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On Sunday, 30 March 2025 we celebrate all that mothers do and, for many that run the gauntlet of mothering responsibilities, there are many parallels that can be drawn to running an HR function; HR Grapevine spoke to mums working in HR to find out what lessons they have taken into the function.
Rachel Morris, Executive Coach and author of Working Mother – ‘If you can do it at home – transfer it to work’
“Absolutely nothing can prepare you better for modern VUCA (volatile – uncertain – complex and ambiguous) working. I think that perfectly describes my 12-year-old son at the moment. And if we’re navigating these conditions at home, I say let’s transfer every one of those hard earned skills into our workplaces.
“Feeling the fear and doing it anyway can mean stepping into a difficult board conversation or broaching the subject of homework. We need the same mindset and inner strength. Showing empathy for a child who is struggling to eat their broccoli, or a colleague who is overwhelmed can often draw from the same bank of skills and competencies. And never forget those all-important boundaries. Whether it’s relating to bathroom privacy, or stepping out of a meeting at 5:30pm to do nursery collection the principle remains the same.
“So, if you can do it at home – transfer it to work. And if it’s your strength at work – I daresay it could be your superpower at home too.
And remember, if the craft project is only 80% done, it’s probably Ok. The same way as some of your work tasks. We can sometimes live with 80%. In fact, sometimes it can feel good
“And remember, if the craft project is only 80% done, it’s probably Ok. The same way as some of your work tasks. We can sometimes live with 80%. In fact, sometimes it can feel good.”
Dawn George, Chief People & Culture Officer, The Eden Project – ‘My stepmum journey taught me many things’
“I haven’t had children myself, I was told when I was in my early twenties that I couldn’t have children so I threw myself into work and the career that I’ve had. I’ve been lucky to have children in my life, niece, nephew and friends’ children but I've been through the experience myself so I couldn’t resonate fully. When I met my now husband 25 years ago, he had two sons aged, 10 and 12 at the time we first started dating. We made a conscious decision not to introduce me into their lives until we were sure that we had a future together, I didn’t want to disrupt things when they’d already seen their parents go through a divorce. That was definitely the right decision.
“There have been many things I’ve learned through the stepmum journey, not all that I could share! But the ones that have really taught me something that I bring into my role as an HR leader would be:
