Tag Archives: working

Maternity Burden On Small Business ‘Overstated’

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1024px-Mother_Kissing_BabyWe found this very interesting at Frost: Small business owners over-estimate the burden of providing maternity protection to their staff a new review, conducted by a team of experts from Middlesex University for the International Labour Organization, has revealed in a new report, out now.

The review, led by Middlesex University Professor of Organizational Psychology Suzan Lewis, suggests that effective maternity protection has a positive rather than negative on SMEs and can have a range of positive productivity related outcomes for firms, as well as wider social benefits.

 

 

The team found:

SME owner-managers are often adverse to maternity protection regulations, fearing the time and costs involved can lead to a competitive disadvantage.

There is a link between maternity protection and improvements in performance and productivity, linked to enhanced employee satisfaction and commitment.

There are wider societal benefits of effective maternity protection including poverty reduction, reproductive health, gender equality, fertility rates, and economic development.

Commenting on the review’s findings, Professor Lewis said: “Anything that is going to impact the financial stability of a business is naturally of concern to its owner, and that is why it is so important to understand that many maternity protection practices can have little or no costs and considerable benefits.

Middlesex University Centre for Enterprise and Economic Development Research (CEEDR) Research Associate Dr Bianca Stumbitz added: “It is clear that a supportive workplace is crucial – one that is sensitive to gender-specific issues and that recognises the joint roles that both men and women play in family life.”

The report shows that women who know their employer will support them as they start a family and avoid stereotyping their role in the workplace are happier, more loyal and therefore more productive. For these positive effects to arise and maternity, paternity and family responsibilities to become a normal fact of business life, maternity protection and other work-family balance measures need to ‘fit’ into practices and interests of SMEs.

The review also found there was space for government to help ease any financial strain on small businesses complying with maternity provisions.

Professor Lewis said: “The economic reality means that if we want small business to implement strong maternity protections, some financial compensation by way of tax breaks or public subsidies may be necessary – and that is something policy-makers ought to consider seriously.

“Additionally, education campaigns designed to raise awareness and provide practical advice to employers struggling with maternity entitlement issues is also vital – especially information which highlights the potential productivity benefits.”

The report also highlighted the urgent need to address economic and cultural challenges facing working mothers in developing countries, which has largely been ignored by research.

Compiled for the International Labour Organization, the review was authored by Professor Suzan Lewis, Dr Bianca Stumbitz, Dr Lilian Miles and Dr Julia Rouse.

 

 

The 6 Secrets to Starting a Business Whilst on Maternity Leave

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The 6 Secrets to Starting a Business Whilst on Maternity Leave

By Emma Walker

emmawalker

 

When you first get pregnant, you may think that you will go back to your current job without too many changes, and for some women this will happen.

 

But for others, when they’re holding their baby in their arms, they just know that things have changed forever and they might not want to go back to their job.

 

This is why using your maternity leave is a great opportunity to evaluate your career and decide what you want to do after your leave ends – return to your job, become a stay at home mum or start your own business.

 

Whatever direction you choose, just remember that you are doing what’s right for you and your family so please don’t feel like you have to follow ‘the rules’.

 

If you decide to take the plunge and start your own business, follow these 6 simple steps to make the transition easier:

 

  1. Decide on your business idea

Let me be very clear right from the start.  Running a business is hard work and definitely NOT a get rich quick scheme – if that’s what you’re after, you need to go elsewhere!

 

That’s why it’s really important to choose something that you’re going to enjoy doing a lot of.  Think about your past jobs, your hobbies, what your talents are – is there a business idea lurking there?  What can you do that you can get passionate about?

 

There are lots of business opportunities out there, whether you are selling your own products or services, or buying into a franchise or MLM business, you will find something that is a fit for your skills, experience and goals.

workingmother

 

  1. Get clear on the type of client you want to work with

You will spend a lot of time, and money if you’re not careful, on marketing so you need to make sure that what you do works.

 

This is where getting clear on who your ideal client is key and is something that you must take the time to do.

