Stanford (Calif.) University School of Medicine is trying to increase the representation of women on its faculty by reinforcing an organizational culture that accepts the use of work-life benefits, according to a Harvard Business Review blog post.
Stanford requires an "all-in" commitment from faculty, which can result in excessive hours that hurt work-life balance and has affected the medical school's ability to recruit and retain women. Stanford offers flexibility options, such as unpaid leave for up to a year after the birth/adoption of a child and temporary reductions from full- to part-time status for family-related purposes, but faculty members have often been reluctant to use these options.
Stanford probed the issue and identified a couple reasons why faculty members were inhibited to use existing flexibility policies. First, faculty were concerned they would appear less committed to their careers if they opted-in to the flexibility policies. They also feared placing extra burdens on their colleagues, who already had ample workloads.
The medical school implemented a pilot program involving 50 faculty members across ix divisions. The goal was to integrate those flexibility policies as core elements of the medical school's faculty advancement.
The pilot included the creation of Academic Biomedical Career Customization, which is a comprehensive program designed to increase the cultural acceptance of work-life policies. Based on a similar program used by Deloitte, a cornerstone of the program is planned conversations between faculty members and their division chiefs to discuss short- and long-term strategies to achieve career objectives — the ultimate goal being to better mesh work and life goals.
Stanford also developed a banking system that lets faculty members earn rewards for time spent on certain activities that benefit their departments or divisions, but that often go unnoticed. The system converts hours spent mentoring students and participating on committees, for example, into support mechanisms such as grant writing assistance, meal deliveries and housecleaning, according to the post.
Stanford's efforts show some academic medical centers or hospitals may need to take a more customized approach to increase the acceptance of work-life benefits in their organizations, particularly if the culture is competitive and demanding. As the blog post said, attracting and retaining more female leaders isn't "rocket science," but about creating the right culture and combating arguments that flexibility options don't work in certain settings.
More Articles on Women in Healthcare:
120 Women Hospital and Health System Leaders to Know
Women's Leadership in Healthcare in 2012: 9 Hospital Leaders Offer Insight
Shattering Glass Ceilings: Women in the Hospital C-Suite