Seven reasons why Mum’s make brilliant employees – just in case you didn’t know!

While reading the online edition of Metro the other day I came across an article titled ‘7 reasons Mum’s make brilliant employees’ and read with a lot of interest and a smile on my face.

One of the reasons why my business partner and I created KnownFour is because there are hundreds of highly skilled, professional women out there who are struggling to get back into the workplace since having children and being on maternity leave.

Employers don’t always want to offer part-time hours and have huge expectations that the employee they knew before maternity leave is going to come back and be able to commit to long working hours and grueling schedules.

However, we feel that this is the completely wrong approach and is the reason why we encourage women back into the workplace by offering them the chance to work the hours that work around them.

As a business, our ethos is to create a work-life balance that works for each individual. We employ strong-minded, determined and motivated professionals who can work just as well away from the office, if not more so.

Plenty of research shows that people work smarter, not harder from home and that with limited distractions can actually work a full day in less time than if they were based in an office.

The article in Metro was a reminder of the key skills that Mum’s can bring into the workplace, from multi-tasking, working under pressure and meeting deadlines, to not being afraid of negotiating and having bags of stamina.

Read the full article here and let me know your thoughts on the subject of Mum’s returning back to work: http://metro.co.uk/2015/08/06/7-reasons-mums-make-brilliant-employees-5329887

In the meantime, if you’re a new Mum who’s worried about the options available to you then why not get in touch as see if we can help you make a successful career move that’s right for you and your family.

Simply call us on 0203 741 8045 or email info@knownfour.com

We may have missed out on National Work From Home Day (5th June 2015) but it seems that many employees are now embracing the opportunity to work from home in an attempt to restore work/life integration.

I read an article in Personnel Today recently that shows a significant increase in the number of people working from home, with one in seven workers now choosing to do so, as reported in the Office for National Statistics Labour Force Survey.

The report shows that there has been an increase in employment over the past ten years, which is great for the economy, but is a figure that has been outstripped by the number of people choosing to work from home.

Has your company adopted the “flexible working” UK government directive?

You can find out more about it here https://www.gov.uk/flexible-working/overview

The report shows that the number of people working from home increased by 800,000 in 2015, taking the total number of home-workers to more than four million. They’ve even estimated that a further 1.8m people would choose to work from home given the opportunity.

To read the full article click here: http://www.personneltoday.com/hr/one-seven-now-working-home/

Now, at this point it’s worth bearing in mind that working from home isn’t for everyone. It takes a certain level of dedication and motivation to sit at a desk and work productively when working remotely, so is often only offered to those in senior positions.

As a motivated individual I found the transition from working in an office to working from home quite seamless, but you do have to ignore distractions and tuck yourself away from activities taking place at home. Creating a workspace at home is certainly the way forward when getting into ‘work mode’.

However, the work-from-home option doesn’t always work well for certain industries, especially those who work in health, retail or education.

The figures in the survey show that employers are now starting to shift their attitudes to home-working, perhaps realising that many employees can work smarter without the distractions of the office environment.

I have discovered from several studies and reports that work/life balance is not really achievable for most, however work/life integration is far more productive.

From an HR perspective, where work/life integration is high up on the wellness agenda this is certainly a step in the right direction and is gaining more popularity

At KnownFour we strongly believe in the capabilities of those working with us, appreciating that life often gets in the way and that jobs these days very rarely happen between 9am and 5pm.

We give people the opportunity to work the hours that suit them in an environment that’ll help them make the most of their situation, with the addition of support and the same developmental opportunities you’d expect from an office environment.

Think of it as working on your terms but with our bigger goal in mind and full support and guidance from your employer!

To find out more about how we work and how working for us can work for you, drop us a line at mycareer@knownfour.com or contact us via Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn.