assignment

“ M E L I S S A , H I ! ” Su Yee Goh was surprised to see her deputy’s name pop up on her phone, but she answered immediately. She’d been meaning to check in with Melissa for a few days.

Both worked in business development for the Singapore office of international energy- foods firm Shapiro Global (SG), Su Yee as director and Melissa as her number two. Their team had been working tirelessly since the Covid-19 outbreak to ensure that SG’s expansion plans in Southeast Asia were not derailed. Melissa had been leading the charge, but in recent video calls the normally

focused American had seemed distracted. Su Yee knew her work- from-home situation during the pandemic was not ideal. While many offices in Singapore had remained open, SG was one of several multinationals that had sent its entire staff home. Melissa and her husband, who also had a busy job, lived in a two-bedroom condo with their six-year-old son, whose school had gone remote three months before.

“I’m glad you called! I was just about to book some time on your calendar,” Su Yee said. “Maybe we could both pop out for some fresh air and do a walk and talk?”

HBR’s fictionalized case studies present problems faced by leaders in real companies and offer solutions from experts. This one is based on the HBS Case Study “Shapiro Global” (case no. 407003-PDF-ENG), by Thomas J. DeLong, Michael Brookshire, Monica Haugen, Michelle Kravetz, and Sarah Sommer, which is available at HBR.org.

CASE STUDY When Your Star Player Asks to Go Part-Time by Thomas J. DeLong

Illustrations by BIANCA BAGNARELLI128 Harvard Business ReviewJanuary–February 2021

Su Yee was happiest when on the move—not just exercising but also working hard to advance her career. In 1997, she’d been among the first seven employees in SG’s Singapore office. As an assistant to the office manager, she had run errands, answered the telephone, and kept the office operating smoothly. When it expanded, she was promoted to business analyst, and over the next 14 years she had grown with the company, acquir- ing skills and experience and winning promotions. Now she oversaw business development for all of Southeast Asia, with 28 employees reporting to her. The

only female SG executive in the region and the only vice president who’d worked her way up from the ground floor, she made a point of mentoring the young employ- ees, and particularly the women, on her team.

“Sure, that would be great,” Melissa replied.

“Anything special you wanted to talk about?” Su Yee asked.

There was a pause. “I have some news. Scott and I are expect- ing,” Melissa finally said.

Su Yee didn’t process this right away. “Expecting?”

“I’m pregnant,” Melissa said. “About six months along.”

Only just walking out the door, Su Yee stopped in her tracks. The weather was balmy, but she felt as if she’d walked into an ice- cold wind. Quickly, though, she snapped back into manager mode.

“Congratulations,” she said. “That’s terrific news! I guess we’ll need to talk about maternity leave. In Singapore, it’s 12 weeks of paid leave, much better than in the U.S. !”1

“Well, that’s the thing,” Melissa said. “I may be asking for a bit more than that.” Su Yee’s jaw clenched. Melissa was a rising star at SG, one Su Yee had planned to lean on—and continue to groom— in the coming months and years. Even a three-month absence would be a struggle.

“What were you thinking?” Su Yee said, still trying to hide her surprise.

“Honestly, I’m not sure I want to come back full-time.”

A RISING STAR Su Yee struggled to process her emotions. First came shock. Since Melissa had arrived in Singapore as a three-year transfer

from the San Francisco office a year earlier,2 she had always come across as a go-getter with leadership capabilities, if not C-suite-level ambitions. More important, she was an extremely hard worker—easily keeping pace with long workdays and always willing to put in weekend hours if required. A quantitatively minded analyst, she pushed data-driven decisions that had reenergized the group’s outreach and boosted revenues. While Su Yee had initially been frustrated because Melissa’s rotation into her office was forced through without her consultation or buy-in, she eventually came to see in Melissa many of the qualities that had fueled her own rise. She quickly promoted her to deputy, gave her three direct reports, and nominated her for key committees to give her exposure to senior SG leaders. The pair had developed a very close working relationship.3

Su Yee thought back to one of their late nights in the office before the Covid-19 outbreak. Melissa had confessed that, even though she knew the move to Singapore would accelerate her rise at SG, doing so with a small child had been a difficult decision. She’d said yes only when Scott, her husband, also managed to get a three-year transfer, and they’d found a terrific nanny and school for their son. Doing the math in her head, Su Yee realized that Melissa was probably pregnant

Case Study Classroom Notes

1. On average, OECD countries pay 16 weeks of parental leave at a rate of 55% to 100% of wages. The U.S. is the only OECD country that lacks government- mandated paid parental leave.

2. Job rotations have long been a popular way to build the skills and experience of promising employees. Should the fact that Melissa’s time in Singapore is relatively short influence Su Yee’s thinking?

3. Resilience, defined as the capacity to adapt to stressful circumstances, has been a hallmark of Su Yee’s success. But has it led to her having unrealistic expectations of her workers?

Experience

Harvard Business Review January–February 2021  129

when they’d talked then but hadn’t mentioned it! She couldn’t help feeling a little betrayed.

