reflects a society that embraces diversity and supports LGBTQ+ rights. This has never been more evident than at Chartered Accountants Ireland with initiatives such as the BALANCE network and, more generally, with its support for diversity and inclusivity initiatives. Personally, I am fortunate that I have never felt discriminated against in the workplace, but this is not to say that discrimination does not exist. What I have found helpful in my career is having LGBTQ+ representation at senior levels of the organisation and feeling that I have support from my colleagues and leadership.  I think this support can come in many forms from the highest levels where diversity and inclusion form part of the organisation’s strategy, values and by extension its culture, to more practical efforts, such as establishing and enforcing inclusive policies that protect LGBTQ+ employees from discrimination in areas like recruitment, promotion and benefits. Effective allyship is more than just having policies and strategies in place. It is about supporting and advocating for the rights, well-being and inclusion of LGBTQ+ employees.  Everyone should understand and challenge their own biases through education and listen to LGBTQ+ colleagues, valuing their experiences, and amplifying their voices and perspectives in discussions and decision-making processes.  Pride is a great marker in the calendar for employers to stop and reflect where they are on this journey to foster and support real equality across the board. Áine Crotty Audit and Outsourcing Manager As a leader of a team in my workplace, I believe in the power of people and the true potential that is inside each and every one of my colleagues regardless of their gender, age, sexual orientation, etc.  Therefore, being an ally to my LGBTQ+ colleagues is important to me because it supports them in reaching their full potential.  Non-LGBTQ+ professionals need to be aware of their actions and any potential bias they might have – without the awareness, there cannot be any action or change.  I would recommend attending events such as those organised by BALANCE so you can become aware of the issues your LGBTQ+ colleagues are facing.  There are also some fantastic resources and training out there about unconscious bias that will enable you to change the language you use or how you perceive and treat your colleagues.  After awareness comes accountability. As a non-LGBTQ+ professional, hold yourself accountable to making your work environment a more inclusive place for your colleagues. Make a commitment to yourself and others to change how you act with your LGBTQ+ colleagues for the better. Become an ally and be open and proud of that fact. Letting your colleagues know that you are an ally, and that you fully support them, can make them feel more comfortable in the workplace and allow them to speak more freely about any issues or discrimination they might be facing. It is widely known and accepted that culture comes from the tone at the top. Leaders, whether it be partners or senior executive management team members, need to bring DE&I to the forefront of their agenda. They need to live and breathe what they believe in and what they are trying to achieve for their employees. They need to lead by example and visibly demonstrate their belief in equality for all.

Ann-Marie Costello became the first female partner on the Corporate Finance Team at Grant Thornton earlier this year. Her advice to other women? Back yourself and take opportunities I grew up in a family of medical professionals, so accountancy was not necessarily the expected path. I actually changed from veterinary to commerce and German the day before the CAO application process closed, so my career could have been very different.   Opting to do a degree in commerce and German gave me time to decide what I wanted to pursue as a career. I found I really enjoyed the economics and accountancy modules, so it felt like a natural progression to go on to do the Master of Accounting at UCD Smurfit School before taking up a training contract with KPMG Corporate Recovery.  At the time, the accountancy ‘milk round’ was more geared towards traditional audit and tax routes, so joining an advisory team was the path less taken, but I really wanted the commercial experience that came with it.  Hitting the ground running Having a solid background in accountancy meant I could hit the ground running in Corporate Recovery and I had great training working on trading insolvencies. After qualifying and becoming a manager with KPMG, I left Ireland for a year of ‘anti-reality’, travelling the world.  When I returned, I met with Grant Thornton’s Debt Restructuring Team, who were pivoting away from insolvency. I liked the team and the idea of working to bring businesses back onto a stable footing.  After a few years, I transitioned to Corporate Finance and I made Partner in January of this year, becoming the first female partner in the department.  