Career Mum, an impossible dream or positive reality at o2?
Before I had my daughter Chloe, work was my life. From the moment I got up until the minute my head hit the pillow my focus was my career, achieving my goals and climbing the career ladder. Then I had a baby. A beautiful, amazing wonderous bundle of joy that turned my world upside down and then some!
After the initial change in lifestyle (which was a shock in itself!) my thoughts turned back to work. What were my options, would anyone consider letting me work part time,what would the hours be like, could I leave Chloe, where would she go and how would I fit everything in? The answer came in the form of O2.
Being a seasoned recruitment professional I knew that I wanted to put my skills to good use and continue my career journey, but not to the detriment of my family. I wanted a company who were flexible and understanding of my needs and would consider letting me manage my own time in return for delivery of results. And I found that here.
The first few weeks were hard, don’t get me wrong. Switching my brain back into work mode and learning a new culture and way of doing things was tough, but extremely rewarding. O2 made it easy to juggle interviews with a nursery pick up and supported me all the way with flexible working and gave me the tools to prove that a part time role didn’t equal part time respect or loyalty.
I now work 4 days a week and I love it. Chloe is settled in a nursery she loves and I am settled in a team that strive to achieve in everything they do and are flexible through and through. I look after the Marketing Directorate and the fact I work 4 days a week has never stopped me responding to their needs or filling their vacancies!
The secret to my success- planning! From on-line food shopping deliveries at 10pm to making sure I have one day a week free for administration and emails the key to it all is being organised. Making sure that I stay connected to my career and my child simultaneously is extremely important to me- and with O2’s help, we’re better……connected.
Estelle