Here at Change Recruitment, many of our members of staff are parents. So, we understand the importance of juggling childcare and work responsibilities. We want every member of the team to feel fully supported to reach their professional as well as personal goals.
We sat down with Claire Dearlove, Recruitment Consultant in our Accountancy & Finance team, to discuss her experiences returning to work after maternity and how Change has supported her to balance parenthood and work-life.
As a new parent, how have you found the support at Change?
It’s been great! Before I even started, they discussed looking at the right opportunity for me and approved a four-day work week.
They were also quite supportive of a flexible start and finish time to work around childcare drop off and pickups.
When I started, Deborah ran through the family-friendly policy and how Change can be flexible to meet the demands of being a working parent.
How have you found balancing work/life commitments?
In recruitment, you’re sometimes expected to work longer hours in the office to get the job done. As a new parent, I don’t have this luxury as I need to leave the office at five to get to the nursery to pick up on time.
As a result, I’ve had to maximise the use of my time in the office and work smartly. And, anything I don’t get finished during the day gets picked up in the evenings, once my wee one is down for the night.
What’s the biggest benefit of working at Change as a parent?
It’s definitely a more mature environment where the needs of a parent are understood. On the one occasion that I had to leave the office in the middle of the day due to my child being ill, I was able to leave immediately, and wasn’t made to feel guilty about leaving.
What advice would you have for people returning to work after maternity leave?
Make sure that you are working for the right company that has a family-friendly policy as this is a game changer.
Would you recommend Change as a good place to work?
100% - Change’s ethos was what drew me to the company in the first place. Having friendly colleagues and supportive management makes it a positive place to work.
What values of Change do you particularly respect or align with?
I particularly identify with the values of ‘professionalism’ and ‘authenticity’ as I’ve always considered myself as someone who works in this manner.
What’s Change’s work environment like?
It is a hardworking, dedicated and knowledgeable team who create a very friendly, positive and supportive environment.
Discover Flexible Working & Part-Time Roles at Change Recruitment
Whatever you’re personal circumstances, we’re keen to support talented recruiters from all backgrounds. Almost all of our positions include flexible working options and we also occasionally recruit for part-time staff.
Browse available openings here or get in touch with one of our internal recruiters.
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