Working Mums

First baby due! It's the best of times - but often the most challenging time for your career. None of us knows how we'll feel after the baby arrives or what work and family arrangements will suit us. Yet, once we go public, everyone starts asking!

Don't worry, in this theme we share advice and stories about options that others have tried. That includes how to make the return to work afterwards, sometimes after a career break.

At Professionelle we have a peak among members in their early thirties: the family formation years. It's no surprise. The solutions that "make it all work" both for parents and for employers could fairly be called a work-in-progress. And as the more experienced parents know, the issues change when children start school, but they don't go away. For example, did you know that school children still need 27 weeks a year of care during work hours? Yes, that's half a year!

Wherever you are on the work and family spectrum, we're sure you'll find relevant and thought-provoking material here. Choosing childcare, the different work models women use, how key pieces of legislation could affect you - and how to dress to cope with the new roles in your life - it's all in this theme.

Latest articles

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  • 15 March 2013 By Karyn Riley (Abridged by Sarah Wilshaw-Sparkes) Comments: 0
    Rediscovering who you are - an excerpt from "How to Keep the YOU in Mum"

    As mothers, we make sacrifices and give so much of ourselves to others that we can end up with little or nothing left in reserve. So how do you find the balance that lets you be a mum and still be YOU? This is an extract from Karyn Riley's practical book "How to keep the YOU in Mum". Based in Christchurch, Karyn is a parenting specialist who provides hope and support to stressed and overwhelmed parents.

  • 25 October 2012 By Sarah Wilshaw-Sparkes Comments: 2
    Female Role Models (why we need more women at the top)

    Sarah argues that providing relevant and engaging role models for younger women is a key reason we need to have women in senior positions in business and other fields. She identifies two different ways in which 'women at the top' can inspire and guide us.

  • 09 July 2012 By Sarah Wilshaw-Sparkes Comments: 7
    Eldercare: the second wave of the "juggle"

    Caring for elderly parents and relatives is a challenge for more and more professionals' careers, financial resources and health. Sarah has recently found herself bewildered by how best to deal with the sudden deterioration in her parents' health and shares her experiences and early learnings from "the front".

  • 16 May 2012 By Galia BarHava-Monteith Comments: 3
    Plain Speaking about NZ Boards - An Interview with Rebecca Thomas

    Rebecca Thomas, a Director of KiwiRail and the FMA, and CEO of Mint Asset Management shares her views on NZ boards and women in governance and leadership.

  • 14 April 2012 By Galia BarHava-Monteith (and one of our very valued long term members) Comments: 2
    What is Success?

    This exchange between Galia and one of our members explores what constitutes success for professional women. Is it reaching partnership and the executive suite? What about choosing to earn modestly from interesting work so as to leave hours each week for children and leisure? Is that selling out, and undervaluing yourself, or is it OK? What do YOU think?

  • 01 March 2012 By Jayne Muller of Altris Comments: 1
    Rushing woman syndrome - is this you?

    If you feel you're always running to keep the different "plates" in your life spinning, you'll want to read Jayne Muller's advice on how to combat "rushing woman syndrome". It can affect your energy, ability to help others, confidence, and relationships, but there are three key things you can do to build your ability to cope.

  • 29 February 2012 By Suzy Morrissey, CA Comments: 0
    Unequal pay

    Women continue to earn less than men and the reasons are not always easy to explain. Suzy Morrissey, a CA and Professionelle Wellington Chapter facilitator, uses a recent NZ accounting salary survey as the springboard to ponder some of the drivers, and also potential solutions.

  • 12 December 2011 By Sarah Wilshaw-Sparkes Comments: 2
    Is it the Work - or the Overwork?

    If you're in the grip of year end dreams of getting out of the rat race, but unsure how much is due to work itself or to overwork, reflect on the factors that make you want to work. They will be very different from those that drive you to overwork. It's really important to disentangle the profoundly positive things about work from the drag of overwork!

  • 25 November 2011 By Jayne Muller of Altris Comments: 0
    Working Mothers' Guilt

    Just because you feel guilty, doesn’t mean you are guilty! However, if you sometimes struggle to manage your working mum’s guilt, here are 4 tips to help.

  • 30 September 2011 By Jayne Muller of Altris Comments: 1
    The Phases of Motherhood - Two Perspectives

    "Women have been having babies for years, it's no big deal". Wrong, it is a big deal! Jayne Muller of Altris argues that pregnancy and baby should be treated by the new mum and her manager the same as a change project. From the perspectives of each party, she provides advice on the three phases of change to give the mother and her employer the best chance of a successful return to work.