 

Really get to know the type of person you want to buy your product or service, this makes marketing so much easier.  By focusing on one type of person (instead of everyone), you can tailor all your marketing materials to speak to only those people – this is what will get results.

 

You want your ideal clients to see any of your marketing materials (your website, business card, leaflet, advert etc) and know that you are the person they need to work with as you obviously understand them, after all, you speak their language.

 

  1. Stand out from the crowd

The sign of a good product or service is if there’s already some competition, this means that people are already buying what you’re offering from competitors.

 

It is your job to make sure that you stand out from all your competitors in the eyes of your target market so that you are the only choice they should be making when they want to buy your product or service.

 

Think about what extras you can add that will really appeal to your customers and make them spend their money with your business.

 

The other thing you can do, that a lot of people don’t do, is make sure that you inject your personality into your marketing.  We all buy from people so be yourself as that will attract people to do business with you.

 

  1. Speak your customers language

If you’ve taken the time to really get to know your ideal customers, you should have discovered what their issues are and why they’d want to buy your product or service.

 

What is keeping them up at night, what are they prepared to pay anything to solve?

 

Knowing this can help you to create a marketing message that will show them that your product or service is the perfect solution they need.  You can turn their big problems into questions that will make them say yes to you.

 

  1. Manage your time

As a busy mum, we only have a limited time available to work on the business so you need to get focused so that you get all the important work done – instead of chatting to friends on Facebook.

 

Set up a schedule so that you know exactly what time you have available to work on the business and when you will be with your family – a great visual for everyone in the house to know when mummy is working so that there aren’t any interruptions.

 

Talk to your partner and get them on board to help you out – can they do some of the housework, help out with the kids more, do the cooking?  Anything that can free up your time to focus on the business.

 

Take the time to plan out what work you need to complete for the week so that you can get straight to work as soon as you’re in work mode – instead of wasting valuable time wondering what you should be doing.

 

  1. Plan for success 

Map out your goals for your business as well as the tasks you need to do to achieve that goal.  You then need to break those tasks down to 90 day chunks as this timescale is perfect to make you focus on what is important.

 

These tasks can be included on your weekly planning to make sure that you get them done and stay focused on achieving your goals.

 

If you’re struggling trying to fit everything in, ask yourself if the task to do on your list will move you one step closer to your goal.  If the answer is no, it can wait until a later date and you need to focus on something else that does move you closer to your goal.

 

Use your goals to keep you accountable so that you do achieve exactly what you want with your business.

 

There are lots of things to start and market a successful family friendly business but these are the 6 essential things you should focus on first whilst you’re still on maternity leave.

 

 

About the author

 

Emma Walker is the founder of The Mumpreneur’s Mentor and a busy mum of 2 little divas.  As a mums in business coach, she works with mums who want to start and market their own successful family friendly business as well as mums already in business who want to take their business to the next level without sacrificing time with their family.

 

Learn her ‘6 Success Secrets to Running a Family Friendly Business’ in a free training session. Get the details and register now at www.MumpreneurSuccess.com

 

 

Nearly Half of Working Mums Would Consider Sharing Parental Leave

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keeping children entertained on car journeysSome 44% of working mums would consider sharing their maternity leave with their partner, according to Workingmums.co.uk annual survey.

The number of women who would consider sharing their leave when the new shared parenting legislation comes in next year has risen by 3% since last year and may in part be due to a rising number of women who are the main breadwinners in their families – over 17% of women who were living with a partner say they are the main breadwinner and only in a small number of cases is this because their partner has been made redundant or had to reduce their hours.

The survey of over 2,390 working parents, sponsored by McDonald’s Restaurants Ltd, covers a wide variety of issues, from childcare and flexible working to finances, discrimination and self employment.

It shows that, despite the rise in women breadwinners, the number of women who claim to split childcare and housework equally with their partners is just 21%, down from 27% last year. Some 17% say their partners work flexibly with 4% of partners working part time.