These days, my work is focused on helping shareholders to position themselves for the sale of a business and to maximise value. Most of my work has an M&A or due diligence focus.  So, in my career so far, I have been able to work with businesses across the entire economic cycle. Fall-off in female talent It just so happens that the areas in which I have worked have been particularly male-dominated, especially at senior levels.  My intake and training contract had a healthy mix of female versus male trainees but, from the manager level onwards, I saw a fall-off in female talent.  The reasons for the fall-off vary, ranging from the lack of a clear path for career progression, lack of support or mentorship, and movement from practice to industry, to work-life balance considerations and family commitments.  The diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) agenda was not well-developed when I was training, and as that has begun to change in more recent years, I think that it has brought some significant benefits. I do believe we have seen a move towards greater equity at senior levels – although the pace of change is slower than we may like, I think we’re getting there. We do need more balanced representation to attract younger generations – the ‘if you can’t see it, you can’t be it’ adage.  Greater supports are needed in the form of allyship and mentorship, as well as ensuring the wider conditions to support talent retention are met – these include issues such as childcare, paternity leave (both availability and take up) and flexible working.  There are wider societal shifts that need to become the norm to level the playing field further. Gender pay gap reporting Gender pay gap reporting has been a welcome development in terms of driving good behaviours within business and providing employees with greater transparency.  However, nothing can substitute the conversations on the ground that can provide you with clarity as to where you stand.  Conversations regarding remuneration, promotion and performance are often uncomfortable, so we sometimes tend to avoid broaching these subjects.  Time and time again, recruiters and HR teams tell me that, as women, we often undersell ourselves and have lower expectations for remuneration. We need to value our contributions more.  Do your research, back yourself and don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone to take on opportunities as they present themselves. Learning the skills for success At some point in your career, you will need to do more than just to be ‘good at the job’. At that stage, developing your career becomes about your network, your profile and your leadership. It is important to learn to have confidence in yourself and to value your input. This often comes with surrounding yourself with the right people, so don’t be afraid to talk – to your peers, your friends and your network. You will only ever regret the things you didn’t do, or say, so speak up and say ‘yes’ to opportunities for development. In my own experience, navigating career development and parenthood is not without its challenges. You need all the support you can get and to always try to look after yourself.  We just had our second baby towards the end of last year, a year during which I was also going through the partnership process, as well as taking on the role of Chairperson of Chartered Accountants Ireland Leinster Society.  I took on a lot, but there were several opportunities that presented themselves around the same time and, weighing it all up, I chose to go for them. I am lucky in that I have huge support from my family and, in particular, my husband, who had to pick up some of the slack. The role of mentoring and networking I sincerely believe that mentoring and sponsorship are key to development, and I’m glad to see so many businesses providing necessary resources and supports in these areas.  It’s important to have someone who can mentor you – someone who will tell it how it is, act as your sounding board and provide constructive criticism.  It is equally important to have a sponsor within your organisation – someone who will support you and guide you in your career development. I would encourage these relationships to be with both male and female mentors and sponsors.  It can often be helpful to have a mentor outside of your work environment to speak to about your work and personal development. Chartered Accountants Ireland provides a mentorship programme for members, which is a helpful resource. Networking can seem like a daunting task, particularly with the reopening of society post-pandemic. However, it really is never as bad as it seems.   The network of people Chartered Accountants will have from their time at university and training will be huge, and the Irish accountancy profession is particularly well-connected at home and abroad.  Try to keep this network active. You never know when you might be able to help someone, or when they might be able to help you.

