Christiane Kallfass
People with families face a greater challenge than others when choosing a suitable company. In this interview, Yvonne Avaro explains what it's like to balance a child and a career as a woman and when it can be difficult.
Yvonne, you are Head of Marketing & Insights at s-peers, mother of a daughter, guest lecturer at the University of Konstanz and Emoji Queen. How do you manage to keep all the balls in the air at the same time?
Above all, it requires good organization, I generally like to plan and I like to-do lists. That helps immensely! But I also have to remember the African proverb: "It takes a whole village to raise a child". This means that in addition to the parents, there is a network of people involved, be it your own family, babysitters or in kindergarten, to look after a child.
Do you see the "proverbial village" exclusively in the private sphere?
No, not at all! Our management has children and grandchildren of its own. This means that our CFO Marita Köpper is sometimes away to look after her grandchildren. Prioritizing the family is part of our corporate culture.
Thanks to this signal "from above", I also know that it's okay to shift my working hours when it's cleaning day at the kindergarten, for example.
What does a normal working day/week look like for you and your family?
It all depends on who takes our daughter to nursery. If I take over, I get up at 6:30 a.m., followed by an hour of work at the kitchen table.
From 8 a.m. it's time to wake my daughter, get her ready and off to nursery. I'm in the office by 9 a.m. and pick the little one up again by 5 p.m. at the latest. What helps me enormously here is not only the short commute but also the flexibility of my working hours. At s-peers, it's less about when or where I work and more about what I've achieved.
What are three things that make your everyday life as a working mother easier?
- Definitely my e-bike with trailer: it saves me a lot of time and I always have everything with me. I can get to work or kindergarten faster than by car. In summer, of course, I take the e-bike straight to the lake with my daughter after work!
- My cell phone is the linchpin - I can use it to answer emails and revise my to-do lists when I'm waiting for my daughter because she's at swimming lessons.
- Tupperware! I use these every day for meal prepping for myself and my daughter. Having a few snacks on hand is sometimes crucial for everyone's mood.
Has there ever been a day when everything didn't run so smoothly?
The day the new website was launched immediately comes to mind. When I wanted to take my daughter to kindergarten, I was faced with closed doors. I had forgotten the Easter vacations! So I took my daughter into the office, where she played table football and was later allowed to watch an episode of Peppa Pig.
What tips do you have for job seekers who want a family-friendly company?
Nowadays, it's good form for a company to present certain values and benefits such as "family-friendly" and "flexible working hours" to the outside world. I would advise taking a very close look at these statements during the application process. How are the values formulated on the website practiced in everyday life? Are there any managers who have children? What about the quota for women? What about the women-with-families quota?
If these questions cannot be answered or can only be answered vaguely, this is a sign that the company is not or not yet dealing with these issues.
