How do you find the balance between your career and motherhood?
Finding balance is an ongoing challenge, but there are a couple of key elements that can make it signifi cantly easier.
First, the workplace attitude plays a huge role. I’m really lucky that my agency, GENE, truly values trust and fl exibility – not just in words but in practice. They’re incredibly supportive of balancing work and personal life, and they’re particularly understanding of the needs of mums. When I returned to work, I needed to work shorter hours two days a week for the initial period, and they not only accommodated this but never made me feel guilty about it. Now, I’m back to full-time, but I work four days a week, and they had no issue with that – they trusted my organisational skills and believed my productivity wouldn’t be impacted. And, if I need to attend appointments or my baby is sick, they’re always supportive and understanding.
The second key element is having that same level of support at home. While it wasn’t easy at fi rst, and it can still be challenging at times, my partner and I have learned to fi nd a balance between our demanding jobs. We plan as much as possible in advance, stay fl exible when needed, and ask for help from family or a babysitter when necessary. We’ve had to adapt and be resourceful, but it’s all about teamwork.