Family Friendly Week Part 4: Gemma Finney

For Part 4 of Family Friendly Week 2014 we interviewed Gemma Finney – Key Accounts Administrator at Lanes Group Manchester:

Make the most of “precious” time with baby during maternity leave, says Gemma

Gemma Finney swapped looking after some of Lanes’ biggest clients to caring for the latest, and littlest, addition to her family when she went on maternity leave.

She worked as a key accounts administrator in Manchester until just one week before the birth of her second son, Ollie, in October 2012.

That meant she had nearly the whole nine months of maternity leave to be with him, and her older son, Alfie, then aged seven.

To mark Family Friendly Week, 20-26 October, she explained how having as much time with the boys made it easier for her to return to work.

She said: “I would recommend to anyone looking to have a baby to try to spend as much time with them after the birth. It is precious time, watching them grow in their first months.

“I was lucky that I had an easy pregnancy, so could work right up to the birth. That left me nearly nine months with Ollie at home. It was also so nice to be there while Ollie and Alfie got to know each other as brothers.

“They got on really well together from the word go. Alfie has always been a thoughtful and caring boy. All he wanted to do was help me and love his brother.

“As Ollie grew up, it was clear he was the cheekier one of the two. He’s much more of a handful and, from the age of 12 months, has been in to everything, going at 100 miles an hour.

“He loves his brother, and is always hugging and kissing him, and they play together well. But they have very different characters, which makes life interesting!”

Gemma says Lanes, as a company, has always been very understanding of her needs as a mother, and immediately agreed that she could go part-time, three days a week, when she asked the question.

She said: “It’s good to know your employer has such a helpful approach. My part-time arrangements have been pretty stable, working Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.

“But I know they would be receptive if I needed a bit of flexibility every now and again. There are other mums working part-time, and it means we can do the best for our families and continue to work at Lanes, which I really enjoy.”

Gemma says she was fortunate that Ollie took to her return to work without too much fuss, helped maybe by the fact that her parents and her partner Jordan’s mum are the main child carers when they are at work.

She adds: “They like looking after him, and take him to nursery for a couple of hours one day a week. I know I’m fortunate having family who can help, and it gives us peace of mind that we can get on with our work.

“But having those months off during maternity leave was an important start in life for Ollie. It bonded us as a family and made sure Ollie knew he was loved and cared for.”