What Flexible Working Means To Me, A Mum

Following our ‘Best for Flexible Work’ award nomination, we sat down with Helen to get her thoughts on what makes our ‘case by case’ approach work for her. 

Balancing working life with home life can be challenging. Most working parents will tell you that the struggle is real. The school day is far too short, the holidays seem to come round quicker than when I was younger, and there’s just not enough hours in the day (or days in the month!) to fit in a traditional 9-5 role. 

But with an employer who values your skills and creates a working culture that promotes flexibility, the struggle isn’t half as hard.

My typical working week at MYC

I work four days a week in my role as a Social Media Manager, and it’s been that way for over a year now. I’m mostly based from my home in Sheffield, traveling over to the Manchester office for monthly face-to-face meetings and quarterly socials. I really look forward to spending a day in the office with everyone, but I equally feel part of the day-to-day fabric of the team due to the strong online culture we’ve created. 

My core hours are Monday to Thursday, working three short days and one long one, and picking up the remainder of my hours in the evenings or at weekends. Given the client-facing nature of my role, this works well; I’m always able to respond to clients whenever they need me. 

Spending quality time with my family

Because of this flexibility, I’m able to make nearly all school pickups and spend time with my daughters in the afternoon, knowing that I’m able to properly switch off and then take any queries later on in the evening. 

It’s also been a complete lifesaver with illnesses, isolations and school closure dramas. I’m fortunate that my husband also has an employer that embraces flexible working, so we’ve been able to be really agile with our working patterns, taking it in turns to do the childcare around our roles. I’ve not had to take off full days for childcare purposes, meaning we’ve also been able to maintain business as usual for my clients. 

Being transparent with the senior team

The nature of my working pattern requires total trust from both me and the senior team. They know that I’ll always complete my hours and I’m dedicated to meeting the needs of our clients, and I know they’ll do their best to meet my needs too. I have a huge appreciation and respect for such a forward-thinking model that’s so supportive of parents. 

I’m proud that we came highly commended for the ‘Best for Flexible Work’ Award by the Greater Manchester Good Employment Charter. It’s a real testament to the culture here at MYC, and how inclusive Kelly, Adam and the team are.

At the school gates, other parents wonder how I’m able to work four days a week and still make so many pickups. I honestly feel like I’ve won the work lottery. 

Looking to join an award-winning content agency with a flexible working culture to boot? Check out our careers page.