#untetheredlife Part 4 The returning parent

In the 4th instalment of our #Untetheredlife series, in which we explore how working for a recruitment agency that offers flexible working impacts the people that work there, Holly talks about how it has improved her ability to be both awesome at work and at home, something she thought she'd lost when returning to the workforce after maternity leave.

About 2 weeks before I was due back to work after having my son, I was made redundant. It shook my world. I had prepared emotionally and physically to return to the work force and was ready for my day to consist of more than tummy time and The Wiggles.

My confidence in my abilities was crushed.

Before I started working at TRC, I had 2 other jobs. One allowed me all the flexibility I needed to cope as a newly returning to work mother. However, the part-time hours didn’t allow for chunky, juicy, challenging projects.

I moved to a role that ended up being the exact opposite. Extremely engaging, meaty and very challenging, but sadly, due to the intensity and almost no flexibility it allowed for very little opportunity to be both successful at work and in the home.

Now I was at rock bottom. Feeling as though I was failing at being a good worker, a great friend and most importantly an awesome mother.

Enter TRC.

TRC is my unicorn – a genuinely family friendly environment, that don’t see me as ‘a mother’ or ‘the person who’s probably going to need time off if their child gets sick’. But as an incredibly capable worker who is bringing them immense value (if I do say so myself).

As a member of the Leadership Team, who gets to focus on and drive our award winning culture, the ability to have a #untetheredlife at work is my number 1 trick to being able to work fulltime.

Having a whole day at home, means I can work a full 8 hours plus get dinner on the table, do at least 2 loads of washing, get a session in at the gym and do pick ups and drops offs with my adorable little 3 year old.

This single day is my life blood. It keeps the rest of the week manageable (that and cooking in bulk!).

#untetheredlife also allows me to work from the train, so that 3 days a week I can run out the door early to pick up my son from day care and really allows me to feel like I’m winning at both being a mummy and contributing to our team.

Of course, I must also shout out to my hubby, an army of family support and the local Thai restaurant for keeping the madness of living with a 3 year old manageable.

It’s chaos, but my mojo is well and truly back and I get to work on chunky, thought-provoking projects with incredibly talented people that actually care about, not just the business succeeding, but my personal success in all the roles I play in life.

Check out the other parts of this series here

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