A Working Mother's Value

Image from here

Does being a working mother make me a less valeable employee? I know it doesnt make me a worse mother because as far as thats concerned i think i'm doing a pretty excellent job thus far ( despite occasional bouts of mother guilt ). I also know, in my heart of hearts, that i'm good at what i do and valued by my workmates - so why then do i feel like the old brown dog that people only keep around because they cant be bothered taking it out bush to put it out of its misery?


Forgive me for that admittedly harsh analogy, but in the last week i've been made to feel quite worthless in my job. Not by the people i work WITH - the small team i work with in our local branch are like a second family to me and though, like all families, we have our disagreements or niggling annoying habits, we support each other in our work and the roles we play within the team. No, its the people i work FOR who are doing my head in, the upper echelon management who for some reason have decided that running a great company into the ground by getting all their staff offside is the best way to go forward. Without going into too much detail, my hours and days of work have been changed, without any consulation with me personally or with anyone in my branch - its been a " this is happening, and you WILL do it " kind of attitude. To be quite frank, i havent appreciated it. Its made me feel like they only keep me around because they legally cant get rid of me; that they really would prefer it if they didnt have to put up with a young mother who's toddler has been sick a bit lately, or who's availability of daycare is a priority when trying to organise anything work-related. Like i was more valuable, and thus better appreciated, by them when i was a full-time working DINK, even though the only thing that has changed is my working hours, not the quality of the work i do.

Quite frankly i want to tell them to take their job and shove it as far up their arses as they can wedge it, but i dont.... my family needs the money, and in any case i'm hoping to fall pregnant at the end of this year and could really use the paid maternity leave they'll have to give me when i have another baby. I also dont want to burden my team-mates with anymore work than they already have on their already over-flowing plates ( management are also really lax at keeping a full rotation of staff, because people keep leaving the company, fed up with their shoddy treatment ... ).

So, until the next baby dream becomes a reality i'll just have to keep my head down, bum up and try not to run my mouth too much at our upcoming conference when management asks my opinion on branch morale.....