Thursday 13 August 2009

Quick hit: Working mums Q&A for bosses

Gill South's column in the Herald today addresses several questions about employing working mothers, such as:
Why should I look at employing a mother as opposed to any other kind of employee?

As many business managers can tell you, working mothers often make the best employees. They are loyal, focused and extremely conscientious. They don't like to move job often because their lives thrive on routine. If they have a system that works, they don't want to change it. They enjoy their time at work and want to achieve to the best of their ability. You will not find a working mother taking regular long lunches - they will be the ones working through lunch so they can get the maximum done.
Click through for the rest.

I'm very very slowly working my way through South's book, Because We're Worth It, which is about working motherhood. As with most of these books that I've perused so far it is irritatingly middle and high income focused, although at least it is honest about that and has mentioned the financial necessities of working for those parents on lower incomes.

4 comments:

Anna said...

That para you quote above is both true and incredibly patronising. It reads like the characteristics you'd look for when considering what breed of dog to get as a pet.

katy said...

Anna, I wondered if it was just me, I cringed when I read that..

katy said...

And not to mention that working mums sometimes are (shock) bosses!

Anonymous said...

WOW - i took 3 really long lunch breaks just this week. I guess i imagined the whole giving birth thing.


Why does she single out mothers? Surely she could apply the same sweeping generalisation to workin fathers?