In addition to our roles as civil engineers, we also have family commitments and responsibilities. Many civil engineers will find themselves balancing becoming a parent or welcoming a new family member at some point during their civil engineering career.
Kimberly Martin, PhD, PE, is a Senior Engineer in Innovation and Sustainability at Keller, where she leads Keller’s initiatives toward environmental and societal sustainability in North America. She was recently a guest on The Civil Engineering Academy Podcast, where she shared details of her journey in geotechnical engineering.
In this episode, Kimberly briefly mentioned some of the challenges she faced navigating parental leave policies and her role serving on a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee.
Several of our students and audience at Civil Engineering Academy have similar challenges and questions about parental leave and how to access this important benefit during their careers.
We recently had the opportunity to catch back up with Kimberly and dive into this topic further, and she graciously offered advice to other civil engineers about successfully navigating parental leave, based on her own experiences.
Matt:
What were the biggest professional challenges you faced when navigating the parental leave process?
Kimberly:
First of all, many managers in the engineering industry have not navigated a parental leave policy, particularly maternity leave. This can make it feel like a heavy lift to even discuss parental leave with a manager or supervisor.
Additionally, although many people would like to better understand the policy before they are pregnant or know that they are expecting a child, it may not work out that way. So, asking for the policy information may also mean inadvertently revealing that you are expecting before you are ready.
My advice on this is to try to join an Employee Resource Group where you may be able to find people at your company who have gone through this experience, and they can help you navigate how it works — without being someone that you report to.
Also, you may want to ask about the parental leave policy during the interview process. How the company reacts when you ask may be a good indicator of how they will support you (or not) if you decide to use parental leave later in your career.
Matt:
How did you find your company's, agency's, or organization's parental leave policies?
Kimberly:
For my current company, I asked during the interview process. For my previous employer, they shared that information upfront.
Also, while I worked there, the women's resource group set up a system so women just starting down the parental leave path could be paired with women who had already navigated it – making for a much easier transition.
Matt:
How did you become comfortable facilitating a conversation with your supervisor or your organization’s leadership about parental leave or making an official leave request?
Kimberly:
My supervisor was a woman at my previous employer. In that case, she was familiar with the process and very helpful. It still felt like a big deal when it was time to tell her I was pregnant.
Of course, she was happy for me, but I knew she would have to shuffle people around to cover for me while I was out. That was why I was nervous to tell her, but I shouldn't have felt that way.
My coworkers were happy to chip in, just like I was for them when they went out on leave.
Matt:
What steps did you take, and what planning did you do to ensure that your projects remained on schedule and your project team remained motivated and successful while you were absent on parental leave?
Kimberly:
Just like when you leave a job, making sure all my ducks were in a row on my projects, then having a good overlap with my colleagues that were filling in.
I was out for more than six months for each child, so for most of my projects, I was handing them off for good. For the teams I was overseeing, which were mostly external, again, I ensured my replacement was aligned with the project expectations and that everyone knew each other and had a handle on things before I went out on leave.
Matt:
What steps did you take to reconnect with your project teams and get back up to speed on your projects?
Kimberly:
When I returned, I mostly went on new projects, making it easier to get back in the game. I did return part-time until my children were finished nursing, so having to set boundaries on how much time I could give a project and when meetings could occur was something I had to be careful with and a little flexible with on my end.
For example, if the project meetings were always on Tuesday, then I didn’t choose Tuesday as my day off.
Matt:
In your opinion, are there any characteristics of parental leave that are unique to civil engineering versus other careers?
Kimberly:
In geotechnical engineering and construction, where I have mostly worked, few people had gone through parental leave. One reason was that few women were in the 10+ year career range at that time.
Another was that many of my mentors and supervisors were older men, and there wasn’t a parental leave policy when they had children. In general, more women than ever are having long careers in civil engineering. Many of these women have fought for better parental leave policies for future generations. I hope things are better now, but having fewer women overall can make leave more difficult than in other industries.
Matt:
What advice or insights would you share with someone who is currently navigating the process of requesting or preparing for parental leave?
Kimberly:
Get to know the policies ahead of time so you are prepared. Some companies still suggest you use vacation time to make your parental leave longer (which I don’t think is the right way to go because working parents need vacations, too!).
But if that is the case, you need to know to save your vacation time. Also, if you are going to need daycare so you can return to work, get on the daycare waiting list right away (and see if your company has a daycare subsidy). Find out how much paid time off your company has and if you can come back part-time so you can plan financially for the amount of time you want to take off.
Also, you may need some extra time at work to ensure your colleagues are prepared to take over from you when you leave (as they would do for you when they go on leave).
And then, when you go on leave, hopefully, you can turn off your computer and work email and enjoy that special time with your child(ren) with no distractions.
Matt:
How has becoming a parent yourself influenced your career as a civil engineer or influenced your view on the future of civil engineering?
Kimberly:
I made a major career change to go into low-carbon solutions and sustainable development after I had children. That isn’t just because of my children, but having them did help me realize I want my career to have a positive impact on humanity and the planet. And luckily, that is possible with a career in civil engineering.
Matt:
Do you have any additional insights you would like to share on the topic of parental leave that you think would be beneficial to our readers?
Kimberly:
At many companies, parental leave policies can and should be better. If you want something better for yourself or your colleagues, please find a way to advocate for it.
Sometimes, HR doesn’t get support to make changes because senior leaders don’t realize that their employees want something better. And at the end of the day, I find that everyone is proud of their company when they have a good parental leave policy. It helps recruit and retain the best talent, and it is the right thing to do.
Conclusion
Kimberly emphasizes the importance of making friends in the engineering industry and keeping those relationships going as you progress through your career.
We are grateful to Kimberly for providing this great advice and these insights for you during the exciting times of your civil engineering career when you are becoming a parent or welcoming a new member to your family!
Or maybe this gives you inspiration to help employees you supervise navigate these chapters in their own lives.
Author: Matt Fanghella, PE, CFM