Olga, tell me about your day from the moment you get up to the time you go to bed. Do you have flexible working hours at Lleida.net?
I get out of my bed at 7 am every day, I shower and I make breakfast for my son. I get the school backpack ready with all the staff teachers asked for the day before, I wake up my son, I help him with dressing and finally we drive to the kindergarten. I leave him in the 4th “R” morning session and I rush to the office where I work from 8.30 am until 5 pm and have lunch here to rush back to the kindergarten and pick up my son from the after-school program before it closes for the day at 4.30 .pm.
We need to keep upgrading, so I attend on-site workplace English classes. Therefore, I have to make the time up later on, half an hour every day. At five o’clock I pick up my child, and I have the good fortune to be able to do that, unfortunately not everyone can do it. Then I go to my parents’ house, who live in the floor below mine. I get dinner, we dined together, I put clothes in the washer, cook my food for home to office and finally at 10.30 /11.00 I fall into bed. Yet another day.
Lleida.net gives me the freedom to adjust my working hours with my personal life, so I can deal with everything that arises related to my child: I don´t have to be at seven o’clock in my workplace, if they call me from school because he has sudden taken ill I can go and be with him, I can take him to the doctor … As long as you abide with your working hours, you have full working time flexibility Sometimes I also take work home to finish any possible pending issue.
Bea, you are the Head of the Interconnection Department … Does this position affect your daily live when you are out of the office?
Motherhood is a life changing event, both in and out the office. The important thing is to know how to organize and manage time in the best possible way. It’s a challenge! Time becomes the most valuable and the best gift.
Thanks to the flexibility that Lleida.net provides to its workers, I have been able to balance my work and family life .
What affected me the most was travelling. Due to my responsibility, I have to attend international congresses that require you to spend a whole week away from home. For these particular cases, I asked my family to take care of the baby ( breastfeeding was not a problem because unfortunately I nursed my baby only during her first month). The most positive experience during my business trips is her dad assuming roles that were felt as mother’s roles, so we split up tasks.
In conclusion, I can say that being a mum has neither reduce nor alter my effectiveness, although prioritizing needs and tasks has become crucial. Neither better nor worse, but different. So far a very positive and strongly recommended experience
Now let’s go with Andrea. You’re pregnant, congratulations! How do you think you will manage your work and the family life that is coming?
Pretty well! It’s coming great I assume that I will be working as usual, reconciling my professional and family life with the benefits the company offers to female workers in terms of work conciliation, such as flexible working hours or “telecommuting”. I really want to start this stage of my life and I believe working will not be a problem. In addition, if your couple also enjoys flexible working hours, it is a good idea, because sharing parenting duties is the key .
Well, those have been my questions. Thanks for sharing your time with me! Even though some days have already passed, I congratulate you all on your mother’s day. Because without you, the company limps, and it would not be the same.
Nevertheless, I have one more question… Working mothers how do you make it all work?