A Q&A on the positive role that a key sector of the working populace can play in a small-to-medium business environment.
Why should I look at employing a mother as opposed to any other kind of employee?
As many business managers can tell you, working mothers often make the best employees. They are loyal, focused and extremely conscientious. They don't like to move job often because their lives thrive on routine. If they have a system that works, they don't want to change it. They enjoy their time at work and want to achieve to the best of their ability. You will not find a working mother taking regular long lunches - they will be the ones working through lunch so they can get the maximum done.
What sort of work options should I offer mothers?
You will get the most out of your working mother employees if you offer them flexible working conditions. They may well work hours equivalent to 9-5, but just not within the strict 9-5 framework; it could be they work 9-2 and then they work a couple of hours in the evening. If you want to have 8am meetings regularly that is going to be tough for many of them. But do you really have to have 8am meetings? Give them the freedom and facilities to work from home. You can bet they will work at home from time to time, so you may as well help them be as efficient as possible. Working mothers are extremely conscientious and if they feel they are falling behind, they will want to catch up.
Do all working mothers prefer part time work?
Not at all. Women I interviewed in the book who worked full-time were some of the happiest and had their work/home life most balanced. Part-time work is notoriously badly paid whereas with a full-time salary, women are much better able to afford stable help at home so they can concentrate on achieving at work, knowing things are under control at home. Increasingly men are looking for more flexible ways of working after pursuing pressured careers for a number of years, so they may be the parent that works part-time or from home. For some women, they are happiest working outside the home, in a full time, interesting job. It doesn't mean they don't love their children dearly but it just suits their personality to be working full-time and achieving some ambitions. I think businesses should do all they can to encourage women to go from part-time to full-time work. These women will hopefully end up on their boards.
What if I have a woman applying for a job who has been out of the workforce for five or six years? Will they take much time to get up to speed?
Just because women have been raising a family for a few years, doesn't mean their lives have been totally devoted to changing nappies. I have heard recruitment consultants wax lyrical about the skills women learn when they are at home with kids - multi-tasking, organising, managing, thinking laterally - they learn all these things. I know Air New Zealand often hires mothers for customer service jobs at the airport because they are unflappable and used to incensed people about to throw tantrums. In my interviews with mothers who have returned to work, they have generally commented that they've been pleasantly surprised how quickly their work brain comes back.
What working conditions would working mothers really appreciate?
The wish list would include on-site creches or a corporate nanny who could go to their home if they have a sick child/important meeting clash. No early morning meetings, no regular rowdy Friday night drinks which we are unlikely to go to or enjoy. Also please don't organise conferences which are just an excuse to drink up large and spend time away from the family. Do make sure that you offer all the usual training to working mothers even if they only work part-time. They may well want to increase their hours and will need the training to progress.
If you do make an effort to make your workplace welcoming, you will be rewarded by having skilled, valuable women knocking on your door asking for jobs. Working mothers talk about their workplace conditions to each other and news spreads pretty fast if you are a good employer.
* Gill South is a NZ Herald columnist and author of Because We're Worth It - a "whereto from here" for today's working mother.
