<< Going back to work

Working part-time in the office

Kathryn is an operations manager and also the mother of Jasmin, who’s 15 months old. Her husband works full-time in farming.

"I decided to work part-time in our office after I had Jasmin because I thought it would be a good compromise – and I was lucky enough to be able to do that from a financial point of view.

"So far, I’ve been proved right. Working a few days a week means that I’m able to pursue my career and focus on that exclusively when I’m in the office. And on the days I’m away from work, I really enjoy doing all those mummy things that full-time stay-at-home parents do, such as going to baby music groups, swimming and seeing other mums. I also get to catch up on the housework so it doesn’t all pile up for the weekend.

"My husband is extremely supportive and recognises that continuing to work is important for me: we both get the chores done so that we can spend time with Jasmin. My additional income also allows us more of a life when we’re with her.

"On the downside, part-time work is very different from how I imagined it. The obvious difference is that time goes far too quickly, so I have to be very organised with scheduling my work tasks. Also, I have to communicate much more with my colleagues, and vice versa. I recognise that I have become one of ‘them’ – one of those part-timers who seems to flit in and out of the office while everyone else seems to be permanently hard at work.

"But I love my job and I love being a mum. Working part-time means that I can have my cake and eat it! Of course, sleep doesn’t really feature in my life anymore but then, does any parent get enough sleep?"

Pros of part-time office work:

• You can continue to have a reasonable income.
• You’re able to maintain your career at the same time as having a baby.
• You have variety, ‘me’ time and can focus entirely on non-baby oriented issues for part of the week.

Cons of part-time work in an office are:

• Guilt over leaving your baby.
• You end up in a sort of no-man’s land from your colleagues’ perspective: you do belong, but not entirely.
• You do have to take a drop in pay.
• You can struggle to fit all your work into the days you’re at the office.

Read first-hand experiences of other options of going back to work after becoming a mum:

• working full-time
• working part-time from home
• working freelance

Where to next?

• Read babyworld's pages on returning to work after having a baby, including how to prepare yourself and how to prepare your baby for your return to work
• Read about the various childcare options available to you and how to decide which is the best for you and your family
• If you're thinking of a change in direction, read about how to set up as a freelance or how to go about working from home. Or, if you prefer to work in an office environment read about how to go part-time
• Visit icircle careers for more on different working options, how to balance work and home life, tips on getting the job you want, details of your rights at work and more
• Share your own experiences of going back to work on our working mums discussion forum
• Read other babyworld features