Many women said the economic situation was affecting how long they took for maternity leave. Some 46% had returned to work early due to the recession or cost of living. Some 10% only took between one and three months’ maternity leave. The majority, however, took between seven and 12 months. Although 70% said they went back to work because they needed the money, 60% said they would work even if money was not an issue.

Other findings from the survey include:

– 56% of women say they earn less pro-rata than they did before having children.

– 49% say employers discriminate more against women in the current climate

– 60% think they have to work harder than men due to unconscious bias

– the number of parents using grandparents for childcare has risen. 56% make use of grandparents to reduce their childcare costs, 18% use tax credits, 25% have childcare vouchers; 23% use friends; 8% get older siblings to help and 18% get help from other relatives [many use a combination of options]

– 41% [up 11% on last year] spent nothing on childcare while 20% pay over £500 per month

– 32% say homeworking is their most favoured type of flexible working and homeworking is the most likely thing to encourage more women to work full time.

– 53% said that more flexible working would aid them in their career development

– Most women got the flexible working they requested, but 23% did not with 11% feeling their employer did not even consider their request at all

– Only 13% who had taken a career break found a job fairly easily afterwards

– Most women [53%] want part-time work and 15% of part timers work at least 6-8 hours extra a week

– Just 4% do a job share

– 74% of working mums are logging on to emails outside of their working hours, with 48% doing so regularly.

– 14% of respondents were on a zero hours contract or variable shifts – of these 54% prefer it as it offers flexibility, but 17% find it difficult to arrange all the childcare they need. 28% like it for the flexibility but also find it a challenge with childcare.

Gillian Nissim, founder of Workingmums.co.uk, said: “Our annual survey always throws up a wealth of information on the way women are working or would like to work and what the hurdles many face when attempting to reach their potential. It is interesting to note the appetite for shared parenting in the light of expectations that initial take-up will not be significant. This perhaps reflects a growing awareness among couples of the link between equality in the workplace and at home. It is vital that policy supports parents in having greater choice over how they balance work and family life.”

 

The Current State-of-Mind of Working Mums Today

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GUILT-RIDDEN, TORN BETWEEN TWO ROLES AND OVER-LOOKED -The current state-of-mind of working mums today

* Over three quarters (80%) of women feel guilty about going back to work and worry about leaving their child in the care of others compared with just 39% of men.
* Childcare responsibilities still fall on the mother’s shoulders, even when both parents are working.
* A fifth of dads (20%) say they wished they hadn’t gone back to work after having a family, saying they wished they could have looked after their child while over a third (37%) of men say they work full time with NO flexibility at all.

competitionNew research into the state of mind of working parents in the UK has found that we are a nation divided with women battling to find a healthy work-life balance, taking on the majority of childcare responsibilities while not at work. The research, undertaken for The Work & Family Show which is due to take place for the first time on 21st and 22nd February, found that over three quarters of women (80%) feel guilty about going back to work after having a family. Men, on the other hand, are relatively confident about returning to their jobs with just 39% feeling guilty about leaving their children in childcare.

The biggest concern for more than 35% of women was not having the help or understanding from their employer when dealing with the difficult transition from working woman to working mum. They also worried that their employers would be discriminatory towards them, entrusting them with responsibility and fewer big projects.

One mum who struggled to return to work after having a baby is 31 year old Leah McGrath. She returned to her role as an HR Service Manager at a large agra-pharmaceutical company after a year at home with her daughter. The plan was for Leah to do a job share but this fell through and she found herself fitting in a full time job into her contracted three days a week. She says: “I was finding it such a struggle, commuting three hours, three days a week, and trying my best to be a good mum. I was getting ill all the time; whenever there was a virus going around, I would catch it as I was so run down and my little girl’s behaviour was becoming very challenging. After a while I realised there must be more to life and resigned. It was extremely scary but I am so pleased I did.” Leah has since re-trained as a yoga teacher, running her own Yogabellies franchise, teaching pre-natal, post-natal and baby massage classes in her lo cal wellbeing and community centres. She has managed to get a healthy work-life balance and work flexibly but only by leaving her past career behind her.

