Online Resources for Working Women who Juggle Family, Career and HomeWritten by Cheryl Rickman
Working mothers work longer hours Approximately 47% of UK workforce is now made up of women, with 12 million employed, according to Labour Force Survey from Office of National Statistics. And employment figure is rising by approximately 20,000 every two months. 41% of these women are working mothers with dependant children (4.9 million), and it is these women that increasingly have to juggle work and home, career and family.According to a recent government-backed research programme into future of work, working mums work longer hours than they did ten years ago; on average an additional 2.5 hours a week are spent working compared to early 1990s. These findings have caused Shirley Conran, author of Superwoman, to advise women to go on a baby strike and stop having children for ten years because there’s not enough support for mothers. Fortunately, women needn’t take such evasive action as there are plenty of resources on Net that can help working mothers and female entrepreneurs to maximise their time, find perfect childcare solution, get help from virtual assistants and business/web advice. Here are a pick of some of best resources online for working women today. TIME MANAGEMENT / WORK-LIFE BALANCE http://www.worklifebalance.com The leader in work-life balance training. http://www.winninginfo.com This site sells ‘Juggling Woman’ series of booklets: ‘107 winning ideas on returning to work and ‘99 helpful hints in understanding teenagers’. http://coco.essortment.com/howtomanageyo_rfwe.htm How to manage your time effectively article http://www.womenslife.co.za/Default.asp?action=article&ContentID=226 How to manage your time effectively article www.personaltransformation.org imemgmt.htm Time management tips and time log http://www.pvc.maricopa.edu/lac/guest ime.html Time management tips http://www.allexperts.com An About.com service that enables you to get help from specific experts. Jackie Hale is Time Management expert. http://www.mindtools.com/page5.html How to get most from your time http://www.balancetime.com Time management seminars http://www.employersforwork-lifebalance.org.uk Demonstrates how work-life policies can be introduced on a practical basis. http://www.healthworks.com.au/publications/booklets/b-worklife.htm Work-life balance booklet from Healthworks. http://www.ivillage.co.uk/workcareer/worklife/ Has some useful articles on juggling work and life. http://www.equalsone.co.uk Flexible recruitment consultants who support work-life balance http://www.dti.gov.uk/work-lifebalance/ Free book provided by DTI. http://www.execwoman.com/workingmother/workingmother.htm Articles on work-life balance and resources for mums. OUTSOURCING AND VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS http://www.smarterwork.co.uk Business services outsourcing marketplace http://www.elance.com Professional services marketplace http://www.talentcue.com Freelance database http://www.virtuallytheoffice.com Provides administration and support services to businesses and individuals. http://www.ivaa.org International Virtual Assistants Association http://www.v-sec.co.uk V-sec secretarial services http://www.vauk.co.uk Virtual assistance UK http://www.virtual-employee.co.uk/ The Virtual Assistant http://www.staffcentrix.com Virtual Assistant Community http://www.assistu.com Virtual Assistant/Office Professionals http://www.virtual-asst.com Virtual Assistants http://www.virtualassitant.com.au Australian Virtual Assistants http://www.getvirtualassistant.com Virtual Assistance http://execassist.net Executive virtual assistance. http://www.cushiontheimpact.co.uk/ Help available to cushion impact BUSINESS AND INTERNET RELATED ADVICE http://www.beyondbricks.co.uk New government initiative with useful information relating to business and e-commerce http://www.better-business.co.uk Better Business magazine online http://www.smallbusinessadvice.org.uk Does exactly what it says on tin :) http://www.businessbureau-uk.co.uk Includes internet statistics, outsourcing and more http://www.smallbusinessbureau.org.uk Lobbying body for SMEs http://www.factline.co.uk/ Factsheets for SMEs, including tax self assessment and other information. http://www.open.gov.uk/inrev/sa/ Inland Revenue Self Assessment http://www.bizmove.com Free guides and worksheets http://www.enterprisenetwork.co.uk The Sunday Times Enterprise Network http://www.internetangels.co.uk Online business development directory and more http://www.webcritique.co.uk In-depth site appraisals and personalised web promotion plans and press releases, to save you time and optimise web performance. http://www.hitsnclicks.com Online marketing resource centre
| | The Nice People's Guide to Business PoliticsWritten by Lisa Lake
I re-entered workforce after years of being a stay at home mom. I knew that I was good at what I did, but when I first started back in business it seemed that nothing I did was good enough. I felt I was lost at sea. It seemed that people were mad at me for no reason, or people didn't like things I had to say. My work was good, but not fast enough, and on and on. Sometimes I would leave office so stressed out that when I got home I couldn't be cheery with my husband and kids.I was determined to get out of my rut so I started analyzing what was going on. I knew I did a good job, and that I was a pleasant enough person. It had to be something else. I asked my husband what he thought, and he brought up office politics. He said that, in a lot of businesses, your social skills and behavior have as much or more influence as your actual job performance on how you were treated. He told me to open my eyes and ears and to start noticing what was going on around me and to try to adapt. The first thing I did was listen to morning conversations in break room. I was usually pretty chatty with friendlier people, but I decided to keep it down for a few days. What were people talking about? It seemed that people were talking about business issues and current events. I guess I'd forgotten that everyone didn't have kids, and that soccer and scouts weren't popular office topics. I made a commitment to myself to read morning paper on bus, instead of latest romance novel, at least 3 days a week, and to make an input in more serious office conversations. Of course I'd still talk about my kids with ladies I'd become friendly with, but on our own time. The guys in office really started responding. They even ask me my opinion on issues now. Next I decided to figure out why my boss, who was seemingly so friendly, would sometimes complain about me behind my back. I really started listening to what she was asking for, and I realized that she was a little vague sometimes, and therefore maybe I wasn't always understanding what she wanted.
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