Finding the Right Formula for Work-Life Balance

This is a guest blog by Vicky Whiteley, a Group Account Director at Elevate Global UK.

I’ve been working at Elevate now for 5 years; previously in a role in the Client Services team and now I’m working in the Sales team. A lot has happened within those 5 years – most notably are I now have 2 little humans to look after! As a mum – returning to work with 2 under 3 years old (and the corporate world in general) after maternity leave can seem pretty daunting. Mum’s need to be flexible – and having the right employer makes the world of difference. That’s why it’s so important having a workplace that fosters women in general and creates an environment that enforces work-life balance.  Here’s some things I’ve learned along the way: 

I always took my career seriously, and I didn’t necessarily want having kids to get in the way of that. Equally, I always knew I wanted to raise a family. Initially I was worried – felt bad/guilty about heading off on maternity leave – which on reflection I shouldn’t have. Research shows that 87% of recent fathers return to work full-time, while only 30% of recent mothers did the same. Of those mothers that did return, 54% of them return part-time or reduced hours. 

I believe that being a mum doesn’t mean that you need to let go of your own ambitions. In the events industry as well, particularly working in a client facing role, can mean long hours and work can get pretty stressful. At times you may even need to be a bit hands on. For me, my new life is slightly less Salesforce and budgets and more swimming lessons, Disney music and carpet picnics. But nonetheless, my ambition and drive allow me to be “me” and not just “mummy”.  I always knew I that I would want to carry on working and I’m grateful I’m in a place where my own career path is still being paved. 

At Elevate, I felt really supported throughout my pregnancies and when I returned to work. I used to work full-time, but I’ve been lucky to switch to part-time, working three days a week, which gives me the perfect work-life balance. I plan to keep this schedule until my kids start school so I don’t miss any of those important milestones. Elevate made sure I felt supported during the whole process and helped me transition smoothly when I left. They offered the flexibility I needed to handle appointments, morning sickness, and all the other not-so-glamorous stuff!

Elevate supported me again when my circumstances changed, allowing me to switch back to full-time for six months. During that time, I really threw myself back into my work, and it reminded me just how much I love my job. In fact, when that period ended, I felt nervous about going back to part-time! Call me a control freak (actually don’t!), but the busy bee that I am, I liked having my fingers in all the pies. Now, three months into being back part-time, I remember exactly why I love working just three days a week. I’m thrilled to be with a company that understands my needs and supports my choices!

At first, when choosing a new role, young women may not think about how supported they’ll be during pregnancy time. My advice if you’re even considering going down this route is to start having those conversations early on before you’re pregnant. Don’t feel guilty or hesitant– being a mother is an amazing thing and the most important job you’ll ever do! A workplace should never dictate whether you get to do this or not. 

In 2023, Elevate launched their initiative ElevateHER, to reduce the gender pay gap and minimise discrimination against women in the workplace. We believe in championing women in the workplace and driving systemic change. I’m thrilled that Elevate Global is committed to making internal improvements within the business and is continually amplifying women’s voices in our industry. I’m proud and optimistic to see what change there will be in the future.

To aspiring mums out there: choose your employers wisely. It’s easy to chase job titles and the highest salaries when you’re younger, but what really counts, is an employer who cares about their people and is willing to support them personally.

If you want to learn more about Elevate Global and what we do, feel free to reach out to me on LinkedIn.