We’re lucky to have a few mothers in the Techifide team and each has her specific challenges, depending on her circumstances. As soon as the COVID-19 pandemic arose, we knew we’d need to adapt quickly to the fact that children would be around more, as they couldn’t be in school or nursery.
In Techifide, we like to break paradigms, and we didn’t want our mums to contribute to the negative statistics that plague working mums, so we tried to be flexible with working hours and to listen to each mother’s individual needs so that we could provide them with the support they deserve.
It’s not just about helping mums to do their job, despite the extra childcare needs. It’s also about supporting them to be the best mum they can, despite having to work as well.
We try to be the best mother, the best teacher and the best professional. In the beginning, I tried to do everything with perfection, but I now understand that there is a limit to what we can accomplish.
Gesebel Nardon – Techifide
These are some of the experiences our mums were happy to share from the last few months:
Gesebel
Gesebel’s son is eight years old, very active and finds it very difficult to have lessons online. He requires a fair amount of time from his parents to complete homework and needs some extra incentives to study. “The tricky part was finding the best time to study with my son and carry on with my work responsibilities. I decided to focus on Maths and Portuguese and leave the other subjects to the side.”
They both appreciated the flexibility during the typical working week. “In Techifide, I can stop for an hour during the day without having to formally ask for time off. That is something some of my friends can’t do. I feel that the trust that the company has in me is the biggest benefit I could have.”
Cristina
Cristina is a mum-of-three: a four-year-old, an eighteen-month-old, and a new baby born during lockdown, “we had to contract a fulltime babysitter as we have three children.”
As they are at different ages, the children have different needs but they are all learning from the experience of sharing family life with a working parent: “By watching me working and having to wait to talk to me because I am on a call, I feel I am teaching my children important values. The first is the value of work. The second is patience.”
Andrea
Andrea’s daughter is four years old. “Techifide allows me to have flexible hours so that I can dedicate time to studying with my daughter. My 15-minute breaks are for dedicating time to my little one.”
They live with Andrea’s parents who can help with her daughter’s special assistance needs but they have their own health to consider. “Remote work is the safest option these days. I feel blessed that I don’t have to go to an office and risk infecting my parents with COVID-19.”
We know that all our mums bring something unique to their work and we want them to continue to be able to do this in the long term. Flexibility and support now will build strong relationships that we all benefit from in future.
The support, empathy and trust that the company gives to us women is outstanding – I haven’t seen this anywhere else. Andrea Vogl – Techifide