The Difference a Week can Make
35 women started this week a bit apprehensive, but equally excited to take a great stride towards returning to the workplace after career breaks of varying lengths. Some of us haven’t been in full time employment for over a decade, but one thing we all share is the drive and determination to get to grips with the changes that have taken place in our absence, and to get back into the workforce.
Changes at Work
With our career breaks coinciding with the rise of social media, for many of us the media landscape is almost unrecognisable when compared with the environment where we previously strategised, planned and executed marketing programmes. As a result, there was a universal feeling among us of having much to catch up on, in order to feel current and able to add value in today’s market.
One of the recurring, as well as reassuring themes we heard from the many impressive speakers we have enjoyed, is the fact that we are all in the same boat. Things are moving and changing so quickly that it is impossible to know everything, and even those who haven’t had a break struggle at times to keep up with the pace of change.
Changes at Home
While our cohort was being educated on the market disruption of the previous years, our families were simultaneously undertaking their own education. The Back2businessship programme has cleverly given us all a brief taste of what it will be like when we are actually working again. Maybe our son walked the dog in the morning, or our husband did the school run, or our daughter went to breakfast club before school for the first time because we had to be at Oracle’s offices on time – whatever the changes, some adjustments would have been made to accommodate our ‘work lives’ over this past week. Judging by the atmosphere near the coffee before the programme started, those families had better get used to their new routines because this group of women is excited, motivated and ready for the challenges that lie ahead!