"EU tells stay-at-home mothers to get back to work to prevent a labour shortage".
Housewives are being urged by the European Commission to go back to work the UK Daily Mail reports. In the UK around 12.6 million women work, 40 percent of them part time. Around two-thirds of working-age women with dependent children are in employment. Brussels says it wants stay-at-home mothers in Germany, Austria and Holland to take up jobs to avoid a looming labour shortage. Read more
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Thursday, June 2, 2011
3 skills your working parents and their managers must develop
Want to support your working parents to thrive at work? 3 skills your working parents and their managers must develop: Resilient, Adaptive and Flexible Thinking.
Working parents need 3 core skills to ‘thrive’ at work and at home Adaptability, Flexibility and Resilience. We’ve all heard the expression “Got a job to do? Give it to a busy person [aka: mum].” But just how much can one busy ‘hands on’ mum or dad handle before the juggling balls begin to fall and bounce all over the place? How is your corporate culture contributing to the success or failure of your working parents’ ability to respond to the ever changing needs of their family and job?
Organisations who strive to help their people achieve their maximum potential ‘get it.’ It means providing employees with the necessary tools, support and training to be Adaptive and Flexible and Resilient to cope with the ups and downs of life being a ‘worker’ and a ‘parent’. Here’s some tips to help your organisation build resilience, adaptability and flexibility amongst your working parents:
1. Find out how many parents work in your organisation (include ‘carers’ who have responsibility for others). Survey them: find out what their needs are, what they are limited by and what would make a difference?
2. Get a parental leave process and checklist in place - support employees to prepare in advance for parental leave and their return to work rather than sanctioning a ‘winging it’ approach.
3. Create a flexible work policy that has a ‘how to’ process for managers and employees which provides details on how to plan, negotiate and implement a flexible work arrangement that works for all. See our ‘Flexible Work Toolkit’
4. Build resilience by offering coaching and other training support to your working parents. See our coaching service and think about starting a ‘working parents group’ or create a Carers network.
5. Sponsor training that supports parents to develop their ‘Career After Kids ’ and keep the talent in your organisation and avoid ‘brain drain.’
6. Drive a performance culture that values flexible and adaptive thinking – clients expect it, staff want it and managers need the ‘know-how’ and encouragement to deliver it. Being adaptive is how organisations can stay ahead of the pack and this means being flexible in relation to how, when and where work is delivered and by whom. For working parents, time is always of the essence and many will strive to find more efficient and effective ways to get their job done in order to make sure they’re home in time to pick up the kids. So let them! What manager doesn’t want a more time efficient and effective employee?
7. Encourage co-operation and understanding of working parents circumstances between teams and managers. After all, every employee may find themselves in a similar situation one day where they require care or to care for another. HR play a key role in championing this co-operative spirit as they are often the gateway between employee and manager when return to work arrangements are negotiated.
8. Provide access to tools and experts to help support the return to work transition for employees and managers. See our Working Parents Toolkit and Stay in Touch Service.
Working parents need 3 core skills to ‘thrive’ at work and at home Adaptability, Flexibility and Resilience. We’ve all heard the expression “Got a job to do? Give it to a busy person [aka: mum].” But just how much can one busy ‘hands on’ mum or dad handle before the juggling balls begin to fall and bounce all over the place? How is your corporate culture contributing to the success or failure of your working parents’ ability to respond to the ever changing needs of their family and job?
Organisations who strive to help their people achieve their maximum potential ‘get it.’ It means providing employees with the necessary tools, support and training to be Adaptive and Flexible and Resilient to cope with the ups and downs of life being a ‘worker’ and a ‘parent’. Here’s some tips to help your organisation build resilience, adaptability and flexibility amongst your working parents:
1. Find out how many parents work in your organisation (include ‘carers’ who have responsibility for others). Survey them: find out what their needs are, what they are limited by and what would make a difference?
2. Get a parental leave process and checklist in place - support employees to prepare in advance for parental leave and their return to work rather than sanctioning a ‘winging it’ approach.
3. Create a flexible work policy that has a ‘how to’ process for managers and employees which provides details on how to plan, negotiate and implement a flexible work arrangement that works for all. See our ‘Flexible Work Toolkit’
4. Build resilience by offering coaching and other training support to your working parents. See our coaching service and think about starting a ‘working parents group’ or create a Carers network.
5. Sponsor training that supports parents to develop their ‘Career After Kids ’ and keep the talent in your organisation and avoid ‘brain drain.’
6. Drive a performance culture that values flexible and adaptive thinking – clients expect it, staff want it and managers need the ‘know-how’ and encouragement to deliver it. Being adaptive is how organisations can stay ahead of the pack and this means being flexible in relation to how, when and where work is delivered and by whom. For working parents, time is always of the essence and many will strive to find more efficient and effective ways to get their job done in order to make sure they’re home in time to pick up the kids. So let them! What manager doesn’t want a more time efficient and effective employee?
7. Encourage co-operation and understanding of working parents circumstances between teams and managers. After all, every employee may find themselves in a similar situation one day where they require care or to care for another. HR play a key role in championing this co-operative spirit as they are often the gateway between employee and manager when return to work arrangements are negotiated.
8. Provide access to tools and experts to help support the return to work transition for employees and managers. See our Working Parents Toolkit and Stay in Touch Service.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Is it time to do a career audit?
Is it time you did a career audit and really thought about your future job options; especially now that kids are on the scene?
Some of the common pitfalls parents fall into when it comes to making employment choices (or decisions about when is the ‘right’ time to go back to work after maternity leave) is not reviewing their career options and being clear on what it is they are aiming to negotiate. It’s not uncommon to find parents busily formatting their outdated resume and giving it a spring clean, without consideration for what skills and experience they want to promote nor which jobs they will applying for. If this sounds like ‘you’ it’s time to do a career audit!
Some of the common pitfalls parents fall into when it comes to making employment choices (or decisions about when is the ‘right’ time to go back to work after maternity leave) is not reviewing their career options and being clear on what it is they are aiming to negotiate. It’s not uncommon to find parents busily formatting their outdated resume and giving it a spring clean, without consideration for what skills and experience they want to promote nor which jobs they will applying for. If this sounds like ‘you’ it’s time to do a career audit!
· Make a list of what you’ve done in the past and enjoyed and would like to continue doing in your next job. This list can contain tasks and skills you are good at and enjoyed doing. Likewise, what you least enjoyed or just don’t want to focus on in the future.
· Imagine your next job – is it with a small employer or large? What industry would you prefer? How do you imagine spending your day at work – what would you be doing? Who would you be working with and in what type of working arrangement?
· Start creating your short list – write your own job description. Give it a title, salary and preferred location and essential skills and experience you’d like to use.
· Re-examine your values – what will be most important to you in your new job; will it be the flexibility offered, the stability, the teamwork, the ability to progress? Equally what wouldn’t you accept or compromise on?
· Finally, once you’ve got your short-list – start creating a winning resume that sells all the experience and skills you want to use in your next job.
· Update your career objective and profile pages on your resume and online job networking sites etc.
· Need help to get started on your career audit? Contact mums@work at info@mumsatwork.com.au.
Working mothers thrive on flexibility - mums@work and Westpac in the news
Rachel Slade is the mother of three boys aged six, four and two. She has worked at Westpac for the past 12 years and is at present head of group diversity and flexibility at the Westpac Group. "I'm in a senior executive role and my career progression hasn't been slowed down by choosing to work part-time," she says.
Equal opportunity may be taking a step backwards, says a global survey of businesses, including 214 from Australia. The Working Mothers Study by Regus reveals a significant number of Australian organisations are not planning to recruit working mothers in the next 2 years, amid concerns they are not as flexible or committed to their work, and that their skills will be out of date on their return to work.
Read more...
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
'Best Employers 2011' list revealed - who are they?
The results of its 2011 Best Employers in Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) survey, announced this morning, saw 11 organisations receive the accreditation of ‘Best Employer’ – who are they? A special congratulations to mums@work supporters Millward Brown and Johnson & Johnson Medical. Read more
Monday, May 23, 2011
Family life a tough job for working dads
THE squeeze is on for fathers, caught between longer working hours and the expectation they spend more time with their young children than their dads did with them.
That work pressure on fathers is distorting women's preferred working lives, as mothers are forced to either scale back hours or work full-time while continuing to do most of the caring and housework, making them the most time-pressured group in the nation.
A new study by the Australian Institute of Family Studies notes "the amount of time fathers with preschool children spent in paid work increased by 5.7 hours per week between 1997 and 2006".
Read more...
