ACPR Blog

The Guardian has been focusing on the issues surrounding mothers returning to work.

In a feature based on a Unicef report on childcare, Geraldine Beddell says, “Many women look at the pay gap, at their own inclination to balance, at the impossibility of two parents being distracted most of the time, and choose to work part-time, or at any rate with less zealotry. And most parents manage to cobble something together that more or less works.”

She highlights the problem where most men are unwilling or unable to change their hours, leaving women with limited options. She also points out that, “The Unicef report is flawed in not taking into account informal, home-based, or neighbourhood childcare - grandparents, child minders, au pairs”.

Josephine Murray looks at the women who have been driven back to work to balance the bills. She quotes a study published last week by insurer Scottish Widows that claims the rising cost of living has forced more than 4 million mothers back to work, and passes on advice from child development specialist Amanda Gummer who suggests that it’s important to make the right choice for your family’s well-being. “If you’re stressed and fractious because you can’t afford to do the things you want to do then going back to work will be beneficial for the baby or children. If going back to work makes you stressed that’s not going to help them.”

If you’re in the position of needing to earn to stretch the family budget, have a look at www.familyfriendlyworking.co.uk for some ideas and inspiration, or sign up for the free e-course to find out your rights to flexible work plus much more. Going back to work does not have to be traumatic, and there are way to avoid having to put your children in childcare 8-6.

Why do you work? Most of the women I know who run their own business have a passion for whst they do, even if it is tough at times. But new research shows that some mothers are having to go back to work, due to the economic recession

www.Workingmums.co.uk found that in a survey of 505, 79 per cent were looking to go back to work or increase their present working hours due to the credit crunch. For many, this will mean that they are looking for jobs that will allow them to balance their family and work life. This includes flexible or part-time working, school time jobs and working from home. If this is you, have a look at the ideas on www.familyfriendlyworking.co.uk, or sign up to the ‘Start Your Own Business’ course at www.themumpreneurguide.co.uk  

Working Mums have a message for employers based on their survey results. Bosses should who re-examine their working culture and look at more efficient and effective ways of working such as flexible, part-time working or working from home. Employing skilled workers in these different ways can make their businesses more efficient and productive, cut office overheads, minimise overtime and reduce travel expenses.

Mandy Garner, spokesperson for WorkingMums.co.uk says, “The present economic situation is not all doom and gloom and actually presents some good opportunities for mothers to assess their working options and look at what is available to help them meet their needs. It also key that employers should look at more efficient ways of working and how this can help them to become more cost-effective whilst remaining productive. Employers should not get caught out by reducing their resources. Working mothers are a fantastic pool of talent that many businesses should be calling upon.”

Lilach Bullock is a renowned virtual PA who helps to support business people from her own office. And the successful entrepreneur is offering telephone seminars on how to set up similar ventures. She said: “These are a great way for people to find out about setting up their own VA (virtual assistant] company - which has to be attractive in the current economic climate.

“People simply dial in from the comfort of their own home and participate in the session.”

The next phone seminar hosted by Lilach, a finalist in the National Virtual Assistant of the Year Awards 2007 and Mumpreneur of the Year Award 2008, is on Friday, November 14 at 8pm. Lilach also runs one-day workshops on setting up a virtual assistant business. For more information and to book a place on a free phone seminar call Lilach on 01442 231663 or email info@asklilach.co.uk

From Hemel Today

Results of a Government survey in 2008, found that the majority of mums are still returning to work within the first year of their baby’s life. 50% of full time working women, return to full time employment, though half of these mums would prefer to work part time. This indicates that making such important decisions, like returning to work, isn’t unusual but that doesn’t mean it’s an easy choice or it is always made at the right time, for the right reasons.

Here are some tips from Sam Pringle to get you thinking about different aspects of your decision so that you can go ‘Back to Work Without a Bump’;

What do I want get out of my work?

Whether you have been away from work for 6 months or 6 years, you now have an opportunity to look at your career from a new perspective.

Is my old career the one I would choose again?

Write a list with two columns headed ‘activities’ and ‘feelings’. List all the things you would like to do in the ‘activities’ column and how you would like to feel about working in the ‘feelings’ column.  

How do these outputs fit into my career?

How do these things affect what’s important to my family life?

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 Over half of new mums would like to run their own business, and the number of mumpreneurs is growing daily. If you want to start your own home business, here are some pointers from Antonia Chitty, author of Family Friendly Working, to get you going:

Tags: Family Friendly Working, mumpeneurs
Posted in Family Friendly Working, Franchises, Part time jobs, WAHM, Working from home, flexible jobs | 1 Comment »