SmartBrief is partnering with Big Think to create a weekly video spotlight in SmartBrief on Leadership called “VIP Corner: Video Insights Powered by Big Think.” This week, we’re featuring Nancy Calderon, chief administrative officer at KPMG America.
Many women in the workplace face added stress, some self-imposed, as they try to have a family and a career without shortchanging either, says Nancy Calderon of KPMG America. These issues can be tackled by better management and the promise of new technology.
“We are constantly struggling with that and trying to come up with solutions, particularly as we’ve become more global and more travel and we have people flying around the world,” she says of KPMG. Shutting the door on working mothers is neither fair nor a viable answer. The key is to develop plans that accommodate the employee’s family and workload while forging a path toward career advancement, even if it’s at a different pace than that of others.
Technology may make some of these work-life balances easier to deal with, Calderon says. “[T]he ability to work at home and the ability to work anywhere, so if their client happens to be 10 minutes from their home, instead of having to circle through and pick up work papers or whatever they’ve needed in the past, we’re really evolving into a paperless environment that with collaboration spaces that will make these tools a lot easier for moms.”
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