Taking Time Away from Your Career

Many women, and some men too, take a hiatus from their careers in order to spend more time at home with their children. For many the decision is a difficult one. Of course there's the financial impact to think about, but there are also emotional ramifications. Many people feel a loss of identity when they take time off from their careers.

My colleague Katherine Lewis, Guide to Working Moms at About.com, just published an interview with Sara Lee's CEO Brenda Barnes. Ms. Barnes was president of Pepsico North America when she quit her job to be a stay-at-home mom. After seven years she returned to corporate America. Ms. Barnes offers some great advice to other women facing the same dilemma she did — a great career but the desire to be at home with young children before the opportunity to do so was over. She made the most of her time away from her career which allowed her to pretty much pick up where she left off when she returned to it. Read Sara Lee CEO Brenda Barnes Discusses Career Breaks.

In a second interview with Ms. Barnes, Katherine Lewis discusses Sara Lee's paid internships program for women returning to the workforce. These "returnships" are aimed at stay-at-home moms with five to 10 years of experience in marketing, sales, human resources, law, finance, operations or information technology. If you are considering a return to the workforce, this is certainly worth reading. Even if you don't live near Sara Lee, you might consider proposing this type of program to another company.