Ben Black, Director of MyFamilyCare.co.uk who, together with Clarion Events, are organising The Work & Family Show says: “Due to the lack of support from their employers on returning to work, women often feel forced to give up the careers they have trained and worked so hard for in order to fit in their new role of motherhood. However, it shouldn’t be like this. Staff need to be supported as they return to work and deal with the challenges that being a working parent can bring. Employers who respond to their needs will be rewarded with engaged, productive and loyal employees.”

The research also asked fathers how they felt about the transition from working man to working dad. More than a third (37%) said they returned to work and received no flexibility at all. One in five, meanwhile, said they wished they had never gone back to work at all, wishing they could take on the full-time role of child carer.

Ben Black continues: “So many big companies like Barclays, Discovery Channel and Rolls Royce have made big improvements to their policies to help their parents who work, but these results show there’s a huge deficit. Women shouldn’t feel restricted in work when they become a mother and a man’s role in bringing up a child has evolved so much in the past 30 years and it’s time that businesses recognise this too.”

The Work & Family Show has been born out of the high demand from families in need of help when returning to work or starting up their own business. Jenny Willott, Minister for Employment Relations and Consumer Affairs, will introduce the show while inspirational experts and employers on the lookout for motivated staff will be on hand to give working parents and career break women access to practical advice. Organised by Clarion Events and My Family Care, it takes place on Friday 21st and Saturday 22nd February 2014 at the ExCeL London. Tickets are available from www.theworkandfamilyshow.co.uk from just £12, and people coming to the neighbouring Baby Show will have free entrance*.

Opening times:
Friday 21st February: 9.30am – 5pm (trade and press entry from 8.30am on Friday for a networking breakfast)
Saturday 22nd February: 10am – 5pm
**Ends**

*Free entry will be for everyone who has a paid-for ticket to The Baby Show

We have six tickets to the Work and Family Show to giveaway

Six Tickets To The Work and Family Show To Giveaway

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competition21st & 22nd February 2014 – ExCeL London

Next month the first ever Work & Family Show, sponsored by My Family Care and Sky Broadband Shield, will take place, giving working parents on the lookout for a new challenge in 2014 access to a wealth of ideas and opportunities. We have six tickets to giveaway. The speaker line-up is quickly taking shape, with Jenny Willott, Minister for Employment Relations and Consumer Affairs, confirmed as a key speaker on the main stage.

Born out of the demand from families in need of help when returning to work or starting up their own business, the show aims to give practical advice, inspiration and ideas to help create a happy and healthy work-life balance.

Driving confidence to get back into work, the event will be packed with inspirational experts and employment opportunities. Participants include Red Magazine, The Women’s Business Council and The Family & Childcare Trust, while the likes of The Post Office and franchise companies including Stella & Dot and Yogabellies will be on the search for motivated individuals to sign up.

There will be employment advice available at The Career Surgery (brought to you by Sky Recruitment) from the team at Inspired Mums, Thinking Potential, Workingmums.co.uk and the National Careers Service while there will be an array of experts on hand to give practical solutions help create an ideal work-life balance.

The show will be an interesting and engaging event full of lively debates, inspirational expert advice, and confidence-building ideas that will leave visitors eager to make their next move.

Organised by Clarion Events and working in conjunction with My Family Care, it is set beside the hugely successful Baby Show and is expected to attract over 10,000 visitors.

Oliver Black, Director of My Family Care says: “Over 2.2 million are not working in order to look after their family. More than 60% of these are looking to return to work but do not know how to and don’t appreciate the number of family friendly businesses that are out there. This is exactly who this show is for – helping talented parents find businesses and services who see the efficacy of installing family friendly working practices.”

Guardian Careers are the headline sponsor, while Sky will sponsor The Sky Broadband Shield Community Café – a lively and informative place for parents to meet with like-minded people on the lookout for inspiration. Here, parents will be able to learn more about Sky Broadband Shield which is a brand new tool that helps parents choose which websites are accessible in their home to ensure their children are kept safe online. Working Families, the charity that helps working parents and carers find a healthy work-life balance, are the official show charity.

