Hi everyone,

We should be out in BC shortly.Our PNP was approved and our paper work submitted.
My Wife at present is a Medical Secretary working part time and the employers are very flexible working around school holidays and children being sick.
What is the Canadian attitude towards this.Are they flexible with working Mums,particularly in BC(Victoria)
Obviously if they are not my Wife will opt to stay at home and be a hard working Housewife(all 3 children are at school)
Any info would be great.

oohh i hope somone replies to this.. it was one of my questions too! anyone know if they accept part time mums into the police force in Edmonton either?!

Some BC employers attitude is very old school - employees expected to work 40 hours no matter what, kids/domestic stuff is viewed as an intrusion into work etc. Not much time for the problems associated with working mums, kids, etc. Female representation into the business of running a business is rare. Old boys network, the golfing/society thing, etc.

Think back 25 years, is where it's at. Unless of course you find some hippy/democratic laid back vibe fest employer

You'll find a good employer with a progressive outlook, but don't expect it to be easy.

Rich.

As a working Mum, I would have to agree 110%. Oh my. I agree with Rich on something. Pass the valium.

It must be a good day ! Pass the duchie and chill.

Rich.

Looks like a business opportunity here! Any special requirements for childminding needed?

Yes there are - way more than the UK if you are working in a Licensed daycare. ECE qualifications are required. Closest thing is a NNEB or the NVQ in Childcare.

I worked for the federal govt in Ontario in a management role and my wife was offered a part time job at the site I worked at. It was for 24 hours a week and I suggest to HR that she would like to work 9 am to 3 pm a "mum shift".

The HR VP response was "if we let your wife work those hours other working mum's would want the same"

Also at the time the site was having problems in recruiting for positions and I suggested that a work/family balancing programme be introduced to VP of HR. I told him that it may help as an incentive to attract working families to the area.

His view was that you started work at 8:15 and finished a 16:35 and you could work a 3 day week part time but follow those hours.

A female engineer who I knew working Director level had to give up their family life and spend most of there time working (84 hrs a week). She had Saturday afternoons free to spend time with her kids. I think she work those hours to keep up with the "boys club".

Out of interest is anyone working for a company that does work/family balancing?

hudd

Warning to Brits moving to Canada - the story below is not unusual !

Be warned up front. Such things do not make for career progression, nor would supporting the Federal government in its' aims to employ more women, aboriginals and immigrants. T'is not all warm and fluffy and fun.

Rich.

They are however exceptions to everything. I have been working for a company in Calgary who are VERY flexible. I get in for 9.30 after I have taken the kids to the school bus, I have the option of working from home if they are sick etc. More employers are realising that they will get more out of people if they help them achieve a work/life balance.

I also think that the labour shortage in Calgary means that firms will have to become more flexible to attract the talent they need.

Just my experience...

Calgary 2006

Thats pretty good that you work for a company that is flexible which meets both yours and their needs.
I always been flexible with my staff and I had quite a few working mums who worked for me. Flexibility in working hours etc was what I was used to working in the UK.

I would let them home work by using a VPN line into the office or work from an office closer to their home.
I had a senior project engineer(with a baby at home) who worked for me. Who worked a 80% work week and I allowed her to be flexible i.e on site 50-60% in the week and the rest from home.

What I could not convince senior staff i.e VP's it would be beneficial to introduce work/home balancing as a company policy. I did it because it suited my business and found to be a productive way of getting work done.
It felt that there was a reluctancy to change the HR practices in the federal govt.
I can remember talking to senior management about job sharing, which was common when my wife worked in the Civil Service in the UK(since early 1980's). I though I suddenly had grown two horns out of my head with the suggestion of the job sharing concept.
I got the feeling that moving away from the tradition work pattern that senior management though there would be loose control of the staff.

I agree in todays job market companies have to be flexible to get the right people.
hudd

I've just had a UK manager tell me that he's never worked from home in 25 years of career. Gulp! In my previous job I was about 50% home working as there was no point going into the office.

In reality, I think we all should do more homeworking as you save time on the commute and get more done! In the states, traffic is so bad people are working the first 2 hours at home and then driving in when the roads are calmer. This is just logical now that we have the tools to do this. You do need broadband and a VPN as a minimum though.

If you cannot trust your staff to work from home, you've got a serious problem in your company. As an employee I'd ask myself if I wanted to work there. 25 year manager agreed to my homeworking from time to time and was very generous with this when my daughter was sick.

gulp i hope it changes by the time i get there. i would like to work! at least a little!!

Edmonton is crying out for workers.......in all types of work !!!

I would think this would give you a good position to negotiate.

We live in SW Edmonton, (Riverbend) and love it......just waiting for the snow now!!!

Linda

It hasn't changed in the eleven years I have been here. Part time work = available for all shifts at any time when they want you. As a new part timer (which means no contract, no benefits usually, p/t has nothing to do with less than full time hours like the UK) you have no say in your hours beyond specifying a minimum amount of shifts you are available for (not maximum). Regardless of the shortgage of workers, you are in no position to negotiate. They don't care, there are many more like you who want the work and in many cases will do it without kids or other restrictions.

To the poster asking if the Edmonton Police take p/t mums - no they don't. The initial training period would preclude you from that arrangment and you get assigned to a full time team on shift rotation - days, nights and graveyard. They are, to my knowledge, always full timers. I had to speak with a Cst. last week from Edmonton about one of my cases. She was going on Mat leave and was on desk duties. We were talking about kids as you do, she stated that she would love to come back part time "but that'll happen when hell freezes over". They just don't like the notion of part time work as it is seen as letting the team down.