Working Mums Rock: Official! Microsoft have been doing some research into working Mums and that really is the long and short of it so working Mums, give yourself a pat on the back. They spoke with more than 5000 employees and over 200 working Mums with 72% of UK employees saying that working Mums are vital to the UK workforce.
Just before our Butlins break I got together with a group of women and a few gentlemen to listen to the wonder woman that is Liz Earle and a panel of like-minded working mothers discussing how they juggle their work-life balance. Gone are the days that the majority of women give up work to be a stay-at-home wife and mother as more and more women are returning to the workplace and not only ‘managing’ it but absolutely rocking it!
Liz Earle started her business 30 years ago when research was done in libraries, not online. Her TV career started out on Richard and Judy and she began her business; Liz Earle Beauty Company with Kim Buckland. Things have evolved so much since those days when mail orders were taken on a form which they created with a stamp. These days her life revolves around technology, her daughter is a 23 year old teacher and they use technology to stay in touch.
Last year Liz began a completely new venture completely online; Liz Earle Wellbeing. One year into their business and things are very different, they have no ‘building’ from which they operate as everyone works online from home. They use Office365/OneDrive and OneNote to keep the business running smoothly even though they rarely see each other. It makes the possibilities endless!
Liz now has a four year old child whom she affectionately calls her ‘Autumn Leaf’ and when she is working away Liz will Skype with her children and she gets them to load their homework onto OneDrive so that she can still check it for them so they know she is ‘there’ for them even when she isn’t!
I loved Liz’s catchphrase:
If you want to get something done, ask a busy person
If you want to get something done quick, ask a busy woman!
Today, 85% of UK Mums have a Smartphone to aid their multi-tasking and returning to the workplace whilst daunting is often easier for Mums than you would think because we just blend from home to work and back again.
In the Financial and Legal professions there has been a reported spike in ‘returnships’ of working Mums returning to the profession which is very valuable to the business. Days of 9-5 working are long gone because in today’s society we are online 24/7, we delve in and out throughout the day. Working Mums are very methodical in their approach to tasks and the daily routine so the output is higher quality and more practical in approach.
Liz’s Tips to be a great ‘working’ Mum;
Use the right tools for the job – sometimes this is still a good old pen and paper! But Office365 is a great tool to help with multi-tasking as it has everything that you need to run a house and/or business effectively.
OneNote – this is a great tool to share the shopping list with your other half. It even has a checkbox so you know what has been picked up and what hasn’t. There is no need to throw the list away. Just keep it stored away ready for the next time one of you goes shopping.
Stay connected with the help of Skype if you need to be away from home. These days it is so much easier for families to stay connected even when they are apart!
But on the whole Mums, just keep on doing what you are already good at!! You rock!! xx
Office 365 Home is a subscription service costing £7.99/month. Also available is Office 365 Personal at £5.99/month.
DISCLAIMER: I was provided with a copy of Office365 after attending this event (but I use it anyway). All words and opinions are my own and may not be copied without my permission.
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