Mums in Tech ft. Claire Wilson-Elmes

As part of the ‘Mums in Tech’ series, MotherBoard caught up with Claire Wilson-Elmes, Freelance Senior Project and Product Manager.

The purpose of our ‘MotherBoard’ content series is to highlight incredible working mums within tech, as well as individuals and businesses that are supportive and progressive within their approach to creating more inclusive tech teams for women.

Firstly, can you please introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your current role?

Hi, my name is Claire and I am a Product Owner and Senior Project Manager; I’ve worked in digital organisations for over 15 years. At the moment I work as a freelance consultant, but my most recent in-office job was working for a social enterprise delivering digital projects for third sector clients, such as The Economist Educational Foundation, MSI International, The Scouts Association and Speech and Language UK.

As a PM/PO, my main role is to manage a diverse range of cross-functional teams to deliver digital products and services. Over time that’s ranged from chat bots that support at-risk teenagers, implementing new project processes for start ups and SMEs, and helping to deliver multi-year digital strategies or research reports.

The thing I love most about this job is the variety; there is always something new to discover and you get to work with a huge range of team members and clients.

If you could sum up what it’s like being a working mum in tech in one sentence, what would it be?

Challenging and rewarding; you learn something new every day.

How do you find the balance between your career and motherhood?

Before I had my first baby I was working full-time. I loved my job, but I was exhausted, so I knew that going back with a baby in tow would mean reducing my hours. At first this felt a bit like a step back, and going back to work post- my first mat leave was hard; I thought I’d forgotten everything, and put way too much pressure on myself to be back to full speed immediately.

With my second baby, I was much kinder to myself and asked to be treated like a new starter, even though I’d been with the business for 4 years. This meant I could take time to refamiliarise myself with the systems and processes we used, and allow myself some grace when things felt difficult. This actually meant I got back into a rhythm more quickly.

I also reduced my hours further to give myself an afternoon when the children were in nursery, to work on my own projects and to do some mentoring – this really helped me to define myself outside of work and motherhood, which had huge mental health benefits.

What has been your greatest challenge as a working mother in tech?

Beyond the usual juggles of childcare and sickness, I think one of the biggest challenges has been advocating for my career development and fair pay. It is all too easy for organisations to assume that if you are a caregiver who works part time, your career and progression are not a priority – but this is absolutely not true for me or most of the working parents I know.

In tech specifically, roles such as Senior Project Manager can be diminished in comparison to senior developer roles which are often much better paid. I think there is a sense that developers are more difficult to replace, but a really good PM who understands not just the technology, but the strategy and commercial background behind it, is equally valuable.

What skills have you developed as a mother that have helped your work life?

I have always been quite a calm and pragmatic person, but I think being a parent has really added to this – no matter how stressful work can be, it often feels like a breeze compared to life with two pre-schoolers! I think it has also given me a good sense of perspective – if things start to go a bit wonky during a project, it’s not life and death; remember to ask for help, and use the team around you to find a way to get back on track.

Parents are also often excellent multi-taskers, as we do it all the time at home. It’s a particularly useful skill when working in project and product management.

When you were returning to work, what one thing helped you / would have helped you the most?

Taking the pressure off of myself to be the same person I was before I left. You are not the same, and that’s a good thing – but my advice would be to reach out for support when you need it, good people love to help and it will make you a better colleague in the long run.

What do you feel should be the top priority for employers who want to support working mothers better?

Flexibility. Working parents are not looking for hand-outs or preferable treatment, but allowing for flexible working patterns around family life will make them better workers, happier colleagues and more loyal employees. I find that people who work part time are actually more efficient with their working hours as there is less time for procrastination – I do also think flexibility should be offered to everyone, regardless of whether you are a caregiver or not.

Any final words of advice for other mothers in the Tech Industry?

Keep going, and find your allies. It can feel like an uphill struggle, and, unfortunately, not all tech companies are as forward thinking as they should be when it comes to supporting parents, especially when you come back to work after mat leave. Find someone in the organisation that will support you – it could be your manager or another member of the leadership team, or it might be another parent who has been in the same position as you. Working in tech can be so rewarding, and can introduce you to so many different organisations, people and projects. It’s definitely worth it, so keep the faith!