Nicole Muller, Portfolio Director of Clarion Events says: “We’re very excited to be organising the first ever Work & Family Show and the response from businesses and parents keen to come to the show has been very positive. There is a real need for an event of this kind from those wanting to successfully balance work and family, especially with the recent ongoing changes to equality in the workplace, shared parenting, flexible working and childcare.”

The Work & Family Show will include the following dedicated areas:

• Recruitment & Employers – Work Opportunities (sponsored by workingmums.co.uk)

• Career Advice & Personal Development – Education & Advice

• Image, Style & Media Resources – Personal Branding & Development

• Family Services, Enablers & Networking – Support Systems

• Franchise, Self-Employment & Start Up Business – Going it Alone

Tickets are available from www.theworkandfamilyshow.co.uk from just £12, and people coming to the neighbouring Baby Show will have free entrance*.

Opening times:

February: 9am – 5pm (trade and press entry from 8.30am on Friday for a networking

Saturday 22nd

February: 10am – 5pm

For your chance to win, follow @Frostmag on Twitter and Tweet, “I want to win tickets with @Frostmag” or like us on Facebook. Alternatively, sign up to our newsletter or like us on YouTube.

 

 

Top 10 things women want to do with a free day

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puppy, sleeping puppy, puppies, cute animalsIt appears that during the average working week women clock in at least 20 per cent more hours than men.
A major study claims that because of housework and childcare, career women are working much longer hours than men.
A study by researchers at Cambridge University in England has found that women who work outside the
home still do the bulk of the domestic chores, including picking the kids up from school, helping with
homework, cleaning and cooking. So even though men tend to spend more hours at the office, often
because they are in management positions and earn higher salaries, it is the women who are actually on-
the-go for longer.
It’s certainly not 50-50 in terms of work on the job and at home then.

 

A recent survey undertaken by luxury tanning brand Vita Liberata attracted thousands of entries. Their question? Purely and simply, what would a woman do if they had 24 hours entirely to themselves, with no responsibilities, no financial issues, no worries at all.
Top 10 responses:
1. 78% were so knackered all they wanted was a day to rest
2. Shopping! No surprises there ..
3. 8% wanted to go for cocktails
4. The top 3 destinations to spend a day ‘out’ are New York,
London or Paris
5. Go to Nashville and visit the home of Elvis Presley
6. Watch Barcelona football team – at their home ground
7. 98% chose not to include their husband in their day off
8. Do makeup on a Hollywood film set
9. 5% wanted an active day – bungee jumping, skiing, white
water rafting, being the most popular
10. Drive the 5 fastest cars in the world
* Taken from Vita Liberata’s Liberation Day Survey
Most surprising result is that all most women* want is a Spa Day… time to themselves, to rest, relax and be pampered. Lack of imagination or just sheer exhaustion??
What would you do with a free day?

“Lazy” Brits? Over two-thirds would work for nothing to land dream job

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Over two-thirds of the British public would be prepared to work for nothing for up to three months if it meant landing their dream job, according to a new survey of over 16,000 people from visionary social media-based recruitment website staffbay.com

The survey revealed that far from British workers being lazy and motivated by wages, as some have dubbed them, some 68 per cent said they would go without wages to get the job they coveted – with 10 per cent of them prepared for work for three months without pay.

Tony Wilmot, co-founder of staffbay.com, said: “These results tell us two things: that British workers are far from lazy; and that some people will go to extraordinary lengths to impress their employers. We certainly don’t think that Britain’s jobseekers want something for nothing, and this survey proves it. They’re obviously prepared to get Britain’s economy moving again – and for free.

“The ten per cent of respondents who would work for three months for nothing also shows that some people clearly think they are over-qualified for the job they’re currently in. With so many jobseekers now applying for the same position, many in the jobs market are having to settle for second-best.”

The news comes in the week after Geology graduate Cait Reilly successfully argued at the Appeal Court that her unpaid work placement at Poundland, which she had been required to do to continue to receive benefits, breached laws on forced labour.

