How Hootsuite enabled me to choose Career AND Family
I am a mom. I am also an HR/recruiting professional. Prior to having my daughter, I spent 10 years working my way up from a recruitment coordinator to a senior recruiter.
I love my baby girl but I also did not want to stop pursuing my HR/recruiting career. I love helping people find their dream jobs and did not want to give that up. At the same time, I love spending time with my family. I did not want to choose between my career and being a mom. While on maternity, I also started a mommy blog that I wanted to continue pursuing. How was I going to balance everything?
The answer to my dilemma was: Hootsuite.
Hootsuite gave me the opportunity to apply my skills and continue pursuing my career in a part-time capacity. I work a 75% work week (30 hours). I have the flexibility to work from home when needed, help people find their dream careers, work on my blog (my blog was chosen as the Top 30 Vancouver mom blogs for 2017) and spend time with my number one priority, my baby.
This work schedule works well with the nature of the work I do and varies for other parents at Hootsuite. I consider myself lucky to be in a department that wants to create opportunities for mothers returning to work and is open to — and supportive of — part-time work arrangements.
Nevertheless, it was still a difficult transition. This was the first time in 18 months (I had taken an extended mat leave) that I was going to be away from my child for a significant period of time. This was also the first time I was going to be working part time. In my role, there is a sense of urgency to fill vacant positions and find the best talent.
I had a lot of anxiety about being judged for working part time and for leaving my child. The questions that popped into my head were: How am I going to assure the managers I work with that I can do the job? What if they feel I am not providing them the level of service they want because I am not in the office? Will I be judged for deciding to work part time? Will my peers think I am not committed? Is this career suicide? Am I a bad mother for letting a stranger raise my child?
Hootsuite gave me the opportunity to find the balance I was looking for, but the first couple of months were tough. I jumped in to support the team through the busy hiring season. My daughter got sick and I had to find a way to take care of her and complete my work. I felt guilt for not being there for my baby and I felt guilty for not being at work.
My manager supported me and gave me some tips on balancing work and family while working part-time. She encouraged me to take the time to be with my family and to set up a regular “out of office” message for my email. She told me that she did not expect me to answer emails and work on my day off. When I first started working part time at Hootsuite, I felt I had to “be on” all the time, or I would be judged. But that was not the case. My team and my manager wanted this arrangement to work for both of us. This was the support and commitment I was looking for.
This opened my eyes that Hootsuite is serious about creating opportunities for women in the workplace. There is a large percentage of women that do not return to work after maternity leave, as it is tough to find an employer that will give them the balance they are looking for. It is comforting to know that Hootsuite is committed to families and making the transition easier for parents.
One of the benefits Hootsuite provides to new parents is a top-up to the gross employment insurance benefits — during either a pregnancy or a parental leave — of up to 75% of base salary for a period of 6 weeks (EDIT: Hootsuite now offers 100% for 12 weeks in North America). They also provide a parental leave kit for all of our peeps, globally, who are welcoming a new owlet into their home.
There are still days when it is painful to leave my baby girl at daycare (especially after a long weekend), but I am grateful to be part of a forward-thinking organization that supports my decision to work part-time. Hootsuite has given me the opportunity to be the best mom I can be while successfully pursuing a career that I love. Thank you Hootsuite!
If you are interested in working at Hootsuite, check out our current opportunities.