Fiona Hickey has hit a mid-career milestone as the founder of an award-winning practice. Her career advice to other women? Forge your own path in your own time My career started with a really fantastic experience under a training contract with Deloitte and I got what I considered my first ‘real’ job with Oracle in 2008.  I got stuck in, learned the ropes and got to grips with a new type of office politics. Soon, at age 26, I was forging ahead and happy with my progress.  At that stage, I had no idea that the path I saw laid out before me was not the one I was going to take. Shifting priorities It was around this time that my sister was diagnosed with cancer. It was tough, and made me realise that I shouldn’t waste any precious time.  So, at 29, some years ahead of my college friends and peers—and only a few short years since starting my first real job with Oracle—I had Danny, my son. I’m not sure I would have chosen to start a family at that stage if my sister hadn’t fallen ill.  I had so much ambition and a career plan mapped out, but I had also realised that there are no guarantees in life. Starting our family became the direction my husband and I really wanted to go in.  I started a Diploma in Insolvency when I was on maternity leave and Danny had reached the nine-month milestone. Despite the heavy demands of motherhood, I never stopped wanting to learn.  At around the same time, my brother took the brave step of setting up his own company, and I supported him in those early days, spending evenings doing payroll, VAT and book-keeping for his start-up–all tasks I had never done in audit or industry.  This was learning from the ground up, all while wading through the minefield of Revenue tax and CRO filings.  An unexpected career path When I returned to my role with Oracle after 13 months’ maternity leave, it was with this new experience in practice work and self-employment.  Looking back, I had stumbled onto a new and unexpected career path. I found it hugely fulfilling but it wasn’t always easy.  Throughout my first pregnancy and maternity leave, and my son’s early years, I felt like my career was stagnating while my friends were making progress and building on exciting opportunities.  I wondered if the time I’d taken to start my family would leave my career forever one step behind my peers. On the other hand, I found I had such a different drive after my son was born. I still didn’t mind hard work, but I didn’t want to be committed to working like in the same way I had been before his arrival.  My priorities changed. My outlook was different. I decided that if I had fallen behind my peers because I had prioritised my family, it was worth it overall. Timing isn’t everything It was after I had my daughter Hannah aged 31, that I knew I was ready to take the next step in my career: setting up a practice myself in Ashbourne, Co. Meath—my hometown. At the time, there were no part-time accounting roles for women, including with the Big Four. I needed to create my own position. Entrepreneurship is in my genes. My father had run his own business, also in Ashbourne, and I wanted to be in practice so I could connect with people at a grassroots level. To this day, I care so much about each client, their business, and how best to advise and assist them.  I also have profound gratitude towards each client who has come through the door at FAH Chartered Accountants, allowing me to realise my dream of being self-employed.  There was a time when I thought my career would stagnate because I had decided to start a family young. When I was working hard to build my practice, however, my college peers and friends started taking time out to start their own families.  By the time they were ready to return to their jobs, my own career had kicked off again and my practice was growing.  The time I took for my family was when they built their careers, and the time they took for their families was when I built mine. We were never in competition.  These women are all friends and peers whom I greatly admire, but it just goes to show that there is no such thing as “the right time”. It’s the work and passion you put in, and I was right to start my family when I wanted to.  Career ebbs and flows  Everyone has ebbs and flows in their career journey. Whether you want to take time out for family, personal or health reasons, your career can always be kickstarted again.  I hired my first employee six years ago and my practice has continued to grow since. In 2021, we moved to a bigger bespoke office and we topped the Small Practice category at the 2022 Irish Accountancy Awards as well as being named overall Practice of the Year.  It was a phenomenal achievement for the entire team at FAH Chartered Accountants. On a personal level, however, the practice has become much busier than I had anticipated starting out.  Initially, I expected to work part-time while rearing my family, but my work now is a full-time job, and sometimes more.  The great benefit for me is the flexibility I have, which allows me to plan my week, and each day, around my family’s needs.  Maintaining a work-life balance requires constant effort. There are times when I need to work extra hours in the office, but I can then take extra home time in the days afterwards.  When I am home with my children, I don’t take work calls or answer emails. I remain present and enjoy my time with Danny and Hannah, focusing exclusively on our time together. Do I have to constantly juggle home and work life? Yes. Extra demands in either one can create an imbalance, but with focus and commitment, I can find equilibrium again. Qualifying as a Chartered Accountant can bring many benefits in terms of your career route and flexibility.  As a qualification, it gives you plenty of opportunity to change path and step back, if and when you need to for personal reasons, before restarting your career again. No matter what your priorities may be, my advice is to forge your own path. Remember that everyone’s career will ebb and flow differently. Stay open to new opportunities and never be afraid to pivot to get to where you want to be.  Fiona Hickey is the owner and principal of FAH Chartered Accountants

