According to the Equality and Human Rights Commission, women who return to work after maternity leave are more likely to experience discrimination than women did a decade ago. Put into context, 54,000 new mums lose their jobs every year: one in nine are dismissed, made compulsorily redundant, or forced out of their jobs because they are treated so badly that they quit.
If you’re one of those working mums who manages to hang on to your job, or grin through the craziness, give yourself a pat on the back. Here are some of the good effects that motherhood impacts on your career – so you can gloat:
1. Lack of time is a good thing
Too much time can ba a bad thing. Think of all those young, free and single colleagues you have who stay later in the workplace, but have wasted so much time taking coffee and fag breaks, or rolling in later because of a late night out (again!). While you’re not nursing a hangover every other day of the week, you can think clearly right from the offset. And what’s more, knowing that you have to leave work at a particular time to take over from your childcare provider means you’re more focused on getting your work down efficiently – and on time!
2. You have an internal multitasking module
There’s something about having to juggle the calendars or your children, spouse and then work that makes you turn into an organisational supremo. While others seem to insiste on the impossibility of meeting targets at work, you’re motherhood training has shown you that anything is possible. It’s a skill that thousands of pounds worth of training can’t produce.
3. You’re more empathetic
Being able to see things from someone else’s perspective is a skill that can go a very long way. Leave the rigid, narrow-minded selfishness to others and let your mothering skills make you a pleasure to work with.
4. You have an excuse
Childcare is a solid excuse for avoiding mind-numbing after-work drinks…full stop! Unless you really want to attend them, that is. It also means your applications for annual leave and/or flexible working will be seen to have a just cause., and if you’re lucky they’ll be prioritised.
5. You can focus on the important things
Gone are the days when you used to flap at the first sign of a problem and think everything would come crashing down because small insignificant mistakes. When you start raising a family and have to juggle work, to boot, you soon get to know what’s important and what isn’t. You’ll find that you use your energy for the more important things at work and most things will be like water off a duck’s back.
So, you see that motherhood doesn’t have to spell doom to your career – it’s how you view its impact that has the ultimate impact. Don’t let anyone rain on your parade – remember, the juggling work and raising your children adds more positives in your life and the way you work, so pull on those strengths whenever you start to feel insecure.
