Zeno Thinks: PR vs. Parenting:Balancing Careers and Care in the Comms

If you want something done, ask a busy person. Or should that be ask a busy mum? And if she works in PR, will she be thriving, celebrated, fairly treated and encouraged to achieve more?

It was with these burning questions in mind that PR Mums announced their parenthood research results and hosted a panel on ‘PR vs. Parenting’.  With guests from agency, industry bodies and the public sector, sponsored by PRWeek and chaired by Bethany Pearson and John Harrington, it was an insightful discussion. As Chair of the CIPR’s Diversity and Inclusion Network, I was fortunate to be invited to participate as a speaker. 

The research was wide-ranging and the findings a mix of the expected and surprising. All the panellists brought personal perspectives on their experiences and professional solutions as we reviewed the results. One standout finding was that only 43% felt caring responsibilities were compatible with senior leadership roles in PR! Challenging this should be our call to action. Without this change we cannot offer parents full and rewarding careers – nor can we enable our most talented to achieve their best. 

Ours is a people business and there will always be tensions between client asks and the work and deadlines our teams are managing. PR is powered by women and it was made abundantly clear that we must find better ways to support women before birth, as they return to work and over the long-run to sustain a career. There was a real sense of frustration about women bearing the brunt of the work/childcare balance burden.

Mums and dads are all feeling the pressure of the juggling act that is being a parent in PR. But although dads work hard too, the reality is that it is usually women who take on the extra work to manage parenting demands. Women carry the burden of a significant but invisible workload related to cognitive and emotional demands of childcare and work and juggling them both – and in fact, the PR Mums’ survey found that four of the six main stress factors were personal.

So having said women power this industry, our first ask must be to men for allyship. Men must professionally step up by working flexibly and taking their paternity leave. When managers see and expect fathers to do this it will absolutely reshape attitudes in the workplace. Partners will feel more supported – and the challenge of balancing PR and parenting will become a less gendered conversation. 

Now let’s address the (toy?) elephant in the room: the perception that working parents are less productive than other colleagues. Almost a third (31%) of respondents felt that parenthood had a negative impact on productivity. In my experience this is absolutely not the case. Working parents are often the most committed and work focussed people on the team. They know time is valuable and they get the most from it; they keep their eye on the critical deliverables and deliver them!

The debate session also covered learnings and ways in which we could improve support and inclusion for parents in PR. A few of the many good ones included:  

• One size doesn’t fit all – and we do not all want the same thing in our lives. Line managers should explore this more fully to support parents effectively. For example, contrary to what some might think, many women return from maternity leave ambitious and eager to progress, but returners often find themselves working on the less high-profile or rewarding accounts.
• Managers must see the ‘complete person’ and the value they bring. It is a positive way to support all colleagues, not just parents, to live varied and enriched lives with time to focus on things beyond the day job – whatever those interests are. Portfolio careers, further education, exercise and caring commitments should be supported. We are more than our job titles. Other elements of our lives feed into our thinking and insights, making us better PR professionals. 
• Role models needed! Parents should feel comfortable talking about parenting with colleagues because learnings from colleagues are valued when facing tough times. Speak up and ‘parent loudly’ to build positivity and a sense of community around parenting.
• Not all parents are new parents. Many experienced colleagues, who are apparently free of caring responsibilities, are trying to parent teenagers! The asks and pressures may be different, but they are there and it can be very difficult at times. 
• Line managers need management training. Good PR people are promoted to be managers and expected to navigate sensitive and critical life events with team members. These can cover baby loss, menopause and caring for children with special educational needs. We must support managers to enable them to manage well. 
• Policies are in place, but survey respondents felt they were not always actively offered or were unfairly applied, with a concerning 60% of respondents feeling that managers do not easily implement parental leave or flexible work arrangements. Policies must be actively offered and implemented if companies want to be a truly parent-positive environment.

PR Mums provide lots of guidance on their website and offer certification for companies that want to take positive steps to improve their workplaces and become truly parent friendly. The CIPR fully supports this great initiative and believes our industry could – and must – do better. At Zeno London we have just established our Parents ERG to get the conversation going; to parent loudly and make sure our networking and support is best in class.

So, if you are a PR mum or dad and want a be part of positive community, join PR Mums!