Could having children ruin your career in PR?

PRmoment discusses the art of juggling work responsibilities with caring for a family. According to the charity Maternity Action, which campaigns to end inequality and promote the well-being of pregnant women and their families, the current recession is being used by some employers to make more pregnant women and new mothers redundant. With the Equality and Human Rights Commission estimating that already 30,000 women lose their jobs each year as a result of pregnancy, this is not good news for those thinking about starting a family in the near future.

As PR employs a large percentage of women, and as women still tend to take on the brunt of juggling families with work, it may be supposed that the industry is more sympathetic to the needs of working mothers. However, Gillian Waddell, president of the CIPR’s Women in PR group and managing director of Fuel PR, says that she is not so sure that PR is best suited for those looking after children. As the industry is so client-led, it involves working to suit the clients’ agendas which can mean long hours, leading Waddell to suppose that: “I am not convinced it is as easy to work in PR as a working mother as in a lot of other sectors”. She also queries whether there is much job security and if it offers all the perks of other professions, such as those in the public sector. Waddell herself has succeeded in having a successful career and a family life, and in her own agency there are a lot of working mothers as she is sympathetic to their needs.

She suggests four factors that make working life easier for mothers in PR: living close to the place of work; having an understanding boss and team; being well-paid so that childcare is affordable; and having a fast car to get from A to B as quickly as possible!

Becoming independent
For some PR professionals, becoming self-employed is the best way to cope with the demands of work and home. Juliet Bernard, owner of Bluebear PR which specialises in digital and ethical clients, says: “My husband and I are both self-employed and we took that deliberate decision to give us the flexibility to be around for our children.” Bernard points out that being self-employed is not always easy, as it often means burning the midnight oil, adding “ I probably have spent a large part of the last 14 years feeling frazzled.” Nevertheless, she still thinks this has been worth it. Bernard claims one of the main factors that helps her work is the internet, saying, “Clients don't really care if you are emailing them at midnight with a draft press release as long as it is on their desktop for the morning.“ Bernard also believes in being very open about being a mum, saying, “it is an important part of me and the way I work and I don't feel I am
making an excuse”.

Kirsty Langan, a PR consultant specialising in digital marketing clients, chose to go freelance and work part-time since having her two children, now aged nine and five. Langan says that the pros of freelance work is that clients buy into part-time availability, rather than “having to sell it in to an existing full-time set up.” She adds, “part-time can also work well in the current climate where clients can't afford a full-time resource.” The downside of working for yourself, says Langan, is that the door is always open, making it tricky to manage reactive calls and pitch stories to journalists on days when there is a small child in tow, although she offers the tip of: “going for a drive and making the call with the child safely strapped in their car seat!” She says other drawbacks are unpaid holiday and not having the benefit of sick leave.

Insider dealing
Flexible working is easier for those who have chosen to go it alone in many ways, as they can set their own working agendas, but for those working for organisations, there are still options that can make life easier. Helping employees achieve a work-life balance may not be the top of all firms‘ priorities, but many are willing to look beyond simply providing statutory maternity, paternity and adoption rights. According to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), there is now increasing recognition that all employees, and not just those with children, need to achieve an acceptable work-life balance. In its fact sheet on flexible working the institute says that the number of organisations offering staff the opportunity to work flexibly has almost doubled in the last six years. For example, its research has found that more organisations are offering part-time working, job-sharing, flexitime and term-time working options.

Lewis PR is one firm that aims to be family friendly. Liz Moss, UK HR manager at Lewis says: “We provide statutory maternity leave, but offer above the statutory levels for paternity. We value having a family-friendly working environment for both men and women before, during and after pregnancy. This support could be through flexible working, be that part-time or working from home, as well as offering family healthcare cover as standard.”

PR firm Hill and Knowlton also prides itself on its efforts to find ways that allow people to work more flexibly. Caroline Samuel, managing director of HR, says: “We have a number of staff who work on a part-time basis, both male and female. They may work on a three- or four-day-per-week basis, with the option of working for some days from home, or for fewer hours each day than the traditional nine to five. In addition to this, we offer enhanced maternity and paternity leave packages (determined on a length of service basis) and the usual lieu days for any weekend working.”