 As more women become Chartered Accountants, a growing number are leaving mid-career, citing various factors ranging from work-life balance to lack of career progression, writes Liz Riley  In mid-2022, Chartered Accountants Worldwide (CAW) surveyed Chartered Accountants around the globe to gauge how they view the opportunities for women in the profession. What they found about training and early careers is positive. There are no obvious gender-related barriers to entry into the profession. In recent years, Chartered Accountants Ireland has had a nearly equal intake of men (52%) and women (48%) into training.  And although the women surveyed by CAW acknowledge that there are few women in senior positions within accountancy, this has not deterred them from entering the profession. As the world of accountancy continues to evolve, however, a growing number of women are making the difficult decision to leave or pivot within the profession mid-career.  For years, accountancy has been viewed as a stable career path. Still, despite the profession focusing more on diversity, equity and inclusion, some women are finding that the barriers in their way are too great for them to want to press on.  Moving on from accountancy Even though just one-in-five mid-career women believe their careers have progressed ahead of their expectations, 81 percent still believe they have much to offer the profession.  The CAW survey shows, however, that the willingness to make career sacrifices is at its highest at the mid-career stage when a person’s children are often younger.  The findings also reveal that mid-career women in Ireland and the UK are more likely to be interested in roles that offer work-life balance (39%), flexibility in working location (21%), and access to additional benefits (33%). However, women at a mid-career stage are also significantly more likely to feel stressed (59%), exhausted (40%), and/or disappointed (25%).  In order to effectively address the issue of hiring and retaining women in their mid-careers, Sinead Donovan, Deputy President of Chartered Accountants Ireland, emphasises the importance of organisational leadership taking proactive measures. “Having been in that position earlier in my career, I recognise the barriers, and I also recognise that putting the head down and living with the status quo, like I did in many ways, isn’t an option,” says Donovan.  “Our profession is in the middle of a recruitment and retention challenge and if partners like me and others across the industry don’t step up to harness this talent pool of ambitious mid-career women, we are missing out.” Mid-career choices and challenges According to Dawn Leane, founder and CEO of Leane Empower, a female-focused coaching, mentoring and training organisation, a number of factors tend to influence women’s mid-career choices and priorities. “They have family or parent caring commitments, or both. Society has moved on a bit, but not enough, and women are still the primary caregivers for family members. So, at that point, there’s a lot of demand on their time.”  Patricia Monahan, Chief Executive of Monaghan County Council, remembers a profession that did not cater to women with families.  “Gender became a noticeable issue when I went to work in a Big Five firm in the ‘90s. That was a high-pressure, high-stakes job with very big clients,” she says. “There were few, if any, women with children working in my division of the firm while many of the senior men had families.  “That was the first time I noticed a difference between men and women in the profession. Because it was a very pressured environment, I just think it wasn’t very family friendly.” But the disparity that continues today isn’t just about family commitments. “Very often, women around the mid-career age come to the perimenopausal stage,” says Leane. “At this point in their careers, women sometimes either leave the workforce if possible or look for a change because they find some symptoms difficult to manage, such as brain fog and poor sleep.  “They ask if they are getting back from their organisations what they put in, and they find that no, they’re not.” Limited career options Laura Maloney, now an executive and wellbeing coach offering a programme called Returnity, aimed at women returning to work post-leave, left the profession in 2016 after finding that her career options were limited after her role changed. “In 2008, my role [in practice] moved sideways to risk management. The following year, there were swathes of redundancies, and I was lucky enough to be in a very secure role, even though it may not have been the right role for me,” she says.  “As the years went on, nobody at the firm was moving, and I felt that my options were limited. When it came to assessing where we were as a family and what came next in my career, my choice was not to return [to accountancy] after my third maternity leave.  “I wanted to be valuable. I wanted to contribute. I wanted to be useful, but I was in this role, and I was not happy. It wasn’t a great fit. How did I know that? Because I never felt like the role or the organisation was getting the best from me.” Career pivots Patricia Monahan qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1987 and, after working in tax in Dublin, and despite having a positive working experience, decided to relocate to County Monaghan ten years later for family reasons. Monahan continued to take roles that had an accountancy element after relocating until a role for an assistant principal officer became available at Cavan and Monaghan Education and Training Board (ETB).  “All of my roles outside of Dublin were probably atypical for a Chartered Accountant, especially the ones in the public service. When I transferred from the ETB, I became an accountant with the council,” she says. “Shortly after that, I got an opportunity to be a director of services at the council, which, again, took me away from the accountancy role. I had water and environmental services, the fire service, health and safety procurement and roads—all areas that were not in my training.” From there, Monahan decided to dedicate herself to public service, eventually becoming the Interim Chief Executive of Monaghan County Council. “When making career decisions, it didn’t matter whether [my role] was or wasn’t accountancy. It was more about whether it was a progression for me in my career,” she says. “Moving to a director of service role from accounting was definitely a progression. It was a much wider remit of responsibility and a management job.  “Accountancy skills are still very useful and transferable, and the Chartered Accountancy qualification is a good base for any career. I wouldn’t necessarily say I left them behind. I’d say I took them with me, but they were just not the dominant skills I needed.” Tackling the mid-career slump While many women make significant strides in the early stages of their career, they often face various challenges as they progress up the professional ladder.  “Organisations need to be aware of what is standing in the way of women 10 to 20 years after qualification,” says Leane.  “They need to really engage with women to see what they identify as being the blockers to their careers. I’m a big believer in things like mentoring and sponsorship for women in organisations, and this doesn’t have to come from other women. Men are keen to support women in the workplace but might not always know what to do.” “Research shows that, when a woman is working for a male manager, male managers often dilute feedback or don’t give women the feedback they need to develop their career because they fear an emotional response, even if that’s not valid,” explains Leane.  “If you’re giving feedback that you think a woman would like to hear, rather than what they need to hear, that is an enormous barrier in their career.” Moloney thinks there has been an improvement but says that women need honest conversations and feedback, so that they can fully understand their options. “One of the areas that has definitely improved since I left the profession is the willingness to have more honest, open and transparent conversations about things like satisfaction, values and purpose, and achievement. This isn’t a language we would have spoken when I worked in accountancy,” she says. “This is highly dependent on the teams you work in and the managers you work for, and their willingness and how equipped they are to have those kinds of conversations, but they can be the difference between someone leaving the profession or staying.” An important choice According to Leane, there are several steps women can take themselves to ensure their career continues to flourish. “A woman must think about her professional brand and networking – all the skills men got to develop when training,” she says.  “Women often see the benefit in getting the work done – we are taught the benefit of getting the work done – while men have been taught to make themselves known in their professional networks and pick their heads up. “Women might not realise many of these unwritten rules and norms of behaviour exist in the workplace. Many women find they have been very qualified for, say, a certain promotion, but by waiting for the tap on the shoulder or not putting themselves forward, they didn’t play the game.” Moloney says women need to figure out what they want before they can take the next steps in their careers. “It’s all about empowerment and encouragement. So much of the experience I had in my professional career was waiting for validation and affirmation from other areas or other people to tell me that I was doing the right thing at the right time. I should have been able to depend on myself.  “Nobody is advocating for you, but it’s difficult to advocate for yourself when you don’t know what you want. What do you want to do? What do you value? What do you love? What motivates you? You have to answer those questions for yourself before you can communicate them to someone in your organisation who can help you.” Organisations can only do so much, Monahan says, and there comes the point when a woman has to make her own choices. “Ultimately, women have to make choices that will suit their own circumstances, and shouldn’t have to justify those choices.”