Unicorns. Santa. Stilettos that don’t hurt your feet. Is flexible working also a myth?
What does flexible working mean for you?
Flexible working is something I’ve been interested in for years (especially since I went 4-days in my employed work so I could have one weekday to work on my coaching business) – and it has become of greater interest to me since becoming a parent.
(In full disclosure: That Limitless Coaching day is now an extra-cuddles-filled mummy and Naila day… and my coaching work is back to evenings and weekends… and some nap times)
It’s funny. In what feels like a previous life – I used to work all. the. hours. Seriously – to the extent that I’d sometimes get a 15-minute warning from the building’s security guard to let me know it would be closing soon. Y’see… until now, until becoming a parent, my idea of ‘contracted working hours’ was as confused as Trump’s use of the English language (#Covfefe anyone?! Yes I went there). That all changed in an instant however earlier this year when I went back to work after my maternity leave. Suddenly, my ‘end time’, certainly in terms of the time I leave the office, became non-negotiable as if I didn’t leave by the designated time, I wouldn’t be on time to collect my little girl from the childminder. Time (which once was as flexible as the most impressive yogi, claims of EU related savings on the side of a campaign bus and the current U.S. administration’s alternative facts…) was suddenly very precise.
Yet this… this sort of represents flexible working. Work in which I can leave at an exact time but, if wanted or needed, pick up again whenever and wherever suits me (hands up mamas and papas who have jumped straight onto your laptop once the little one/s are asleep. I see you…).
And it seems that companies that embrace the technology we are blessed to have these days are becoming better at accommodating flexible working, with some (though not nearly enough) recognising that it doesn’t just suit the employee… but it often benefits the organisation too.
Enter Helen McGuire… Mum of two, former Comms professional and erstwhile DJ. Helen is the co-founder and director of an organisation called Hopscotch, based in Dubai, and drives all aspects of the business. Helen is also an ex-colleague of mine from my (hectic, to put it mildly) days working in a London PR agency and when the idea for the Creative Career Solutions for Parents podcast was conceived… Helen was at the top of my list in terms of people I was keen to interview. Why? Well because Helen’s business isn’t just a recruitment agency, it is a movement for professional women and is dedicated to making flexible working a reality. Tbh, I have a bit of a #girlcrush on Helen in that I so admire what she is up to in the world and believe that if she and her team continue to be successful in the work they are doing, it will have a hugely positive impact on the world. Yup… it’s that deep, and I am delighted to bring you this interview with her.
If you’re subscribed to the podcast via iTunes (if you’ve been remiss with this, you can do that here) you may have caught this episode already, when it went live in May. If not, I strongly (in an encouraging, non-bullying way!) suggest that you access it and have a listen asap. I’ve linked to it further down so don’t worry, you won’t need to go searching…
As ever, I encourage you to take a moment as you read this blog. Breathe in… out… and reflect on your current career and how / if it suits your lifestyle. Be incredibly grateful for it and for what works… and recognise that if it isn’t congruent with the lifestyle you want for your family life – you have the power to change it. Likewise, if you’re at a stage where you are considering work possibilities post maternity leave or after years out of the workplace, purely focused on being mummy / daddy – do positively embrace your ability to consciously create a professional life that suits. If you would like my help to do so, whether in a group forum or with (limited availability) private coaching, just ask.
Join me in raising a glass to Helen, flexible working and to being part of a movement which is win win for businesses and employees. And of course, let me know in the comments (or ideally an iTunes review) – what you think about the interview.
Gina Visram is an author and the working parents’ career coach, for mamas (and a few smart papas) who want a fulfilling career that doesn’t burn them out… alongside an incredible family life that makes them feel like clicking their heels together with glee.
As part of Limitless Coaching, she has launched the Creative Career Solutions for Parents initiative and works one on one and via group programmes with parents determined to craft a family-friendly lifestyle (whatever that looks like to each individual / couple) and accelerate their career and lifestyle goal achievements – while gaining tools which ensure that partners in a relationship become each other’s greatest cheerleaders.
