Having a child for many women means leaving a career simply because a full time job requires plenty of hours and
commitment–usually not compatible with having a family. Yet David Mackenzie, Founder of Mums@Work and Managing Director Louise Karim reveal a new way of doing things as now women can go back to work with flexi-timings.
What It Is
“Mums@Work is the first initiative of its kind in the region, focused on helping mothers back into the workplace after taking a career break. We are not only here to connect candidates with clients – but also to guide, mentor, and ensure that our moms have the skills and confidence to get the job that is right for them. For our clients, we are a route to a mass of super talented women who bring with them not only a wealth of experience, but also diversity and a strong work ethic.”
Key Reasons For Initiating This
“There is a wealth of untapped talent in the region in the form of women who have taken a break from their careers to have a family and have not returned to the workplace due to a lack of flexible working options. Prior to launching, we undertook a YouGov survey and found that 77 percent of professional women in the UAE would return to work if there were flexible roles available, which indicated the tremendous scope for what we wanted to do.”
The Response In the Job Market
“We have had a great response from companies. Multinationals in particular, are quite versed in flexible working, but don’t have access to sourcing very experienced women in the region. We are the first agency in the region to be dedicated to exposing this talent.” Local companies are increasingly very keen on bringing flexible working into their workplace and are seeing the benefits of implementing this in their day-today activities. We are working with quite a few SME’s who may not have the budget to employ full-time staff, but can better accommodate candidates with a wealth of experience and talent, and on a flexible or part-time basis.”
“Since our launch in April this year, 8,000 candidates have joined our community looking for a flexible role, which has really highlighted to us the demand from mothers in the market. We have seen a very positive reaction from businesses including multinationals, local companies, and SME’s, who are all very interested in what we are doing
and are seeing the benefits of this untapped wealth of talent.”
Top Tips for Job Seekers Looking for Flexi-Timings
- Be organized.
- Be honest with your employer about what you can deliver.
- Be clear about boundaries – otherwise your work and family time will merge.
- Have contingency for the times when your children are unwell.
- Check the culture of the business is right for you.
