Family and Career at Bayer - Comprehension and a tailor-made solution

In fact, Bayer offered her a job as a laboratory manager in the medicinal chemistry of its pharmaceuticals research institute. She was placed in charge of two laboratory technicians and entrusted with the task of searching new active substances for cardiovascular drugs. “A laboratory manager is responsible for the design and synthesis of new drug structures. Promising substances are tested concerning the efficacy for the treatment of specific diseases,” she explains. She proved an able employee and it was not long before she was promoted to the position of project manager.

Despite her advancement, Elisabeth Woltering and her husband did not change their mind about wanting to start a family. Eventually, daughter Elena was born last year. Again, Bayer proved an open and amenable employer, recalls Elisabeth Woltering. “Before after my daughter was born I talked to my boss about returning to work. I knew I wanted to get back into a lab soon. A positive feedback by the head of the institute facilitated our planning and helped me arrange childcare for Elena.”

As planned, she returned to work nine months after her daughter was born. Throughout her maternity leave she had kept in contact with her colleagues and knew what was going on at work. “I was able to follow the latest developments by checking e-mails from home, so I always knew what was happening. Remaining in the loop was very important to me and it helped me fit back in quickly when I returned to work,” she reports.

She signed an agreement with Bayer to work 20 hours a week for the remaining 15 months of her parental leave. “I did not want to work the full 30 hours permitted by law,” she explains. “Bayer accepted that without question”. It didn’t stipulate how I should organize my working hours either, so I have a great deal of freedom on that score. And if I want to work more hours in the future, that will be possible: after all, I have the option of a fulltime job after teh end of my parental leave period.”

Her work as a laboratory manager gives here a blend of flexibility and continuity in this phase of her life. “My old office and my lab were kept for me and I even work with the same team. That really helped me settle back in,” she reports. Moreover, Bayer has provided her with a laptop, which gives here even greater flexibility. That meant she was able to stay at home when her daughter was ill and could deal with urgent matters from home in the afternoons. “That’s pure luxury” she enthuses. “Especially as there is no obligation on me to work in my free time.”

“Evidently, working part-time means I cannot be responsible for an entire project. But I still have a challenging job that stretches me and I really appreciate that. I’m fully integrated into all workflows and decisions in the department and I’m accepted as a fully-fledged member of the team even though I’m not there all the time. ” Does she have any specific plans for her career or for her role as a mother? “Nothing concrete at present,” she says. “There are plenty of options open to me.”

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