International Women's Day x Mother's Day 2024
On this year’s International Women’s Day and upcoming Mother’s Day, we are shining the spotlight on the dedicated working mothers of Wise Productions. Every day, we recognise the super woman status of our Co-Owners who valiantly juggle the demands of both motherhood and their professional lives!
To mark the occasion, we spoke to four Wise women about their experience as working mums.
Jade, Head of Strategy & Communications
How do you balance the demands of your career and being a mother?
“It’s a constant juggle and you learn to accept that you can’t be everything to everyone. I find that since having my son I am much better at prioritising my time to ensure I maximise both work and family life to the fullest. At Wise, I’m empowered to do my job without impact on my family and as a result I naturally work harder for the company!”
Are there any women, within or outside of Wise, who have inspired you in your journey as a working mum?
“I have a friend who in the throes of early motherhood decided to set-up her own events company. We used to message each other at 2am during night feeds to create business ideas together. She now owns an award-winning company and runs national shows – all whilst raising two kids. She is a huge inspiration and helped fuel my own postpartum career.”
How do you hope to inspire others, especially those who may be considering or starting a family while pursuing their career?
“I have achieved more in my two years at Wise since having a child than I did in my entire pre-baby career. Mothers know how to move mountains! Having a child is just one chapter of our story, not the ending. How mothers define all the chapters that follow is entirely up to us and I hope women realise that if they want a fulfilling career AND fulfilling family life then they can absolutely have both!”
What advice would you give to other working mums trying to find a balance between their career and family life?
“Work out what balance of career and motherhood works for you and stick to your guns. I started back at work 3 days per week and eventually increased to 4 days. If I’d have gone back to work full time, I would have compromised my mental well-being and no job is worth sacrificing this for. Know your worth ladies, and don’t settle until you find a company that knows it too.”
Hannah, Client Director
How has being a mother influenced your approach to working life?
“I genuinely think working makes me a better Mum. It helps me fill my cup and organise my time better. When I’m not working my son can be my sole focus, and spending time with him is even more of a joy after doing a bit of something for me!”
How does/can Wise support working mothers?
“From the day I joined Wise I remember hearing David Wise regularly using the phrase “family first”. I hadn’t appreciated quite how important this would be until having my own child. I feel so grateful to work for a company that offers incredible flexibility and compassion towards not only its working parents, but all of its Co-Owners.”
What challenges have you faced as a working mum, and how have you overcome them?
“The late nights have been particularly challenging! Working in events is exhausting; it’s even tougher when you get home in the early hours after working a long shift, then your little one wakes in the night, or very early in the morning for the day. There’s no rest for the wicked! Some days I feel like I’ve worked a full day before even opening my laptop. Wise is amazingly flexible with its hybrid working offer, and TOIL for overtime which really helps lighten the load.”
Do you have a strong support system, both at home and at work, that helps you navigate your dual role?
“Support system is everything! Amazing family, partner and work team makes all the difference.”
Mar, Head of Finance
Tell us about your role at Wise:
“I have been at Wise Productions running Finance and other functions for over 27 years and, while my children are grown up now, I joined when my daughter was 5 and just started school and my son 3 years old at nursery.”
Are there any women, within or outside of Wise, who have inspired you in your journey as a working mum?
“My mother always inspired me. As young adults, my parents built and owned a garage and my mother learned to run the accounts and management for it. This was at a time when women in Spain were mostly housewives. She grew the business to include a car dealership and she was the first woman in Spain to own one.
She felt that she could not support us with our homework, having herself left school so early, so she bought, in instalments, a huge encyclopaedia so we could refer to it for our studies (where was google then!). She still found time to take us to extra-curriculum classes to ensure we had a rounded education (music, self-defence, English, etc).
If I can inspire my daughter the same as my mother did to me, I will be happy.”
What advice would you give to other working mums?
“A flexible employer is invaluable when you are a working mother. It is also important to give your full attention to your children for a period every day when you get home. It’s so easy to get involved with all the other home chores. We always had a snack together after school where I helped with their homework until dinner time. That meant that house chores and catching up with work had to be relegated to evenings and weekends, but it was worth it.”
How do you think having a diverse workforce, including working mums, contributes to the overall workplace dynamics at Wise?
“I believe having a diverse workforce gives a company different perspective that would have been missed otherwise. It is important to understand the different experiences other colleagues have.
Wise Productions has always been an inclusive and supportive company for working parents. I believe David Wise set this tone from the start.”
Alka, Purchase Ledger
How has being a mother influenced your approach to work and/or leadership?
“Being a mother has taught me the importance of patience, attention to detail and organisation. There are just a few of the similarities between being both a mother and a professional!”
What does being a working mum mean to you?
“Being a working mum is good for my mental, physical and emotional health. Living two dimensions at the same time makes me feel strong and proud!”
Are there any women, within our outside of Wise, who have inspired you in your journey as a working mum?
“My main role model is Indra Nooyi, the former Managing Director of PepsiCo. I am also inspired daily by all the mothers around me.”
How does/can Wise support working mothers?
“At Wise, we have a flexible working pattern that means I can work around looking after my children, I can take care of both without having to make sacrifices. I love my Wise family, each and every person here is so supportive!”