But then Su Yee felt a wave of empathy. She knew how difficult the past few months had been for Melissa as she’d tried to juggle her work and family obligations during office and school closures.4 To be pregnant in a pandemic, far from friends and family, would only have added to her stress. And Su Yee had the power to help. She had the final say in what allowances were made for Melissa beyond SG’s official maternity leave. Recent efforts by headquar- ters to set global HR standards had fallen apart when regional managers (Su Yee included) had complained that they needed to be able to handle requests on a case-by-case basis.5

Su Yee listened quietly as Melissa laid out her proposal: After her 12-week leave, she wanted to work a three-day week

at 60% of her full-time pay. Su Yee cringed inwardly. She was surprised that Melissa was asking for a part-time schedule. When she suggested an extension to her leave instead, Melissa replied that both she and Scott worried about continuing to manage virtual school for their son and bringing their live-out nanny back into the house given the uncertainties surrounding Covid-19.

Su Yee knew better than to push back any further. She congratulated Melissa again and promised to give her an answer on her proposal without delay. She then walked back to her desk and sent an email to the HR staff to fill them in on the situation—really just a formality, since she knew the decision rested with her.

OTHER OPTIONS? That night, after a string of meetings with corporate lasting

late into the Singapore evening, Su Yee finally had time to think about Melissa’s request. The most obvious solution was to accept Melissa’s proposal and restructure her job as a three-day position. Su Yee’s own managerial duties would not be affected much, and Melissa would be able to accom- plish a lot in the compressed workweek—conducting business via videoconference, which was now the norm anyway, even if she wouldn’t travel. But Su Yee worried the arrangement would have an adverse effect on her other subordinates: The cutback in hours would most likely mean additional work for them.

And it might set a precedent that she—and SG as an organi- zation—would regret. Melissa would be leaving in two years, once her transfer period was com- plete. That meant her manager in her next assignment would have to continue the accommodation

4. In a recent poll by Ginger, an on-demand mental health company, nearly seven in 10 U.S. workers reported that navigating the Covid-19 pandemic has been the most stressful experience of their careers.

5. Should HR departments of global companies standardize benefits or leave decisions to regional and local managers?

130 Harvard Business ReviewJanuary–February 2021

or deny it, which could cause problems in the new role. And Su Yee wouldn’t ever see the payback on being a flexible boss.

Another alternative was to create a new, part-time special- projects position for Melissa after her leave and hire a replacement for her current role. But that would be a tough sell in an eco- nomic downturn.

The simplest approach would be to persuade Melissa that a part-time arrangement was neither advisable nor feasible. Su Yee had invested a great deal of time, energy, and social capital in developing and promoting her, and Melissa had an amazing future at SG ahead of her. The research was clear that switching to part-time work hurts employ- ees—often women; they end up toiling away for more hours than they should for much lower pay and less credit. Meanwhile, many male professionals simply take the

time they need without formally reducing their hours and pay.6

Would Melissa leave SG if she didn’t get her way? Pre-pandemic, she had seemed totally enamored with her career at SG. Her salary would easily cover the cost of a larger apartment and a live-in nanny. Perhaps an offer to shorten her workday to eight hours would suffice, giving her time to exper- iment with work-family balance and renewing her enthusiasm for her job.

Glancing at the clock, Su Yee closed her laptop and decided to sleep on it.

ROLE MODELS “Auntie, what is the matter with you today? You seem so distracted.”

Su Yee put down her kaya toast and looked at her niece, Jing Yi, sitting across from her. Breakfast on Saturday mornings at the

Raffles Hotel was their tradition and Su Yee’s favorite part of the week. Jing Yi, a bright 22-year-old, loved hearing her aunt’s office gossip and usually found a way to make Su Yee laugh—but not today.

Su Yee leaned forward and laid out the situation with Melissa for Jing Yi. She explained to her niece that she had misjudged her protégé’s ambitions. No doubt Melissa could continue to contrib- ute to SG as a part-time worker, but she wanted to get off the fast track. She would essentially be sidelining herself, moving from superstar to solid employee.7 Su Yee couldn’t shake the feeling that this was a mistake. She wanted to tell Melissa to snap out of it. Why, after years of being a successful working mom, did she now want to derail her career and squander her talent? Yes, the pan- demic had made life much more difficult, but eventually life would return to normal. Su Yee knew,

6. A study by Erin Reid of Boston University found that even though few male employees ask for reduced hours, many are able to limit their workweeks to attend to personal issues without calling attention to their absences.

7. Many firms invest significant resources in attracting and retaining star performers. Do they underestimate the importance of supporting players?

Harvard Business Review January–February 2021  131

however, that giving that kind of advice from a position of power was ethically—not to mention legally—questionable.

“I don’t know,” Jing Yi said. “My mom took a different path than you so that she could be at home with me. She’s not well-off or powerful, but I appreciate what she did and know she feels she made the right decision. She’s just as happy as we are.”

Su Yee was surprised. Her niece had gotten top marks at university, worked at a prestigious consulting firm, and would begin her MBA the following year. Su Yee had always felt slightly sorry for her sister, who had led such a conven- tional life, and thought Jing Yi felt similarly. “At the same time,” her niece continued, “I had the best of both worlds because I had you as a different sort of role model.”

Su Yee nodded, slightly reassured. “I suspect that Melissa doesn’t yet know what will make her happy, but I need to think of how this affects my team.”

Jing Yi took a sip from her cup of hot kopi and tilted her head. “Auntie, you’ve always supported women at work—but for promo- tions, not for the right to step to the side,” she said. “This must be a difficult decision for you.”

“Yes,” Su Yee reflected, “it certainly is.”

Should Su Yee grant Melissa’s request to go part-time? THE EXPERTS RESPOND

ELIZABETH MCKINNON is a co-CEO of Environmental Justice Australia.

132 Harvard Business ReviewJanuary–February 2021

Experience