Warning: parents at work

I’m sure I’m not alone in feeling that being a parent is often considered by others as a career-impediment. Particularly if, because you have young children, you would rather work ‘normal’ hours (i.e. 9-5) or part-time.

But there are two assumptions underpinning this state of affairs which I think are fundamentally flawed.

1. Having a life outside of work means that you are not committed to your job

In my experience having a life outside of work can make you a more effective employee. I’ve just had to complete my end of Fellowship report for the Clore Leadership Programme in which I was meant to respond to the question: ‘what have you learned about leadership through your Fellowship?’. There are lots of inspirational people out there from whom I’ve learned a great deal over the past 18 months, but I think I’ve also learnt just as much about leadership from being a parent: which I find ironic given how hard it is for many women to return to or progress into leadership positions after starting a family. And this doesn’t just apply to parents, there are lots of things people do outside of work that enrich their lives and make them more effective and productive in the workplace – from being practising artists to volunteering.

2. It is desirable for employees to be constantly available and happy to work very long hours

‘Working more doesn’t mean you care more or get more done. It just means you work more.’ (Rework)

In their best-selling book Rework, founders of the 37signals software house share the secrets of their success – which definitely don’t include workaholism. They argue that the workplace culture of presenteeism needs to be discouraged – because ‘if all you do is work you’re unlikely to have sound judgements’. Too often the amount of ‘work’ someone appears to do is confused with what they achieve. As those of us who these days need to watch the clock so we can be out of the door by 5pm or 5:30pm to pick up the kids know, when you’ve got all the time in the world things take as much time as you have but once you have a schedule you simply need to prioritise and work smarter.

But whilst these assumptions are flawed – and some would argue out-dated – they are still a powerful and often unspoken presence in our working culture in the arts and cultural sector. And whilst many arts workspaces rely on people working long hours – often unproductively and unnecessarily – then we’ll continue to see only a handful of women with young families in senior roles in our sector. If we could only break out of this pernicious habit of over-working then we’d all enjoy the benefits of a healthier working culture and more diverse leadership.