Off-Ramps and On-Ramps

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Women’s Nonlinear Careers

Lisa Kennedy’s career path at Ernst & Young exemplifies the ways in which imaginative forms of flexibility help companies retain top talent—and go some distance toward transforming corporate culture. Kennedy was given a flexible work arrangement that allowed her to have a reduced schedule, but ultimately she still felt the need to off-ramp. After two years she on-ramped, and for the next three years worked again on a reduced schedule. Last year she made partner—still working on a part-time schedule.

Kennedy started at Ernst & Young right out of college, and after approximately ten years of acquiring skills, experience, and contacts, she gave birth to her first child and decided she needed to ramp down her work commitments. ...