Commentary: 'Super mums' have one simple request. Don’t hinder them from returning to work

SINGAPORE: Mother, Member of Parliament, and partner at a legal firm.

Rahayu Mahzam'southward juggling of work and motherhood has been an uplifting tale for readers this week.

Her return to her MP duties one month later giving birth to her son Ayden has earned her the moniker of "super mum" among inspired readers.

She credits the help she gets from loved ones.

Merely the unfortunate reality for many new mothers is that re-entry into the workforce is neither easy nor seamless, especially for those without extended family back up.

WHY So HARD TO Return TO WORK?

Some say mums opt out because they find piece of work less highly-seasoned after experiencing the joys of full-time maternity.

But many mothers say it'southward because their bosses meet them in a dissimilar low-cal – as being less committed and more saddled with family distractions. Such attitudes atomic number 82 them to experience less valued past their organisations.

There may not be wrongful dismissal or overt discrimination confronting pregnancy or motherhood that provide grounds for action to be taken against employers.

Merely pocket-size things can add together up, similar when mothers say they cannot can't stand up the looks from supervisors when they have to have urgent leave because of unforeseen kid emergencies, an experience some dads say they share.

MP Rahayu Mahzam with her son, Ayden, in a photo taken in June 2018. (Photograph courtesy of Rahayu Mahzam)

These frustrating simply familiar dilemmas can exist easily resolved if mums negotiate for themselves, some say. Do new mothers know what they need to balance career duties and the new demands of motherhood? Are they upfront with their bosses about their expectations?

However we cannot ignore the reality that mothers behave most of the caregiving burden for young children and experience powerless to insist that their visitor accommodates them at every phase of their kids' development.

Societal norms may be office of the event. Through the school years, simply call back about who schools are more than inclined to telephone call starting time when a child falls sick or gets into problem – mum or dad?

NOT WORKING HARMS WOMEN Too

Mothers who drop out, even for a little fleck, suffer adverse effects in terms of income and career progression. This is worrying when national trends show the workforce participation rate in Singapore for women dips after age 25.

Much equally the situation has improved, the Government recognises this challenge and the bear on it has on women.

Manpower Minister Josephine Teo highlighted in Parliament in March that fewer women achieve retirement capability in terms of beingness able to see their CPF Bones Retirement Sum compared to men, when more terminate working because of reasons similar childcare.

"Women are more likely to exit the workforce, or have intermittent patterns of work, for reasons, such every bit childcare and sometimes caring for the elderly," said Josephine Teo speaking in Parliament in March equally and so 2nd Minister for Manpower.

The best fashion to tackle these problems is to enable women to remain in the workforce and continue to accelerate in their careers, she concluded.

READ: Address our bias in the pursuit of gender equality, a commentary

READ: For women of different cultures, classes, backgrounds and historic period – it's even so a homo'south earth, a commentary

STRONGER CHILDCARE Support IS Disquisitional

Strengthening childcare support can give working mothers the peace of mind her kids are in expert easily and a improve take chances of belongings downwardly a task.

Prime Government minister Lee Hsien Loong'due south announcement to increase pre-school places by 40,000 over the next five years at concluding year's National Day Rally is a step in this direction to broaden access to affordable and quality childcare, and has received potent public back up.

Many agree childcare is 1 surface area that deserves more attention for some groups of mothers.

Enhancing childcare options by licensing child minders and providing night childcare services, were a few of the recommendations made by local advocacy grouping AWARE this week, to help new mothers from lower-income households who may accept to piece of work shifts get back to work.

In the instance of mothers who managed to secure places in childcare centres, they were also unable to get care support when the childcare centre closed for functions, or when the child was not well, AWARE's study says. (Photo: Chan Luo Er)

READJUSTING TO WORK NOT Easy

While childcare is critical, it is not sufficient in helping mums adjust to piece of work afterwards some time away.

