The Finch and Pea

I got a notice in my inbox the other day that the NIH was implementing a pilot program for us intramural fellows called “Keep the Thread”. The program will be tested first for labs on the NIH campus and depending on the outcomes, it may be recommended to all institutions who employ post-doctoral fellows.  In a nutshell, it is a program to offer flexibility to post-doctoral fellows if they need to take time away from the lab for a variety of reasons (new child, care for a family member, personal emergency etc.). It is not to replace the normal 8 weeks of leave for a new child. It will offer a variety of options like telework, flexible scheduling or temporary effort reduction. Both women and men will be eligible for the program. While trying to create a solution for a well-known problem, this program raises a lot of questions. Continue reading “Keep the Thread”