Working mums’ profile: Philippa Jebson

Philippa Jebson has a two and a half year-old son and works as an HR and Operations Manager in Surrey.

How much time did you take off for maternity/paternity leave?I took 11 months off
Did you keep in touch with your job during maternity leave? Yes, very sporadically and this was down to me, not my employer
How was the first week back? I didn’t go back to my old job as I came back part time in a different role and in a different part of the company, but it was ok.
What kind of childcare do you have and are you happy with it? I use a local nursery and I am delighted with it.
What has been your worst moment as a working parent? Being stuck in a traffic jam and being really scared I would miss the close of nursery.
Do you work flexibly? I have just started a new job so I don’t work flexibly yet, but I will have the option to in the future.
What is your typical working day? Up at 6.45am, drop Max at nursery at 7.30am, on train at 7.55am, at work at 8.30am, coffee in hand, leave at 4.45pm, pick Max up at 5.40pm, home by 6pm!
How many hours a week do you work? 3 days
How do you cover for holiday periods? I don’t have to yet!
What do you feel, if anything, needs to change to improve your work/family
life balance? At the moment, everything works well, I would like my family closer to help with “emergencies” and I would love my husband to get home earlier from work, but all in all I can’t complain!
Do you feel there is enough support/advice for working parents? I don’t need any more advice or support, but I feel that I did have to fight for my previous employer to think flexibly about my return to work post maternity leave and maybe attitudes around this issue need to be reviewed.




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