To help mark Mother’s Day 2021, we spoke to three of Arinex’ mothers to find out how they balance family life with work.
Name: Jessica Ferguson
Business unit: Business Development
• Length of time at Arinex: 3.5 years
• Number of children: 2 – Tilly is 4.5yrs and Johnny is 20 months
• Funniest work-from-home moment: Little people (and their grandparents) interrupting Zoom meetings by demanding attention at my home office window.
• How do you balance family life with work? Setting quality time with family each day and making it a priority. Also putting my phone somewhere out of sight and being fully present with the kids after I finish up in the ‘office’.
• How does Arinex support you as a working mum? Arinex is not only supportive of their mothers, but they understand the next level of organisation and development that parenthood naturally brings to mothers in the workforce. I feel proud and respected by my leadership team to have received a promotion within 7 months of returning from maternity leave. Between babies, I worked part time and could elect the days and times that I worked to suit my family. We are also encouraged to take time out to attend special events at school or day care like Mother’s Day celebrations.
Name: Leonie Ferris-Tonge
Business unit: Incentives & Special Events (ISE)
• Length of time at Arinex: 10 years
• Number of children: 2 plus a husband ? their names are Ebony, 8 years and Flynn, 5 years
• Funniest work-from-home moment: Either Steve doing an almost nuddy run behind me during our team meeting on Zoom or the amazing guide at Te Papa museum showing my son Flynn his whale bone necklace whilst explaining the story of why the whale is a significant part of their Maori culture.
• How do you balance family life with work? Part time hours, work from home, and sometimes balancing emails during swimming lessons, or late night budget updates after bed time stories.
• How does Arinex support you as a working mum? With the most amazing flexibility and more than anything, an understanding of family and work/life priorities… to be able to do what I love, and also raise my family and be there for Easter hat parades and parent meetings is a blessing that I never take for granted.
Name: Nicole Walker
Business unit: CEO
• Length of time at Arinex: 7.5 years
• Number of children: 3; 5 year old girl, 3 year old boy and 5 month old boy
• Funniest work-from-home moment: trying to pretend I wasn’t holding a 5 month old baby in my arms during a meeting and him then screaming uncontrollably so I had to disclose there was a human on my lap!
• How do you balance family life with work? I don’t see them as being different, just like anything in life you find the balance that works for you and I hope my children grow up knowing the value of hard work and dedication, not just to work but to all aspects of life.
• How does Arinex support you as a working mum? For the past 7 years I have either been on maternity leave or breast feeding and work revolves around these! Ensuring a safe place for feeding mums or even having one of the ‘clan’ join team meetings brings a sense of family to work and has certainly helped bring the team closer together over the past 18 months.