Kate, work placement officerKate works in the public sector arranging work placements, which involves liaising with employers, schools and students. She graduated in Business Studies and applied to several graduate management schemes before taking a post in the retail sector. During the first year, she worked in eight stores. She then applied for management positions and progressed through the company for several years. The long hours and her desire to have more interaction with customers prompted a move to a major recruitment consultant. Kate felt this utilised her skills and was a natural career progression. After having her first child Kate returned to work full time, but found the culture was unhelpful to working mothers, so she left her job and became self-employed for a while. She found that she missed the work environment, and the unpredictability of her income caused cash flow problems. She joined her current employer as a temporary maternity leave cover and worked to ensure the job grew and developed to the point where another member of staff was needed. Initially Kate worked 9-5, but changed her hours to 8.30-4pm with a half hour lunch to suit her childcare arrangements. When one of her children was diagnosed with special needs, Kate formally applied to work flexible hours and reached an agreement to work fewer hours in the office. She has one day a week fixed working at home and 7.5 flexible hours working at home in the evening. ‘This flexibility has enabled me to offer my son the extra support he needs. It is not an easy option, though, as you need to be very disciplined with your time, keep accurate records of your work output and have office space and reliable IT at home. I found the application process emotionally wearing - the procedure is straightforward but you have to tell numerous people details about your personal life that I would have preferred to remain private. Also, although most staff are supportive, there can be some resentment and the assumption that I’m not pulling my weight. I’m happy with my current arrangement and can apply for a further change in one year should I wish to.’ back to top Martin, sales and marketingMartin feels he is still unusual when it comes to flexible working because he is a man, although he thinks that society as a whole is becoming more understanding of men who want to step out of traditional roles. His career in transport and logistics was progressing satisfactorily, but he was unexpectedly made redundant at about the same time as his second child was born. Martin’s wife had a well paid job to return to, so they took the decision that he should become a house husband. Martin says; ‘This was both the best and worst decision I ever made. It was wonderful to be so close to my children and I’ll never regret spending this time with them. I had real problems, though, with not working and earning a salary, as it needed such a big change in attitude.’ When the children started nursery, Martin stayed at home in order to be there for them at the beginning and end of their day and became self-employed. A spare room was converted into office space and he used and improved the IT skills he had picked up from his previous job and developed a business selling herbal remedies. ‘I thought I’d be able to confine my work to school hours, but I ended up spending every evening working. I think that’s the downside of running your own business - you don’t know when to stop.’ The children are now in full-time education and, although his business is successful, Martin is looking to re-enter the workplace. He feels he is ready for another phase of his working life and looks forward to being amongst colleagues. back to top Pam, information managerPam manages a small but busy library and information resource with a wide range of users. The work is varied and involves keeping accurate, current information, answering queries, research, and contributing to the smooth running of the whole department. Pam worked full time for several years but made the decision to request a job-share after her second child was born. Her public sector employer was very sympathetic and initially Pam intended to job-share until her youngest child began school. However, having taken up other out-of-work commitments and interests, she has continued to job-share. ‘I’ve been lucky to have had good relationships with my job-share partners (I am on my second). This is crucial and the only downsides of job-sharing that I can see are if you don’t get on, or if your working patterns are very different. In any event, you have to be prepared to compromise and be flexible. We have a hand-over period each week and leave notes as necessary. I think our employer has benefited from our different strengths.’ Pam has been promoted recently, so she does not feel that job-sharing has been detrimental to her career.
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