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Chief
I’ll be honest. I have a husband that is an equal partner in everything. He does his fair share of childcare and housework and emotional labour.
The firm has been great but without a spouse that’s supportive and does 100% of the home stuff sometimes when I need it, I don’t think I could’ve made it.
- I’m a senior manager in tax, we have one child who is 4.
This was exactly my response.
I went on a reduced schedule to about 75% after I had my daughter. It seems to work better if you are higher level like manager and have good teams who understand and respect a reduced schedule, especially staff and seniors you can delegate to when you’re out of the office. Otherwise either you will still be working the hours so you might as well just stay fulltime and get the full pay and benefits, or it’ll catch up to you in terms of reviews and advancement.
I leaned into flexibility. 10 minutes is 10 minutes. Some days are cobbled together. I wouldn’t be able to be ON for 8 hours straight. It’s a blessing to work a few hours here, a few hours there, take a couple hours for a doc appt, etc. Thinking is important and client-chargeable too. It can help you reframe your to dos and how to accomplish your actions more effectively or do two together. I can often find time to think when I’m in the middle of things like walking, breastfeeding, etc.
My kids must help. They need to clean up, help with dishes, help fold laundry, make food, etc. They are neither great nor fast, but it is quality time to do chores together, not after they go to bed.
My spouse is a big help too. Sometimes I lean on him. And then he leans on me.
This is such a wholesome response. I love it ❤️
Not a mom myself, but when I was interviewing with KPMG, my MD told me about how she was on a reduced schedule when she had her children. It was part of the reason I was interested in KPMG to have that flexibility if I ever needed it down the road. I know of several others who went that route also. Seems like not a bad option as long as people respect the reduced schedule, and if you can afford the reduced pay.
I think it really depends on your team. I left one B4 firm because my partner was not flexible in expectations after I had a baby. I joined a different B4 firm with a very flexible team and partners that respect my time and need to be offline at certain times of the day (daycare pick up, bedtime routine, etc.). You also need to set firm boundaries for yourself. I was able to remain on a full schedule and have a lot of flexibility, but this is hard to find.
It’s hard !! Expectations through the roof. I have good reviews but I’m mentally exhausted with the lack of support from my team. I’m definitely waiting to leave B4 and have a life
On most of my teams, as first and second year associates, youre expected to be at the client as long as anyone senior is as well. It’s natural because you’d have questions. I would never choose to put the stress on my life of joining big4 while having a family. You might advance a few years in your career but if you find a good industry job where you can advance and you work hard, I believe you’d be a lot happier and just as well off.
Pro
I'm a senior in assurance, financial services. After having a baby I was going to quit because I knew I couldn't keep going with 55 hrs, which turned into an accidental negotiation for working part time 😅 I love my team so it works out well! What I would look for to ensure this is viable: are there other women in your niche who work(Ed) part time with kids? Talk to them about how they do it. Ensure your spouse is on board with helping around the house, since a full time job plus doing all chores with a child is a LOT. build skills that allow you to be more efficient and get more done in less time. (outsourcing work to overseas team when possible delegating as much as possible, doing as much during interim as possible, and having workpapers and confirmations templates you save for yourself to use on new engagements or recurring engagements). Build up your team below you, and make good relationships to ensure you are there for them when needed and they are there for you when needed. Set boundaries and keep them, which you can do by blocking off times on your calendar or having clear communication. Use onenote for tracking engagements so your staff can save any questions and track what they completed; this makes sure that you can review their work if you're working while they're offline, and leave answers to their questions that they have if working while you're offline. And ultimately, the most important things while working part time or on a fwa is to have clear communication up and down the chain, as well as clear boundaries.
Thank you for all your answers. It seems like all of you started with no kids. My situation would have never worked because I got into accounting after having my first. Your inputs help me understand and see if the B4 is still something I am interested in.
Pro
I know a single mom who switched to accounting later in life with a teenage daughter. I believe she had support from her parents, and also was able to stay late at work due to her daughter being older. Also, my firm is very flexible with work from home, and getting hours in at different times of day if needed. The issue arises when you need more direction or "hand holding" to get work done, because then you may need more in office hours and to plan your schedule to be more aligned with your senior or manager. If you're able to do this for one or two busy seasons with the help of your family, you open the door for more lucrative exit opportunities as well as to have more flexibility and stay in public accounting. However, I'm at a mid size firm and believe this would not work if you join a big 4 team that expects 60+ hours a week year round (as I've heard from fishbowl happens on many teams)
i had a senior who was a mom of two. it honestly seemed really hard to have kids at that level. she would work from home one day a week & leave early sometimes for her kids after school activities but she would be working into the late hours of the day. status meetings with her teams at 9pm on weekdays and sending emails at 4am. it just wasn’t good vibes for some people. i’ve asked her about it casually and she loves it! she thinks that the trade offs are worth it - so it’s really up to the person!
Reduced schedule
Easier at the director level because I dictate my schedule within reason. Can’t really imagine at the lower levels...