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HR and diversity professionals.
A genuinely happy family
I've got three sisters-in-law, and I actually get on with them all pretty well these days.
Learning to love them has been an interesting journey, and I'm still travelling. As much as I'm tempted to share some details of the journey, my future happiness (and the size of my Christmas stocking) calls for a bit of discretion.
One of the gang works in PR. I suspect she's brilliant at it - beautiful, classy, demanding, tenacious, and occasionally annoying (especially if there's a story or a glass of champagne at the end of it). She also works part time, with three young children and a husband to take care of.
Lessons in Public Relations
Now you'd have thought PR was exactly the kind of job where flexibility was easy, wouldn't you? Surely the only thing that matters is the 'story' and having a bunch of clients happy with the results?
When and where you work should come way down the requirement list. Unfortunately, 'classy, demanding' sister-in-law is about to leave.
She works in an old-style PR firm where 9 to 5 actually means 9 to 5 at the desk with client entertainment as an 'Added Extra'.
Just a little bit of understanding
Three young kids means she needs a bit of flexibility - not on results, or total hours, or client happiness, mind you - just a bit of understanding on time-keeping and logistics.
She's the perfect candidate filling the perfect job and she's about to leave. Dumb, huh?
Well, probably, but let me tell you the other side of the story: if you own your own business you're under all kinds of pressures... and pressures lead to insecurities.
The need for control
Small business owners can be the best - and worst - bosses. You crave loyalty and results. You know and control everything; not knowing what's going on can be very uncomfortable.
People pretending to work from anywhere other than their office-designated desk is difficult to accept. It's often easier, therefore, to find compliant, single gofers to do the job rather than accept that flexible working works.
Learning to embrace flexibility...
I remember it being foisted on me a few years ago when we bought a business from BUPA and the team doubled overnight. That's been an even more interesting journey than learning to love my sisters-in-law.
But I got there in the end!
Ben Black
