Tami Forman, Path Forward

Comments (Archived):

1. Hot damn. Great talk and great speaker. Every single beat is a pull quote.

   1. totally

2. Ok. Blown away. She rocks.

3. Can someone give me the rough economics on path forward. Trying to see so can be leveraged by other businesses who can’t partner with them (whether geography, industry, connections, capacity etc). My assumptions, slightly educated I think, but with no hard core data are: This is for knowledge worker / white collar workers probably in finance / consulting / accounting / tech / marketing in the $50-150k area before leaving industry for a few years Interships pay in the $20-30 hour range? likely much lower than their future salary to induce companies to participate and get the worker back up to speed / industry lay of the land etc. They are intended to be hired back into well paying $75-150k type jobs? any metrics / tips on who is targeted / how the overall process flows go would be great to understanding how to expand and apply to other regions and or other perhaps marginalied / overlooked groups! Thanks for the more specific as possible!

   1. I’m going to get Tami on this thread

   2. Matt — You’ve basically got it. The internship is closer to $20/hour and the jobs they are hired back to are generally closer to $75k than $150k. Not to say it can’t be done at the higher end, but this program is generally aimed at midcareer — people with 5-10 years of work experience before taking a break. Some are also looking to change careers and thus expect a short-term decreased from their prior salary in order to move forward in a different direction (something that is true of most career changes, even without a resume gap).Our partners pay us a admin fee to provide materials and training to their staff and training and support for the participants. A company doing this without us would need to factor that in to economics of it.It might make sense for us to talk if you want more detail, which I’m happy to share. You can reach me at [email protected].

      1. Awesome! thanks for the transparency. I appreciate it and really think its a great idea. I am not probably at a position right now to implement a ton (pre-revenue start-up) but will both keep the email and connect other entrepreneurs / leaders in my area when discussions around these topics come up! Best of luck and definitely think you will have a big impact with this.

         1. Hi Tami,I am a living proof of this. I had 12 years of experience before leaving a Fortune 500 company to start my own business and spend more time with my family. I decided to go back to work 2 years later but wanted flexibility. So I heard that my old employer started a flexibility Talent network where people can work only during the busy season (It was their chance to evaluate my skills and my chance to see if I was a right fit = Internship). My first year doing it was great, so I did it a second year, at the end of my second year they offered me a fulltime job. I had several hesitations because of the salary. So I decided to do a 3rd year as a Flexibility Talent because the pay was much higher (Higher than $20/hour). I would love to participate in this project to make this work for all corporations but in a way that makes it profitable for all parties employee and employer.Obstacles:Age gaps between Directors/Managers and employees (Professional experience/Knowledge)Non-work related Commitments (Extended working days during busy season)PayMentoringThere were several other obstacles I occurred, if you would like to discuss I’d love to.PS. I am in IT Risk Assurance and can be reached at [email protected]

      2. Hi Tami,I am a living proof of this. I had 12 years of experience before leaving a Fortune 500 company to start my own business and spend more time with my family. I decided to go back to work 2 years later but wanted flexibility. So I heard that my old employer started a flexibility Talent network where people can work only during the busy season (It was their chance to evaluate my skills and my chance to see if I was a right fit = Internship). My first year doing it was great, so I did it a second year, at the end of my second year they offered me a fulltime job. I had several hesitations because of the salary. So I decided to do a 3rd year as a Flexibility Talent because the pay was much higher (Higher than $20/hour). I would love to participate in this project to make this work for all corporations but in a way that makes it profitable for all parties employee and employer.Obstacles:Age gaps between Directors/Managers and employees (Professional experience/Knowledge)Non-work related Commitments (Extended working days during busy season)PayMentoringThere were several other obstacles I occurred, if you would like to discuss I’d love to.PS. I am in IT Risk Assurance and can be reached at [email protected]

         1. Kimberly — That’s really interesting. Our program is definitely meant to be short term — the hourly rate is predicated on the idea that there is a “give to get” exchange of time and talent for development and updating skills. I’m considering how we can even shorten the length of the program to get the employees to the right comp level more quickly but the feedback I’ve gotten — from participants! — is that if anything it needs to be longer.The other obstacles you cite are all on my mind. These are issues we plan to address through training for both partners and participants.

4. Thanks, everyone, for the wonderful comments. I had fun with this and it’s a topic about which I’m passionate. It’s exciting to see the positive reactions the message is getting.