WORK‐FAMILY POLICIES AND PROGRAMMES IN A PROFESSIONAL SERVICES FIRM: USES AND EFFECTIVENESS

Abstract

Schwartz (1992) has suggested that professional firms may be the vanguard in supporting the career advancement of women. Professional firms typically recruit and hire a considerable number of university graduates that are women. In the last few years, almost half the new hires by public accounting firms have been women. In addition, women graduates have performed as well as their male counterparts in their university programmes. It also takes less time to advance to senior management (admission to partnership) in professional firms than is the case in most large private sector corporations. Finally, the evaluation of performance in professional service firms is based on productivity (e.g., billable hours, new business development) which are more objective than performance ratings of one's manager. In addition, many professional firms have institutionalised new technologies which make it easier to work flexibly and at home (computers, fax machines).