When Karen O’Reilly returned to Ireland, she expected she would easily find work that would fit around her family life.
“I thought finding a flexible role would be easy, until I started looking in earnest and realised that there were very few flexible roles available and no service that could help me find one.”
And so, the idea for a recruitment agency specialising in flexible hours was born. In 2018, Karen set up ‘Employmum‘, which now has a large database of qualified, skilled professional parents who want to work flexibly.
The entrepreneur says there is a huge demand for flexible working hours, especially amongst mothers who want to balance time spent with their children with their professional lives.
“In a recent survey we conducted of our database, flexible work was the most desired attribute in a job and candidates stated that the inflexibility of employers was the greatest obstacle to women returning to work over and above the cost of childcare, which we found very interesting.”
Karen says some companies were immediately on board but others needed clarity on the benefits of flexible working hours.
“There is a still a fear factor within a lot of companies about flexible work which is understandable but unfounded – many companies say ‘well if we offer flexible work to Mary, then everyone within the company will want it’ to which we reply ‘what is the problem with that?’”
Companies are now approaching Employmum for advice on supporting women in the workplace and implementing flexible work strategies. Employmum says that the benefits of flexible working hours are not just for the employee and have a range of benefits for employers.
“Flexible work can help to reduced the gender gap where women are able to remain in the workplace, allow companies to retain good people they’ve invested in and save money in the case of remote workers.”
While many of Employmum’s clients are looking for work to fit around child care some are returning to work after raising their families.
“We recently placed a woman who had been out of work for 15 years in a material buyer position in Limerick. She had taken time off to mind her children who are now grown up. She spotted that we were recruiting for a part-time material buyer and with the help of a new CV and a gentle push from ourselves, she nailed the interview and is now back working in the same position she was in 15 years ago.”
It’s not just mothers who avail of the specialist recruitment agency, many women without children are on the books as are a significant number of men.
“We have different types of candidates registered with us. Women who are returning to work after a career break, we also have parents who are working full time 60-hour weeks, they never see their children and as a result, they are seeking flexible work. We find people who simply want flexibility in their roles are coming to us seeking flexible positions too. We’re gender blind here at Employmum and over 20 percent of our placements are men.”
Employmum also offers workshops to women returning to work after a career break. Women in this situation are offered support from a panel of life and career coaches around Ireland. The agency has also partnered with companies to create a programme they call a ‘Returnship’.
“A Returnship is run like an internship but it’s for women who are returning to the workplace after a break. The idea around it is to offer coaching and mentoring for women returning back, confidence is often a major issue for many women returning after a career break and by supporting women through this period, we can access a fantastic resource of women who want to re-ignite their careers”.
Karen says that many women find it difficult to re-enter to the workplace after a period of being a stay at home parent and this programme can be a good way to gain relevant experience.
Flexible work can mean a variety of things and according to Karen, savvy employers are now realising this with many embracing the concept.
“Sometimes it just means making small changes from an employers perspective that can mean so much to a parent trying to juggle everything.”
“This is what Employmum is all about – helping people, particularly women, either stay in the workforce or re-enter with ease… It makes sense and is a win-win for everyone”.
