Survey shows talented parents are leaving the world of employment

A new survey for Family Friendly Working shows that talented parents are leaving the world of employment.

Britain’s bosses are missing out on skilled employees due to a combination of the lack of flexible hours and the cost of childcare. And the parents who are leaving are continuing to develop their skills too both with the family, by retraining, and in their own businesses.

Unsurprisingly the top talents developed by parents are Multitasking (68.4%) and Time Management (65.3%). But more than half (55.3%) of the parents who responded to the survey have developed Promotion and Marketing Skills and almost as many (45.3%) have developed better Communication Skills.

Mums and Dads are getting better at managing money too, with nearly 4 in 10 (39.2%) saying that they have developed their Financial Management Skills after leaving work. A similar number (37.6%) have improved Project Planning Skills since quitting employment.

Parents’ people skills are getting a great workout too. Three in 10 (30.7%) parents claim to have developed better Conflict Management Skills, and one in five (20%) have better Team Management Skills since leaving employment.

Director of Family Friendly Working Antonia Chitty says, “I know that I’ve developed my skills since I left employment and it looks like I’m not alone. Britain’s’ bosses need to think hard about offering more flexible work opportunities in order to make the most of talented parents.”

Parents completing the survey have commented on their post-employment experiences:

“I have learnt a lot since then! More importantly I have learnt a lot about myself, maintaining a positive mental attitude, social networking, enterprise and more.”

“I ended up returning to education and finally getting the degree I always wanted.”

“Starting my business has meant my time management has to be good so that my children get the best of me and I still have time to put into work.”

“In 2006 I published my first book, with a five month old baby and two older kids. Truly a new start for me.”

“I retrained as reflexologist so had a complete career change. I had to learn about running my own business and marketing myself.”

Website:  www.familyfriendlyworking.co.uk

Mumpreneurs - Mums Positive About Starting their Own Businesses

An annual survey carried out to mark Working Mums’ Day (28th September) has shown that the Recession has been a positive experience for many mums who have started their own businesses. As the trend for more mums to become mumpreneurs grows, a the survey, carried out by Mums in Control, demonstrates that more than half of those questioned said they feel more secure since running their own business; while two in five said their profits have increased since the onset of the Economic downturn.

Rachael Taplin, managing director of Mums in Control, said, ‘’Our Working Mums’ Day survey shows that mumpreneurs are more in control of their businesses and their lives. Those who have seen an increase in profits over the last 12 months said that this was as a result of a greater focus on what they need to achieve to succeed.’’

Taplin continued, ‘’The desire for more control extends to family life. Of those questioned, we found that 65 per cent of mums who run their own businesses are driven by the objective of having more flexibility to spend time with their children, and four in five said that since working for themselves their life work balance has actually improved!’’

As the General Election looms closer, political parties would do well to take note that three quarters of working mums are either the main breadwinner or share the financial outgoing with their partner. Yet we have seen an increase of more than 10% on last year to 86% of working mums who feel that British Business is not committed to flexible working.

As more of these mums take the decision not to accept second best for their families or their careers, and to set up business themselves, more business support seems to be needed for this growing group of mumpreneurs.

Taplin continued, ‘’Today Mums in Control celebrate the second Working Mums Day and our survey this year appears to show that this group of mums are very much taking matters under their own control in order to allow them to do their best for their families, while continuing to forge their own careers.’’

Reflecting the growing significance of the role of the working mum, Mums in Control today launches their MiC Club, a subscription service that provides support, advice and inspiration for mums who want access to the latest information for working mums and mumpreneurs.

http://www.mumsincontrol.co.uk