Mothers themselves recognise this and are doing something about information technology. Since last year, a new programme by local grouping Mums@Piece of work helps lucifer companies to PMET mothers who took a career break. It also helps mothers get used to a working environment once more.

Just are companies buying information technology? But one-half of surveyed companies in Singapore say they've hired a adult female who wants to rejoin the workforce, according to a 2022 written report by recruitment bureau Robert Walters.

Perhaps the best approach is to ensure mums don't go out in the first place, like what Mrs Teo said.

COMPANIES MUST Be More than FAMILY FRIENDLY

Companies take the power to make their workplaces more than family friendly and help mothers in this regard.

After all, they accept a vested interest in retaining this talent pool, since mothers who drop out are likely to exist as qualified and competent as their male person counterparts.

The key may exist not to single out mothers by giving them some sort of special dispensation but better work-life integration as a whole.

Some know this and give all staff time off or allow them to start afterwards. Local precision technology firm Feinmetall does this, despite being a modest company with 50 or and then employees.

Josephine Teo with Feinmetall staff members. (Photo: Janice Lim)

Surely larger enterprises can prefer more ambitious flexible work arrangements, including telecommuting and giving their staff the selection of working role-time.

You might not expect those in a fast-paced sector similar cyberbanking to afford these kinds of practices, but OCBC has seen at to the lowest degree 1 vice-president take the plunge into function-time work for more than than a year to spend time with her children, according to news reports.

This would certainly crave firms to accept sufficient fill-in coverage, and then that co-workers having to pick upwards the tempo to compensate doesn't become the norm and pb to resentment.

I also wonder whether organisations volition be brave enough to carelessness the fourth dimension clock altogether and switch to a results-only system, where functioning is measured against whether timelines are met and objectives achieved.

This may be near-impossible for those in operational roles.

But for others, it'due south worth noting that research shows organisations with stiff work-life practices enjoy college productivity, stronger employee engagement and satisfaction, and higher rates of retentivity.

Nosotros Demand A Different Civilisation

Possibly mindsets are at the cadre of this issue. Exercise we over-value presentism and confront fourth dimension?

Do colleagues cast judgment if someone needs to take off because of a child emergency, regardless of whether the child is a toddler or a teenager?

Do bosses trust employees to fulfill their responsibilities? And do they have their employees' welfare at center, or do they wait them to shed their personal identities, emotions and responsibilities when they get to piece of work?

Instead of a fixation most what is lost when companies give employees more flexibility, can we focus on what is gained?

The almost equal and happy societies have companies with absolutely aggressive pro-family practices, but information technology's worth looking at them to think out of the box.

Swedish company IKEA's movement to offer fathers, including those working in Singapore, month-long paternity go out is one refreshing example of how family unit-friendly organisations help mums - by giving dads the infinite to practise more at home and be equal partners in the endeavour of raising kids.

READ: IKEA's month-long paternity leave a shining example to exist followed, a commentary

New fathers working in IKEA's stores and offices across Southeast Asia get four weeks of paternity leave since January i. (Photo: AFP/ANP/Robin van Lonkhuijsen)

More than A Hamlet TO Assistance MUMS Return TO Piece of work

It takes a village to raise a child, only it will take more to help a mother get back to piece of work.

At that place is a happy ending to Mdm Rahayu's tale of returning to work. Things are less hectic at present equally Ayden's schedule has settled into some sort of regularity, she says.

As deputy chairperson for the Authorities Parliament Committee for Social and Family unit Development, I have no dubiousness Mdm Rahayu will practise her best to facilitate more of such positive stories of working mothers returning to pick up where they left off.

Meanwhile, at that place is much to exist done to help other "super mums" get at that place, and nosotros should all be part of this tale.

Lin Suling is executive editor at Channel NewsAsia Digital News where she oversees the Commentary section.

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Source: https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/commentary/working-mothers-return-to-work-flexible-work-arrangements-family-218171