That work pressure on fathers is distorting women's preferred working lives, as mothers are forced to either scale back hours or work full-time while continuing to do most of the caring and housework, making them the most time-pressured group in the nation.
A new study by the Australian Institute of Family Studies notes "the amount of time fathers with preschool children spent in paid work increased by 5.7 hours per week between 1997 and 2006".
Read more...
Thursday, April 28, 2011
The Catholic Education Office Implements Working Parents Toolkit
The Catholic Education Office (CEO), Diocese of Wollongong have realised the need to encourage and support parents on their parental journey and introduced a Working Parents Toolkit for CEO schools and CEO office staff. The toolkit, launched by the CEO, Diocese of Wollongong’s Head of Human Resource Service, Carolyn Hadley, is a practical guide to parental leave and returning to work and is a ‘developing sustainable workplaces’ initiative of the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Committee.
A commercial Toolkit produced by mums@work was purchased by the CEO to use as a foundation document. The development of the CEO Toolkit involved a significant consultation process with representatives from each employee group (CEO office staff, Principals, teachers and school support officers), the Independent Education Union and a number of focus groups. The focus groups were particularly significant as the feedback provided, ensured the Toolkit would be relevant and practical for future users.
Pauline Chrostowski, a focus group participant and part time job share teacher at St Paul’s Catholic Primary School in Albion Park was invited to the launch to share her experience on how flexible work arrangements can be successful for the individual and the school. In the spirit of supporting parents in the workplace, Pauline’s two daughters, four year old Maya and two year old Ellie, also attended the launch.
Pauline said that it was an honour to talk about something that she felt so passionate about. “At the heart of this document are families and the successful transition back into working life. The Toolkit, like its namesake, is practical. It is a step by step guide. It is easy to read and most importantly real life. Working parents are a reality and the integration back into the workforce can be successful. The proof is here today. The Working Parents Toolkit is about real people and definitely a worthwhile read. I commend the Catholic Education Office on this initiative.”
Carolyn Hadley presented the Director of Schools, Peter Turner and the Principals with a copy of the Toolkit. Peter Turner recommended the toolkit, saying “The family remains at the heart of Catholic schooling. I trust that these new measures will be mutually beneficial to working parents and their employers alike.” Principals were also provided with promotional brochures and posters to take back to their schools.
Carolyn advised that the Working Parents Toolkit is a ‘living’ document that will have the capacity to incorporate future suggestions and changing circumstances.
For the future: Staying in Touch Seminars have been arranged to provide an opportunity for parents (and expectant parents) to attend a briefing by the Human Resource Services Team about the Working Parents Toolkit and relevant policies.
A commercial Toolkit produced by mums@work was purchased by the CEO to use as a foundation document. The development of the CEO Toolkit involved a significant consultation process with representatives from each employee group (CEO office staff, Principals, teachers and school support officers), the Independent Education Union and a number of focus groups. The focus groups were particularly significant as the feedback provided, ensured the Toolkit would be relevant and practical for future users.
Pauline Chrostowski, a focus group participant and part time job share teacher at St Paul’s Catholic Primary School in Albion Park was invited to the launch to share her experience on how flexible work arrangements can be successful for the individual and the school. In the spirit of supporting parents in the workplace, Pauline’s two daughters, four year old Maya and two year old Ellie, also attended the launch.
Pauline said that it was an honour to talk about something that she felt so passionate about. “At the heart of this document are families and the successful transition back into working life. The Toolkit, like its namesake, is practical. It is a step by step guide. It is easy to read and most importantly real life. Working parents are a reality and the integration back into the workforce can be successful. The proof is here today. The Working Parents Toolkit is about real people and definitely a worthwhile read. I commend the Catholic Education Office on this initiative.”
Carolyn Hadley presented the Director of Schools, Peter Turner and the Principals with a copy of the Toolkit. Peter Turner recommended the toolkit, saying “The family remains at the heart of Catholic schooling. I trust that these new measures will be mutually beneficial to working parents and their employers alike.” Principals were also provided with promotional brochures and posters to take back to their schools.
Carolyn advised that the Working Parents Toolkit is a ‘living’ document that will have the capacity to incorporate future suggestions and changing circumstances.
For the future: Staying in Touch Seminars have been arranged to provide an opportunity for parents (and expectant parents) to attend a briefing by the Human Resource Services Team about the Working Parents Toolkit and relevant policies.
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