CommPRO Editorial Staff

To help women caregivers re-enter the workforce on a flexible basis and continue to build their careers while meeting personal obligations, and in celebration of International Women’s Day, APCO Worldwide launched a new pilot program—APCO Encore—Founder and Executive Chairman Margery Kraus announced today.

“This program will enable APCO address the importance of giving women a way to rejoin the workforce and advance their career, and tap into the talent and expertise of a diverse base of candidates who were previously unable to return to work due to personal circumstances and the need for flexibility,” Kraus said. “It will also enable us to incorporate valuable life experience into our workforce. This program builds on our successful partnership with the Marshall Plan for Moms and aligns squarely with our values and focus on meeting the needs of a growing number of women with meaningful opportunities. We believe this is especially important as a majority women-owned business.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has reaffirmed the stark reality that women are disproportionately and negatively impacted by major disruptions. The pandemic led to more job losses among women than among men, with the International Monetary Fund describing the COVID-19 “shecession” as “the employment penalty of taking care of young children.” According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, “mothers were nearly three times as likely as fathers to report that they took on the majority or all of additional unpaid care work related to school or childcare facility closures” and disproportionately experienced “market penalties and stress.”

APCO Encore, which is being managed by APCO Director Leanne High, will ensure that participants—caregivers who have had to take an extended period of time off from the workplace for any personal reason—can enjoy a flexible schedule that meets their current personal needs. It also offers training and re-skilling opportunities, as needed, to support participants’ successful return to the workplace. So far, the pilot program has opened five positions at APCO, including global mobility specialist, resource manager, media relations specialist, content writer and project manager.

For more than 38 years, APCO has been a trusted advisor and partner to private, public and non-profit clients as they try to identify and manage new and emerging issues, challenges and opportunities around the world. Established by Kraus as a single-person operation in 1984, APCO has grown to a global advisory and advocacy communications consultancy helping clients be catalysts for progress through its 900+ staff and International Advisory Council members in more than 30 markets, and having experience working in more than 80 markets globally, providing in-depth advice, perceptive guidance and creative approaches for its clients.