Working Mother

The term 'Working Mother' brings forward a vision of Mum juggling her career, her social life and her family life. The conventional approach has always been "A woman's place is in the home, raising the children, preparing the meals and looking after the house". When women felt the need to go back to work and have a career as well as a home life, it meant the beginning of a great balancing act! And it was tough, very tough - but it was done with great success!

Do I have the necessary skills?

The question in many of these women's minds is 'Do I have the necessary skills to do a job effectively?" Running a household requires many excellent skills and talents that are transferable into a job outside of the home. True, there are some great training programmes to fine-tune what you already have, but don't underestimate those skills.

The Skills You Already Have

Problem Solving - Many of the tasks you have faced on a daily basis can be quite complex. People who can identify problems, research solutions and make effective decisions are increasingly sought after. This is usually done on a daily basis in the home - right now you are solving your children's daily problems, finding solutions after researching all the possible options and then assisting them to make a good, informed decision! The other skill being utilised here is empowerment - a skill that is very much in demand!

Human Relations Skills - One of the biggest challenges that employers face is ensuring that their staff interacts well with each other - in fact, the success of the company depends on how well people work together. Think of the other mothers you deal with, juggling car-pooling, conflicts between your children, and identifying ways of working well together - this is human relations.

On the job training - This is an easy one for those mothers going back to work! You practice this every day with your children, teaching them new things and showing them by example.

Science, Math and money management skills - Just balancing the cheque book and careful planning of your weekly household budget already shows the skill, but there are many mothers who sit with their children as they do their home work, learning with them the complicated areas of Mathematics, not to mention the help with those impossible science projects!

There are many more of these skills that are already there - like good organisational skills, effective communication, teamwork, delegation and leadership skills.

How do I balance it all?

The balancing act begins to get difficult when the working mother starts to work full time rather than part time. There just never seems to be enough hours in the day, and when there is extra time available, all you want to do is put your feet up and relax!!! So how can we balance both a career and a family life? Through good planning!!!

Get the family involved

Everyone in the family has a stake in Mum going back to work, so get them all involved. If you delegate responsibility (another transferable skill!) to each member of the family, this will ease the load - Remember you are all in this together!!! Hanging up clothes, doing the laundry, making the beds, cooking dinner and ironing on demand are all things that can be shared. Even a three year old is capable of making their own bed! But - resist the urge to fix and tidy after them! They are doing their best, and at the same time learning, so don't discourage them, but rather encourage and motivate them to help you more.

Plan Ahead

Each weekend hold a family conference to plan out the week - who is going to do what and when. Is there something that still needs to be learnt? Is everyone aware of what their responsibilities are? Is there a schedule set up? Each evening you can remind your family of their duties for the following day. Plan your meals ahead of time as well as buying a cookbook that shows easy-to-prepare recipes. Double a recipe and freeze half for another meal. As a treat, plan for one night a week to be the 'order out' night!

Quality Family Time

Set aside some quiet time to spend with your family, even if it is every evening for about 10 minutes before dinner or just after dinner. Talk about and share your day with each other. Plan a family movie night, or group outing.

Okay, but how do I fit in at work?

Just be yourself! But also, make yourself stand out! Show that you are proactive, rather than reactive - think ahead, anticipate! There are many working mothers who look for flexitime in order to help with their juggling act - this could mean being able to go and pick the children up from school, taking them home and then coming back to work. Before beginning any job, propose upfront what you would like to have happen - if you have asked for flexibility, be prepared to be flexible in return.

Putting it all together

With the ever-growing number of working mothers out in the work force, many companies are taking a look at how this could benefit their business. There are so many women today who are looking to come out of the home and back into working life. They may only have a few hours a day to offer, but they do make great employees!

Working mothers need three things - time to deal with family responsibilities, a decent wage and access to quality care giving resources like on-site child care centres. There are a number of companies who have considered this - it would certainly cut back on absenteeism!

The best strategy for working mothers is to encourage others around you to be part of the programme! Remember, you are not super woman, nor does anyone expect you to be! Sharing household chores and responsibilities is a way to make things more manageable. Yes, you can have both! It really is up to you.

Article prepared by Commercial Services Bureau (CSB) Ltd.

Since 1987, CSB Ltd. has been servicing the local and international business community with its range of employment/recruitment related services. It has helped thousands of employees improve their job conditions and careers, and employers obtain the ideal staff for their organisations.