Ernst & Young partner Luce speaks for The Women's Fund

LIVERPOOL - Women in the workplace need to be celebrated rather than simply tolerated, says Carolyn Buck Luce, a senior partner in Ernst & Young's Global Accounts Group. Luce, a Syracuse native and, daughter of retired Family Court Judge Minna Buck, addressed a breakfast meeting of The Women's

Judge Buck introduced her daughter to the gathering. Robert Linn, managing partner of Ernst & Young's Syracuse office, also provided an introduction, for his Manhattan-based partner Luce. Ernst & Young sponsored the breakfast event.

Luce, who is responsible for Ernst & Young's relationships with global pharmaceutical companies, spoke about many women's non-linear career paths and the toll that a timeout from the workplace takes on their career advancement. In addition to family obligations, caring for aging parents draws women away from the work force, says Luce. She and co-author Sylvia Ann Hewlett conducted a study of 2,000 women's career paths, resulting in a report entitled "Off Ramps and On Ramps: Keeping Talented Women on the Road to Success." Ernst & Young, Goldman Sachs, and Lehman Brothers commissioned the survey to see how the companies might retain female executives. The Harvard Business Review published a report on the study earlier this year.

Luce's research showed that more than one-third of the female-professional study subjects took an "off-ramp" from their careers. More than 90 percent planned to return to the work force. The average time off was 2.2 years, she said.

When the women returned to their careers, many suffered a loss of earning power as well as opportunity.

"They don't get back on the same track," said Luce.

Some women chose a "scenic route," opting for fewer hours or a less-demanding assignment in order to balance work and family, she added.

When women do return, it's rarely to the same company. More than 90 percent of women surveyed didn't want to return to their last employer, said Luce.

To remedy the "brain drain" of female talent, Luce suggested employers take note of women's differing values that place more emphasis on workplace quality than status and pay. Ignoring the problem of retaining talented women, said Luce, can place companies at an economic disadvantage. More than half of all college graduates are female and women are approaching parity in the awarding of many professional degrees.

Established through the Community Foundation of Central New York, The Women's Fund supports programs to help women achieve economic self-sufficiency and their full potential as community members.