Yesterday, Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan-Smith told the BBC that some people “thought Geology was more important than stacking shelves.”

Also in the news this week has been Adam Pacitti, who rose to prominence last month after he spent his last £500 on a billboard advertisement outlining his availability to work. Promoting himself in a new, innovative way has reaped dividends, as Pacitti has found work at a design agency. He’s since taken another billboard ad out to thank those who supported him during this jobsearch.

Elliot Kidd, co-founder of staffbay.com adds: “As Adam himself pointed out in the press: ‘Employers are bored of looking at a sheet of A4 paper. Do something different.’ We couldn’t agree more, and that’s why we allow jobseekers to upload multimedia files, including video, to our website.

“Adam’s original billboard advertisement alerted employers to his website where they could watch a video CV he’d put together. One and a half million people saw the video, and now Adam has landed himself a job.

“I congratulate Adam for the innovative way he’s gone about promoting himself – jobseekers everywhere should take note. Our survey shows that by going the extra mile to attract the attention of employers, jobseekers can find the job they’ve always dreamed of.”

 

 

How To Deal With The Boss From Hell

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It’s the nightmare scenario. You love the job, you love the company, you love the people, but you have the boss from the hell.

Someone who delights in making your life difficult, and who is unpredictable, moody and generally ranges being from a tyrant to a terrorist, depending on what day it is.

You don’t want to leave and the prospect of a transfer is as remote as this character becoming an angel overnight.

Well, don’t despair because there are things you can do to turn some of this to your advantage.  As long as you keep your cool and pick your approach carefully.

It’s Not a Boss, It’s a Baby

Seeing things in a new light is a good way to preserve your sanity and can often be quite funny if you can develop the right language in your head.

Revisualise your boss as a child with a rather large nappy and a toothache.  Because in reality, that’s what they may be.

Angry or aggressive people are mostly insecure because they are not doing something to their own satisfaction, like growing up.  So if you can see this person as a rather irritable toddler, the chances are you’ll start managing the irritation with soothing tolerance and compassion.

And the success with all howling children, distraction is often the key. This may perplex your boss when they realise their tantrums are effectively being turned against them, especially if you can pull it off with a sweet smile and a bar of chocolate or a new toy.

See It Coming

The calmest people know how to manage the angriest bear because they can see the signs a day before it happens.

Terrible bosses are usually quite predictable, in that they have their drama moments set out in their head, often without realising. These are usually excuses that they program themselves with, so get to know them. It may be that the start of the week sets your boss off, or having to present some numbers that turns them into a raving lunatic.

Throw Water On Them

Please note, I don’t mean literally.

Bad bosses often like to exercise control in front of an audience.

So it can often leave them speechless if you can calmly and unexpectedly walk away when they get the megaphone or sarcasm gun out.

Just walk away, closing the door behind you to let them stew.

Feed Their Anger

In other words, play the distraction game.  When you can feel the balloon about to burst, give the devil a cup of tea, or even better, a sandwich. It’s hard to be angry when you’re eating something nice.

Write The Wrongs

Make a list of the all the things your boss does that drives you bananas. Then schedule a meeting.

Be calm, but definitely be prepared for a meltdown. Show him how many of them were shouted, were sarcastic or just rude.  And then let them know that this note just may find its way unto hands of someone higher up the food chain if the hell continues.

Find An Escape Route

If all of the above fail, it may be time to consider that Plan B. After all, no one deserves to be in workplace where they feel like they’re treading on eggshells.

Ending the work torment can be a lot easier than you think, and you can find a workplace where you are appreciated – believe it or not, there are nicer bosses out there!

By searching by location on local job boards, for example, ‘jobs in Peterborough’, allows you to find a comprehensive list of the many different jobs available within your area, which can all be refined by keyword and position-type.

Who knows, you may find a better job, better pay AND  a better boss all in one go.
This article was written by Ella Mason, an experienced careers writer. Ella specialises in providing job and money advice for individuals.