The Wasted Workforce

Maternity Return

No, I’m not talking about drugs but of the chronic and extortionate ignorance of employers not structuring their workforce to suit mothers returning to work! What an absolute disgrace in the 21st Century and one which bites us in the arse time over.

Does this originate from the mystifying existence of the misconception that mothers’ bring less rather than more to the workplace because of their extra dependents?

Over Looking the Positives

I know of small business owners who purposely avoid recruiting females during their breeding years, terrified their business will not stand the strain of maternity leave and return to them empty vessels rather than more substantially present human beings.  My personal examples are generally of married men with families of their own, so I am never clear if this poor judgement comes from deep-rooted old-fashioned values or plain stupidity.

Motherhood is Seriously Intense Training

Stupid and ridiculous it is however, mothers can’t help but become up-skilled by the very nature of motherhood. One of the main reasons it’s so painful the first time round is because of the enforced,  accelerated personal growth; A good analogy is Popeye swallowing his cans of spinach! How can the development or honing these valuable employment skills not be plain to see?

Stating the Obvious Multi Skills

Let’s consider a few obvious ones that really shouldn’t be overlooked but clearly are….

People Management skills, becoming adept at successfully managing difficult, obstinate and irrational characters.

Time Management skills, through juggling all the school, after school activities, birthday parties, play dates, health care and general life.  

Improved efficiency, seeing through all the crap to establish what’s important/necessary rather than nebulous.  

Organisational Skills, we’ve become organisational maestros, able to plan and cater for a wide range of varying circumstances – which is why our handbags are so bloody big and heavy.

Event Management Skills, Today’s child has to have at least one class inclusive birthday party delivered on time and within budget.

Appreciate our multi-tasking skills, we can hold more than one conversation at once whilst performing another task/s. And there really is more, I’ve barely scratched the surface…..but hopefully made my point!

Full Time Farce

I know there are employers who do facilitate their mothers returning to work, but often unreasonably expecting full-time hours.

Necessary Adjustments

Or not keen to make adjustments to create a smooth more lasting transition, creating un-necessary high mental health costs all round.

Size Isn’t a Valid Excuse

And it’s all very well to apportion the blame down to size, saying this can only be the gift of medium or large businesses. But given that the economy is largely composed of small and micro ones (85%) that’s just a nullified excuse.

If Some, Why not All?

There are some sectors that seem to manage the impossible, like accountancy, where there seems a plethora of well paid part-time positions. I can’t work out if this is because of the nature of the work or because the Industry had to adapt to a skills shortage? Though it’s unlikely to be the latter because that’s a job you need qualifications for?!

Intrinsically Changed

To add to this ‘clusterous fuck’,  motherhood often changes the individual intrinsically so that a return to the old self is no longer desirable or even possible and there is a thirst for a different career path in which to utilise this enriched brain.

Childcare Raped

You’re screwed if you fall into this category until you’re not dependent on exorbitant childcare cover or unless you’re loaded up with money and enough energy to re-train in the midnight hours! 

Wasted Workforce

Thus all these highly skilled individuals remain at large, wasting their potential not being able to contribute to the economy and costing the NHS a fortune in mental health from unrequited achievement….happy pills all round!

No Time to Reap & Sow Properly

How is it we can all want to live a nurtured, emotionally balanced society with parents taking responsibility for their children but enforce an environment unconducive to enabling this? 

Cost of Ignoring this Potential

The costs from this antiquated system are almost immeasurable both financially and socially and threaten to perpetuate far into the future if this is not addressed. As Britain’s economic state isn’t exactly in the clover it seems a no brainer but then the Government largely ignores the sense of the commoner. Vote for me, I’ll sort them out!