A Working Mum and a Career Woman – the Best of Both Worlds!

I finally feel that I can have the career I want and also spend quality time with my family. I hope that more companies take note! A woman can have a career and be a mother – I am proof of that.

Career woman & a mum– the best of both worlds!

A career at Cloudbooking allows me to be there for my boys, as well as keep my career on track.  

Giving up a career to be a stay-at-home mum after having my second child seemed like a natural thing to do in 2013. I felt that I had missed out on my eldest child’s early years because I’d tried to carry on working. I knew that I didn’t want to have the same regrets with my second.   

Having studied Hotel and Catering at University, I had high hopes of staying in the hotel industry for a long time. However, I soon realised that to keep progressing up the ranks, I would have to surrender my social life and resign myself to the fact that I would probably be working 12-14 hour shifts, sacrificing my weekends to be successful. This was not a sacrifice I wanted to make, and I decided to quit my job and temp for a few months while deciding what to do next.   

Forging a new career was definitely at the forefront of my mind, although I also knew that I wanted to have a child someday.

A change of direction

I then joined Domestic & General, a company I stayed with for 14 years, working in IT Technical support. It was in a really enjoyable role, and with it being a small team, I felt an integral part of the company. Even though management changed over the years, people recognised our contribution in times of crisis and the extraordinary effort that went into completing certain projects.

This job was also where I met my husband and was lucky enough to have my first child. I’d relocated to the East Midlands at this point and where I had our first son. I knew that after my nine months’ maternity was up, I’d return to work and see what it was like to be a working mum. I had negotiated for three days in the office and two days at home, so my little boy went to nursery three days a week. This flexible working certainly made life easier, although I still found being a working mum difficult.

When our second child came along, we had a difficult decision to make. I felt like I had missed out somewhat with our first son and didn’t want to have the same regrets with my youngest.  

We decided to take the nine months’ maternity leave and then look at the situation and my return to work. At the time, it was possible for me to stay at home with the two boys. The eldest was just starting primary school. It was almost ideal, as I could still do school runs and look after the youngest one. We decided it would be nice for me to stay at home and have a slightly different experience with our youngest.

Return to Work 

However, fast-forward a few years and our youngest had started reception. So, my husband and I sat down and discussed what I wanted to do next. I said I’d like to get a local job and return to work, but I hadn’t investigated anything at that point.

I then saw a job advert for Cloudbooking. When I showed it to my husband, he encouraged me to apply as he thought I would be perfect for it. If I didn’t apply, I’d kick myself. But I also accepted that if I didn’t get the job, it was okay. 

This time away from the workplace allowed me to focus on my family, and I have no regrets about putting my career on pause.

The Best Decision and Employer 

Getting the job at Cloudbooking has been the best thing that could have happened to my career. It confirmed in my mind that my return to work was the right thing for me. Also, it helps that I went back to the right job, using the skills that I had gained from my previous jobs and for the right employer.

“Now I have the best of both worlds. I am doing work that stimulates my mind and uses the valuable skills I have learned throughout my career. It gives me the flexibility to do the school runs and be there for my family.” 

One of the best aspects of my job is that every day is very different at Cloudbooking. Now I have the best of both worlds as a working mum. I am doing work that stimulates my mind and uses the valuable skills I have learned throughout my career.

The flexible working allows me to do the school runs and be there for my family. I can cook dinner for my children and don’t need to travel for three hours a day commuting to the office, which is completely wasted time. Instead, I can plan meals and do my online food shop.

The boys are a bit older now, so they keep themselves entertained while I finish work, but the flexible working means I am always there if they need me. They don’t feel like things are any different, as they still see me as much as they would have done before. 

I have been lucky enough to find the perfect balance as a work-from-home mum while also progressing my career in a team that I care about.

“I don’t need to have that physical construct of an office to be an efficient employee.” 

Being a work-from-home mum at Cloudbooking has shown me that I don’t need to have that physical construct of an office to be an efficient employee. We are very much a team, even though we are miles apart. I think the distance forces us to communicate with each other more, and I probably speak to my colleagues just as much now, flexibly working as I did when I was working in the office.   

I also feel I have a contribution to make to the team at Cloudbooking. You get recognition and are valued for what you do, which you don’t always get at other companies or employers, big or small.  

Having learned the role, I am amazed at how kind people are, both internally and externally. Out of all the people that contact us, we rarely get negativity, and there is always a friendly vibe. I think this is a testament to the relationship that Cloudbooking has with its customers, the customer service and the quality of the solutions that it offers.

“You get recognition, and you are valued for what you do, which is something you don’t always get at other companies or employers, big or small.” 

Here at Cloudbooking I finally feel that I can have the career I want and also spend quality time with my family. Flexible working has made my life easier, and I hope that more companies take note! A woman can have a career and be a mother — I am proof of that.

If you want to find out more about Cloudbooking and our range of workplace management solutions, contact us today.