Fitting paid work into a standard 9 to 5 job isn’t easy once you’ve got kids.
Now Mela Lush, a mum of two kids under two, has found the perfect solution with Jobs for Mums.
The online platform connects parents with employers across 36 different industries offering everything from freelance, remote and part-time work, to flexible full-time and school hours.
Lush told Seven Sharp the initiative is about “unlocking New Zealand’s largest hidden workforce”.
“We’re doing it at a time where there’s currently one person for every two jobs, but not only that, the target market that we have, they’ve got amazing transferrable skills.
“You think about parenting, what it teaches you. I’m a mum of two and every day, I’m negotiating and I’m learning about critical thinking and problem-solving and all of those skills are transferrable.”
Despite the name, the initiative is “for everyone” – not just mums.
“We’re all about diversity and inclusion and we’ve got a lot of dads who have signed up as well,” she said.
Lush said gaining confidence after time away has been “the biggest barrier” to returning to the workforce.
“We work with so many parents and they say to us that, ‘I feel confident in applying for a position because it’s on Jobs for Mums and my employer will understand my need for flexibility’ and we didn’t know how much of a barrier that was until we launched Jobs for Mums.”
She said it’s been “amazing” and “life-changing” for parents who have found work through the platform, especially for mums who have “lost confidence in themselves and they’re lacking that fulfilment and purpose and identity”.
“We’re so thankful to have the support that we’ve had so far.”