Putting the Life in Work-Life Balance

Carrie Quinn, meanwhile, was on the partner track at PricewaterhouseCoopers, where in 2003 she was a senior manager. That track faced derailment after she had her first son, but Quinn was determined to make it work. With PwC's help, she worked a flexible schedule and fluctuated between reduced and full schedules.

Then, in 2005, Quinn went on her second maternity leave. But her dedication to the firm continued, and thanks to her successful juggling, she was named partner in July 2007. She says communication with the firm's leadership has been integral to the plan's success. "I think I was pretty candid with the partners who I worked with at the time," she says. However, a lack of predecessors who chose that route made the decision a little tougher. "I think there's always some element of concern, because you don't have anyone to look to," she says.

That's changed, though, Quinn says, since about a half-dozen members of the 2007 partner class have flexible work arrangements. Quinn says her arrangement is evolving, and as her older son starts kindergarten soon, she'll need to adjust her schedule accordingly. Thankfully, she says, PwC has been able to work with her and her family. Her clients also, she says, have been flexible. What's key, she explains, is setting boundaries and knowing how to prioritize. "You have to set your own boundaries, and don't be afraid to say no to something," she says. The reward, though, is worth it. "[It's] not always easy to do, but you figure it out. You make it work."

Motherhood nearly forced Kelly Marchese, now a principal with Deloitte Consulting, to leave the firm. She pursued a range of flexible work arrangements following the birth of her daughter, Gabby, now 3, but was struggling with finding the right solution. "I wasn't sure if having a family and consulting would work," she says. She had an offer from another firm, but at the same time was asked to participate in Deloitte's Forward Track year-long program, which brings together women leaders inside of and external to the firm in various locations. Marchese went to the first session, but she says she was fairly certain she was going to be leaving the firm. "It was a very hard decision. I felt like I could give no more."

But Forward Track put Marchese on a completely different track—one that helped her feel like she wasn't alone in her motherhood and consulting challenges. She also realized the job offer, which would take her away from client service, wouldn't be the right fit. The answer? "I just had to keep trying, [and asking] for things that I was a bit uncomfortable asking for," she says, particularly in regards to her travel schedule. Now, she says, "when there are things that I need, I just do it."

But she credits the Forward Track program with helping her decide to stay. "There was something about having someone from outside the firm to talk to."

Now Marchese reaches out to parents-to-be about the challenges ahead of them. "I've become evangelical. It's sort of the pay-it-forward thing." The advice she gives them? "Ask for what you need. Be the success story."

Able to Help in a Crisis

But new mothers aren't the only consultants facing work-life balance issues. Steven Warnke, a manager with Deloitte's strategy and operations group, is from the Gulf Coast. So when Hurricane Katrina hit, he knew he wanted to help. "All of my memorable childhood was [there]," he says. Neighbors needed assistance, and Warnke wanted to commit himself to helping rebuild the area. Thankfully, the firm's Personal Leave program would allow him to do more than just fly down on weekends. "It was a program that I always knew was there, but I'll be honest, one I did not think was applicable to me," he says.

Finally, in the fall of 2007, Warnke was able to make that goal a reality. "I was in the midst of a big project, and it took a little while to percolate in my head," he says, adding the firm management he spoke with prior to the leave were all very supportive and helped ensure a seamless transition to Biloxi, Miss. "The process I thought was very straightforward," he says.

Warnke took a six-month leave from Deloitte and applied his consulting skills at Habitat for Humanity. "It [was] a little bit of strategic thinking, it [was] a little bit of organizational management. It really [was] collaborating with a new client."

Warnke is thankful Deloitte's program allowed him to take the extended unpaid leave. "My call to come help was pretty intense. And I probably would not have been able to give in as significant a way. My fear is that it would have been reduced to weekends and weeks of vacation."

When the Whole Package Brings You Back

Sometimes it isn't just one program at a firm that helps a consultant with work-life balance issues—sometimes it's the whole firm culture. Such was the case with Carey Denney, a principal with North Highland in Atlanta. Denney didn't realize how important the flexible work culture at the firm was so important to her—until she left.

In late 2006, Denney received an offer she says she couldn't refuse when a recruiter contacted her about a position. She had been with North Highland for a year and she says she was happy at the company. She was surprised to hear from the recruiter, but was tempted by the offer. "I wasn't looking for anything at the time. [But] I felt like I wanted to go give it a shot," she says.

"It was a hard decision [but] I decided to go give it a go," she says. She spent half a year at the new company, where she served as a liaison to consultancies instead of doing direct consulting. "Certainly there were a lot of things about that that were positive for me," she says. However, there was one area she couldn't get used to. "Culturally, the company I went to was certainly very different." It was "not respectful… and certainly not as open. The company was not really where I thought it was or how it presented itself to me," she says.

But Denney hadn't burned any bridges back at North Highland, and when she realized she couldn't stay with the new company, she contacted the firm. North Highland was so happy to hear from her that firm management responded to her e-mail with a call on a Sunday night. "It was a tremendous feeling for me," she says.

The firm also has allowed her to spend more time with her son, such as a recent special lunch at her child's school. "You have the flexibility to do those kinds of things," she says, whereas at her other firm, she did not. "[At North Highland,] we're treated as professionals."

Denney says she's thrilled to be back at North Highland. "When I look at work-life balance at the other company, it was really night and day. This is the kind of place and the kind of people who I want to continue to work with and grow with professionally."

Sidebar: On Call with Coach Karen

When a consultant at RSM McGladrey needs to talk, they reach out to Coach Karen. Karen Lanson, a consultant to the consultants, if you will, offers sessions each month to employees of all ranks who are feeling overwhelmed by work-life balance issues or interoffice concerns. Teresa Hopke, director of talent management at the firm, brought Lanson, who had been her own coach external of the firm, to RSM McGladrey in January of 2007. "Coach Karen was my coach for a number of years and still is to this day," Hopke says.

Striking a work-life balance was something Hopke knew employees at her firm were struggling with. "This is really the kind of issue that kept me up at night," Hopke says. The challenge wasn't the availability of programs, which include sabbaticals of up to five years and flexible work arrangements, but employees' ability to utilize them. "Good coaching is really a mechanism to give people permission to start somewhere," Lanson says. Lanson, who is a career coach and licensed psychologist by trade, offers her services three days a month, and spaces book quickly. Employees can make the call to Coach Karen right from their desk, and confidentiality is an essential piece. "They're basically calling with a whole host of issues," Lanson says. "It really has spanned the gamut."

Leaders at the accounting consultancy not only reach out to their subordinates who might need the one-on-one phone sessions, but also often call Lanson themselves. The difference is that when a leader is able to work through his or her issues, everyone benefits. "Things have changed with people's behaviors and that's having a little bit of a trickle-down effect," Hopke says.

The coaching program is so successful that it recently earned The Conference Board's Moving Into the Future Award. Hopke was excited about the distinction, but says her real joy is from employees who are happier at work—and at home.

Ultimately, she says, the company can provide the resource, but it is up to employees to make changes. "It really goes to them looking at their life and looking within themselves," she says. "They want to know how to make it work."

One employee who can attest to the program's success is Emeta Kraemer, a manager at the firm. She reached out to Lanson during a stressful time in her personal life. "It's been such a positive experience," Kraemer says.

Her coaching, she says, is ongoing, as now she is looking for some professional development as well. "I appreciate McGladrey so much more because it says they do care about me as an employee," she says. And Lanson's contribution has been invaluable. "If you play ball, you always remember your coach," she says. —Jacqueline Durett