New parents returning to work are primed to solve PR’s problems
Seven Communications' Heather Mollins makes the case for why parenthood makes for more insightful, creative members of staff.
Today feels like the start of a new era. My husband is now the stay-at-home Daddy to our smiley six month old baby and our ‘threenager’. Meanwhile, I’m zipping off in my mummy station wagon to an office complete with real adults and endless coffee options.
Our new routine is so 2018 – even the New Zealand Prime Minister is doing it.
I’m not sure what to do with myself in this silent 30 minute drive to the office. It’s rare to have such a moment of peace. So, I’ve decided to reflect on what motherhood has meant for my career – the many challenges, learnings and the opportunities it has created. Here’s the warts-and-all truth…
Who killed our creativity?
There is no better way to shake off your stresses and spark creative ideas than playing Lego, finger painting, hide and seek or building a train track for Thomas to ‘puff and hoot’ around. Playing like a toddler, with a toddler, opens your eyes to how we are all born creative and imaginative. When does it get beaten out of us? When do we start to colour within the lines?
I’ve started using my almost three-year-old as a testing ground for ideas. If he can grasp a concept or get excited about it, we’re usually on to a winner. My business partner thinks we should put him on the payroll.
I now really know my audience
Mums are considered the key decision makers in the household by most marketers. This is arguably outdated as my husband will now be more concerned with which washing powder we purchase (no love lost here, but in any case, I’ve worked in agencies where a bunch of young hipsters are jammed into a meeting room brainstorming ideas for Aussie mums. The truth is, until you walk in these shoes it’s hard to get the perfect audience insights.
I now have a stronger gauge of what resonates and what keeps mums up at night. Which leads me to my next point…
The system is f*cked
Excuse my French, but why should parents face a decision on whether to return to work and pay up to $180 a day (yes, PER DAY) for childcare? It doesn’t seem worth it to work to pay for someone else to raise your children. Also, that’s if you get in to a daycare or after school care. Waiting lists in Sydney are up to two years for daycare and Brisbane families are facing the same wait for after school care.
The frustrating thing is there are solutions – pay parity, flexible working, ‘use it or lose it’ leave for Dads like they do in Norway (those Scandinavian countries seem to have their stuff together, don’t they?).
We work in a female-dominated industry and I would love to get together with other PR leaders to consider how our industry can pave the way for mums to return to work.
Forget the village, it takes a densely populated city
It’s true – it takes a village to raise a child. For me, that village extends beyond family and in to my business and workplace – think of it more like a densely populated city. I would not have survived the past six months, including returning to work when Mr Smiley was only 10 weeks old, had it not been for the support of my amazing family, business partner and colleagues.
We need more business leaders who have empathy and compassion. Although, I would preface all of this by saying that you could get all the compassion in the world on the proviso you still deliver. We are a client-focussed business and it shouldn’t be their problem if you’ve been up every two hours through the night with a teething infant.
“But we’re having fun here, mum”
I’m a naturally speedy individual who moves at a million miles an hour, always doing four things at once and working with adrenaline to the next deadline. I guess that’s why I like PR. My toddler, however, is a constant reminder to stay in the moment a bit longer and enjoy the ride, rather than always focussing on the destination.
He constantly stops to investigate his surroundings – picking up twigs and sticks or pointing to cranes and buildings. When I try and hurry him out of the swing park, so I can go home and get to the myriad of things to do, he looks at me confused and says ‘why do we need to go home when we’re having fun here, mum?’. Fair point.
So as I pull into the office, I have decided to leave my parental guilt in the station wagon and focus on what a privilege it is to be a working mum. Ask me again at 5pm, but for now I’m going to enjoy unaccompanied toilet breaks and a coffee that stays hot to the end.
Heather Mollins is the managing director of Seven Communications.
Very lovely and so well-put. Thank you!
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Great post!
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Love this. If only all the MDs would click and read 🙂
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