Getting mums back to work

Catherine Lambert

As economic times become tougher, more women are being forced back into the workforce, in some cases before they feel ready. The Victorian government is trying to ease the transition by providing new resources.

A new $1.2 million website produced in consultation with the Working Families Council is one of the major initatives being used to make the  return to work decision easier for women. The website is also designed to educate employers about the benefits of hiring this under-used skill base.

Council chair Jill Hennessy said women are often overwhelmed by the prospect of returning to work after having children, whether that is within one or 10 years.

“They feel they have missed the boat, don’t understand emerging technology, worry about the finances of child care and then child care itself is another concern,” Ms Hennessy said.

“A lot of people face not just practical issues around managing a household if they return to work, but also emotional issues as well.”

Ms Hennessy said people wanting to return to work tend to fall into two categories of need – financial and emotional.

Her research showed that, though the extra money is valued, the social and emotional rewards tend to push people back into the workforce.

“The overwhelming response in our focus groups is that women who work in a place they know will not harm their family brings immense personal rewards,” she said.

Research done at the University of South Australia’s Centre for Work and Life has found that finding a flexible workplace is often the greatest challenge.

Centre director, Professor Barbara Pocock, said a random survey of 3000 people found most were within half a day of their preferred working hours.

“The reality in a significant number of workplaces is a long distance from the talk,” Prof essor Pocock said.

“People are thinking that a lot is being asked of them at work. Some of the technologies liberate them, but also pressure them.”

Professor  Pocock said the development of what is known as “constant competitive presenteeism” is blocking flexible hours in the workplace.

“There is a sense that if you’re really serious about your work you will be there until all hours of the day,” she said.

“This problem won’t go away until flexibility is really addressed in the workplace. In the meantime, research also shows the health consequences of working long hours, such as cardiovascular disease, obesity and depression.”

The pressure to update skills is not the only block to women wanting to return to work.

The managing director and founder of Quantum Mums, Kylie Bartlett, said the “yummy mummy” push in the media also inhibited women.

“It’s common for women to lose confidence after being caught in the world of the Wiggles and Hi-5 when they have children and the whole pressure to be a glamorous mother as well can often deter women from getting back to work,” Ms Bartlett said.

“They worry they are not as savvy as all the young girls out there who they compare themselves to.

“On a daily basis, I hear stories about a lack of self-worth and self-confidence. We help to bridge that gap between family and work.”

Return to work mums tell their stories

Vanessa Ashby, 38, Nunawading – ‘Inspiration from adversity’

Post-natal depression after her second child left Vanessa Ashby feeling hopeless and depleted.

She had two girls, Charlotte, 2, and Jessica, 1, within a very short time, but suffered the depression only with her second child.

The battle led her to join a post-natal depression support group, at which she met a fellow sufferer who presented her with a job idea.

“I went through agony, while I was on maternity leave after having Jessica, of whether or not to go back to work,” Ms Ashby said.

“I had been a PA to a CEO and I really didn’t know what to do. The time commitment of returning to full-time work seemed too much.”

When her new friend suggested meeting a fellow entrepreneur friend who wanted a virtual personal assistant, she had a flash of inspiration.

“That man ended up hiring someone else, but it made me realise there must be other people needing that type of assistance,” she said.

Last February she set up her company, PA For Hire.

It has taken off to the point where she has already met her one-year financial goals and has a team of online personal assistants who provide administrative and secretarial support to a range of employers, although most are self-employed entrepreneurs.

“No one was more surprised than I was,” she said. “I had no idea it would be that successful.”

Both her children are in full-time child care because her work commitments have escalated, but she said they were both thriving in a social and active environment.

As the business grows, her confidence continues to build. While deciding whether to return to her original job or try something new, she felt increasingly disconnected from her old employer.

“I just felt it wasn’t part of my world any more and I didn’t even know whether I could still do the job,” she said.

“When I started my own business, I really questioned myself. I felt I knew nothing and that my skills had deteriorated.

“Gradually, though, I started to learn and I would say to any woman in the same position to think big while always taking baby steps. And it’s important to do what makes you happy.”

The personal growth she has enjoyed is the greatest achievement in setting up her own business.

“It’s given me so much inner strength – I feel as though I can weather any storm now,” she said.

“It gives me a lot of pride because I know every dollar I earn is mine. Everything my company achieves is my achievement. It’s very self-satisfying.”

Anne-marie Doyle,  45, Ascot Vale -‘Beating off boredom’

Looking after her two children for five years left Anne-Marie Doyle emotionally fulfilled.

But mentally she was missing stimulation and felt she was wasting her time.

“I needed more structure in my days and even though we wanted the money more work could bring, that wasn’t the primary concern,” Ms Doyle said.

“I was really just getting bored at home.”

She went back to work briefly after having William, now 10, but resigned a year after her second son Thomas, 8, was born.

When Thomas started school she began thinking about returning to work as an executive assistant, eventually finding part-time work at real estate agency Sheryl Upton Property.

Her boss sat with her for three months to retrain her on a computer and encouraged her to ask questions when that initiation had finished.

She had taken a refresher courseat RMIT to update her computer skills.

“I was very nervous because I hadn’t worked in so long and I wasn’t confident at all,” she said.

“It took a few months to get my confidence back, but Sheryl was very supportive and all of her employees have children, so it’s a very understanding workplace.”

Ms Doyle works Tuesdays and Thursdays, 8.45am to 2pm.

Her husband Brent, an accountant, also works in a flexible environment, so they can easily make arrangements during school holidays and when the children are sick.

“If we didn’t have flexible employers we would probably get around it, but it makes it a lot easier for us,” she said.

“Going to work has given me more focus, I’ve been able to update my skills and it just gives me something else to talk about.”

 Kate Marshall, 40, Torquay – ‘Hard work and self belief ‘

When Kate Marshall’s first baby was born 11 years ago, she was shattered.

Baby Victoria was born with Down Syndrome, epilepsy and a major heart abnormality that sent her parents into shock.

Ms Marshall, who had worked as a nurse, nurtured her daughter for the first year of her life and went on to have three more children – Alexandra, 8, William, 6, and Isabella, 3.

“I look back on the first 12 months of Victoria’s life and admit that we were shattered for a long time,” Ms Marshall said.

“I threw myself into that role of caring for her and left myself behind along the way.

“Now I’m really proud of how well she has done and how great all of my children are. I’m very confident as a mother and I’ve always been a confident person.”

That self-belief was crucial in prompting Ms Marshall to start her own organic skin care range for tweenies, Essential Angel, in March last year.

The products are exported to Asia, particularly Japan and South Korea, and her business is thriving.

“Going back to work was never really an option for me in the early years because of Victoria and I knew I couldn’t go back to nursing,” she said. “I had no more emotional energy to give.”

She was a stay-at-home mother for 11 years until she decided last year that it was time to do something for herself.

Motherhood had given her the confidence to forge ahead in the business world.

“I wanted to give back to my community and kids by showing them that I could do something,” she said.

“It was about me being a positive role model for them. Logistically, to get out of the house with four children wasn’t a great option, so I set up my own business at home.

“Every single aspect has been challenging. I’m not a business person and not very computer savvy, so I’ve really learnt on the job.”

The nature of her business has let her involve her children in its development, using them as product testers.

Her work day starting at 8pm when the children go to sleep and doesn’t finish until 2am.

“I have a very supportive husband and friends and I’m a driven person,” she said.

“I really believe in the product and thoroughly want it to work.”