Being a mother is a full-time job, and within a year you inevitably ask yourself how you can possibly work at the same time. Not only can it be quite exhausting but taking care of an infant can make it quite difficult to maintain a professional outward appearance. Also, talking to a small child half the day didn’t exactly improve my professional language skills. I therefore thought that returning to a professional environment would be challenging. As I returned to work from my parental leave year, I started with a great respect for my job. The first week was long, and the second one just as much. But then I started feeling more relaxed at work and realized it really could work after all! My employer, 4ACES, made it very clear that offering flexibility to its employees is a big priority.
Always in open dialog with my colleagues and customers, I can plan my tasks how I see fit. I can partake in internal meetings from the playground and can depend on my colleagues to replace me in one or the other meeting that I can’t make. I can therefore fully partake in both my roles: I am both mother and consultant.
There hasn’t arisen any misunderstanding with my colleagues or customers due to me fulfilling both my roles. I truly value the spirit of cooperation that sets the tone throughout my projects. My colleagues, some of whom are also parents, all work in their own way, with their own weekly workload and availability. It works equally for everyone since flexibility and engagement aren’t just described on paper but are truly a part of the company culture.
