If you ask me, as both a HR professional and a parent, the media are to blame for the lack of flexible working in the UK. As a working Mum with two young children, this is something that has been bugging me for a while.
With the gender pay gap in the UK still being far bigger than it should be, and a huge cultural shift required by towards working parents, it appears that many women in particular, are struggling to find flexible, well paid, family friendly opportunities after they finish their maternity leave, instead returning to a lower salaried position in administration, retail or catering. They take a pay cut, accept a role that is less mentally stimulating or doesn’t make full use of their qualifications or experience, because these are the roles that work around their family and childcare needs. It shouldn’t be this way, but there still appears to be a general view that if you work around your family, you can’t do so at a senior level; and this is absurd.
Despite it being 2020, and technology advancements making remote and agile working easier by the day, there seems to be a distinct lack of uptake for companies introducing fully flexible working practices in the UK and in my opinion, the media are very much to blame.
Why?
I refuse to even use these images because, quite frankly, they give me the red mist.
A quick glance through google will show you that when the media think of working Mums they think of the following:
- A woman sat at her desk, baby on lap, mouse in one hand, rattle in the other
- A woman sat on her bed on her laptop, whilst her two children play in the background
- A women at her desk, writing on her laptop whilst her baby naps contently on her chest
- A tired looking woman sat at her desk, laptop surrounded by baby toys and bottles
- A woman on the phone trying to have a conversation whilst comforting a crying baby in her arms.
I mean seriously. These images are used everywhere. They are damaging to women and their career prospects, and it has to stop.
When I am at work, I am at work, and whilst some of these images may be the reality for self employed who work from their own home, for most women working under a PAYE contract at least, being a working mum means that whilst you’re in employment, your child is elsewhere, whether that be school, a nursery, with grandparents or a childminder setting. These images and suggestions that all working Mums sit entertaining their child during their working hours are hugely damaging, and I am amazed that even big companies – those who claim to be ambassadors for working women and flexible working, still continue to use them!
If you have EVER tried to work with a child (particularly a baby or toddler) sitting in the same room, you will know that the result would not be the smiling, calm reality that these pictures portray.
Why would employers willingly sign up to working from home initiatives if thats what they think they are going to get from their employees? They wouldn’t expect to get a happy more content woman with a better work life balance, working productively and with increased loyalty to her employer. Instead they assume they’d get a woman who’s mind is elsewhere, half concentrating, her mind always on her child. Cleaning up mess, tidying up nappies, and watching the Teletubbies whilst they should be finishing off their weekly budget report.
These images actually reinforce stereotypes that you cant be a Mum and a good employee at the same time – and its bullshit!
The Forgotten Talent Pool
If anything, multi tasking skills actually improve after having children, and as someone who works from home regularly, trust me when I say that the time in the house to crack on with my job in an empty home is absolute bliss and one of the highlights of my working week. My most productive day, my most efficient, and the day with the least distractions, not the most.
What many employers are struggling to realise is that these pictures, these false and misleading images that are regularly portrayed by the media, don’t represent the reality, at least for the majority. Mums (and parents in general for that matter!) are often the forgotten talent pool. An unwillingness by some employers to consider part time, compressed hours, flexible start and end times or even consider agile working, are actually narrowing their pool of potentially suitable candidates – people who have the qualifications, the experience, the ideal skillset, but whom for personal reasons, want a better work life balance and to work around their family needs.
This, combined with the fact that men still feel judged for working flexibly, with the societal norms implying they should aways be the breadwinner and the higher earner, means that the gender pay gap is unlikely to go away any time soon. I am incredibly lucky that my employer has embraced flexible working, but wish that more organisations would open their eyes to the fact that the traditional 37 hour, Monday to Friday, 9-5 working week doesn’t have to be their only option. With a bit of flexibility your perfect candidate could be just around the corner.
Rant over. 🙂 What are your thoughts? Are you a working Mum? Do you get frustrated by how we are portrayed in the media? Have you struggled to find flexible work after maternity leave? Or, are you a Dad who wants to work flexibly but can’t, or who works flexibly and would be willing to share your story? Please get in touch – I’d love to hear about others’ experiences!!
