'The channel can help professional women who want a family' - Computacenter's chief people officer

One of CRN's Women in Channel judges, Computacenter's Sarah Long, explains why flexible working makes business sense

Computacenter's chief people officer is calling for the channel to make flexible working arrangements more available.

Sarah Long says that with tech talent shortages continuing to cause consternation for channel firms, the shift is timelier than ever.

"We can help talent stay in the industry and encourage their return," she said.

"We can also be more attractive as employers by recognising that people have both personal and professional goals.

"In the channel, we need to understand that work is just one part of people's lives, and that getting the right balance between work and family responsibilities is important.

"After all, there are many reasons our best talent may need to have a career break."

Long (pictured) is candid that she has first-hand experience of this.

Her own career break from Computacenter, in 2008, was precipitated by the challenges of starting a family. This came after 12 years at the business, during which she had held senior positions with high P&L and staffing responsibilities, including running UK sales, and leading strategic programming.

"It was a personal decision to leave, to start a family. It took us 10 years and lots of intervention, and it was a really difficult time.

"I worked through most of that and there was a huge amount of pressure. And for professional women who do want a family, there can come a point where you do have to make a choice.

"The point I want to make here is that, even if you step out and take a break, it doesn't mean your career is over."

In the intervening 10 years, Long has consulted for several tech firms across Europe, advising on strategic growth and organisational change.

She returned to Computacenter this March to run the IT service and reseller giant's group people strategy and in-country HR functions.

"I'm delighted to have Sarah back in the fold," Computacenter CEO Mike Norris said.

"Her business experience, industry insight and deep understanding of customer needs means that she brings a new dimension to our HR function.

"Sarah's focus is to ensure Computacenter embraces a diverse and inclusive workforce and that we attract the right talent into our business and enable our people to develop and grow their careers in line with their personal and career goals."

Back as a member of Computacenter's group executive team, Long's initial observation is that there has been "a massive shift in flexible working opportunities and a focus on diversity and inclusion across the business".

"I really welcome this," she said.

"Through my experience as a business leader, I am acutely aware of the positive impact that being able to plan a career break and supporting employees to be able to take time out to focus on family can have.

"Some of our most talented people have at some time or another needed to step away from work to be able to have children, care for an elderly relative or deal with a change in personal circumstances, which require complete focus."

As one of CRN's Women in Channel judges, Long was quick to say that her involvement in promoting more diversity within the channel is not just "a box-ticking exercise", but "the right thing to do".

"I am delighted to be associated with the CRN Women in Channel Awards, to be able to recognise the achievements of the outstanding employees and innovative leaders who act as role models for young females considering or starting their career in this fantastic, dynamic industry," she said.

The deadline to nominate yourself or a colleague for the CRN Women in Channel Awards is this Friday 17 May.

One of the categories is the Outstanding Returner Award.

For more profiles of the judges, as well as articles exploring the issue of more equal representation, and potential solutions to enable it, be sure to visit the CRN Women in Channel hub here.