The new face of professional – embracing the chaos

As many parents rejoice in the recent reopening of schools this week, here Jodie Green, our Tax Manager at Wilson Partners, reflects on how this most monumental shift in home working and parenting has made a lasting impression.

Ever had an important meeting sabotaged by a small child covered in salad cream and soup? I have! I am sure all working parents have had at least one disaster meeting where our tiny humans embarrass us and ruin our professional persona.

Before 2020, the idea of professionalism was very archaic, rigid and in a lot of ways stuffy. I believe that this was slowly changing, however with recent events, this change has been supercharged.

Everyone’s struggles throughout lockdown are different, but these are mine. I have however learnt to embrace them, flip them on their head and map out a new normal and with that, comes my new professional. Whether I am virtually meeting with colleagues, existing or potential clients, they don’t just meet Jodie the tax manager, they also meet Jodie the mum.

Meetings have become a Russian roulette in my house, will my 5 year old leave me in peace, will he quietly sit on my lap, or will he talk non-stop, make a mess and generally disrupt the whole thing? Whilst there is no escaping the fact this is embarrassing, it is unrealistic to expect anything less. Instead of dreading calls I have learnt to include him and allow Jodie the mum to be part of my new professional persona. The effects of this have been positive and I have been pleasantly surprised at just how tolerant others are.

I have had no issue forming and maintaining relationships with my new professional persona, if anything it has helped. It has boosted my confidence and feels much more natural.

I have been very lucky with my employer, Wilson Partners Ltd, a relatively young and forward thinking firm, with many working parents among the team and facing similar struggles. This forward thinking approach is prevalent across all areas of the business with the common goal to help both colleagues and clients embrace the new face of professionalism and business.

The once hard lines have become blurred and when embraced, will allow for positive change. If you would like to learn more about what this looks like to us and how we can help you, feel free to get in touch.