PREVIEW

TV legend Natalie Cassidy wants everyone to know how hard the juggle can be as a working mum.

The 41-year-old mother-of-two is speaking out in support of mothers who have to do both as new research of 2,000 mums by Maltesers finds that one in five (18%) working mums clock up an additional eight hours ‘on shift’ at home each day on top of their ‘regular jobs,’ with the average number of unseen hours for mothers being just under five hours.

But many working mums keep quiet about how difficult the juggle can be, with almost a fifth (18%) of working mums feeling like they can’t be open about their other main job, parenting, in the workplace because it is not ‘the done thing’ (11%).

While almost three in five working mothers (59%) admit having to use their holiday days to look after their sick children, and over a third (34%) say they have hidden the fact they had little or no sleep due to attending to their children the night before.

Almost half (47%) of working mums say their colleagues' being more aware of these additional parental responsibilities would make them feel much happier and less overwhelmed (44%). A quarter (26%) say it would have a positive impact on their mental health.

A third (33%) say a simple tea break and an ear to talk to go a long way to relieve mental pressures, with a fifth (19%) saying their colleagues are a vital part of their support network.

With school summer holidays in full swing, almost two thirds (63%) of working mothers feel under more pressure to perform at work while organising childcare.

In a new film by Maltesers, actress Natalie joins working mums Bibiana Yetty, Connie Simmonds, and Louise Lambert to share what they really want to say to colleagues in their 'Real OOO' (Out Of Office) messages as part of its ‘MotherLovers’ campaign.

Kicking off the video, Natalie says: “Working mums, you know the juggle is real isn’t it? There’s breakfast chaos, homework help, 24 hour taxi service, and that is on top of a day or night spent at work. I know that my 9 to 5 turns into my 5 to 9pm as well. Now wouldn’t it be nice if we could send truly honest out of office messages to our colleagues? And what would they say if they could?”

Sharing her real OOO, Connie, whose daughter made a cameo, shared: “Ahead of our meeting today, I just wanted to give you the heads up, my little companion couldn’t make summer club today. Although she's not feeling very well, I’m sure she'll still make an appearance and in fact, steal the show.”

While Louise continued: “Thank you for your email, I can’t respond right now as I am currently using my best negotiation skills to sell broccoli to the kids, who are firmly in a beige food-only phase. I’ll get back to you when the dramatics are over.”

Of the new campaign, Natalie said: “I’m so proud to call myself a working mum. Mothers are strong and resilient - we balance a lot every day. I often feel the squeeze trying to juggle the joys of parenting with work - both the long summer holidays and return to school have their unique challenges but the support of my colleagues makes a huge difference.

“I’m super excited to be part of the Maltesers MotherLovers campaign, I’m saying to all the colleagues out there – Let’s Lighten the Load! By empowering working mums across the nation to share their unseen to-do lists in their real Out of Offices, we hope to encourage more colleagues to step up and be there.”

Clare Moulder at Maltesers said: “Working mums bring crucial skills to the workplace, yet many colleagues may not realise how important they are to a working mum’s day to day life. They are part of their village, meaning small acts of support go a long way.”

To find out more about Maltesers MotherLovers campaign, access tips on how to be a MotherLover and the Real OOO movement, head to https://www.maltesers.co.uk/lighten-the-load