Working mumsí stress has a negative impact on their children

A survey unveiled today by Amazing Education and the Parent Coaching Academy has revealed that nine out of ten working mums feel the stress of juggling their career and family has a negative effect on their children.

Nine out of ten working mums also say that guilt about placing their children in childcare in order to return to work is the single most powerful negative emotion that they experience.

In response to the issues highlighted in the survey, Amazing Education has launched a new online resource - ëFeel good not guilty about being a working mumí. The pioneering course, aimed at mums and employers looking to support mums better, includes sections on the top issues that cause working mums most stress, including:

Parent Taming ñ How to avoid shouting and being negative with your children
Avoiding Morning Madness
Guilt-busting and stress-busting strategies

The course aims to reduce mumsí feelings of guilt and help them to feel positive about being a working mother ñ to the benefit of themselves, their families and their colleagues.

Lorraine Thomas, best-selling author of ëThe 7 day Parent Coachí (Vermilion, 2005) and ëGet a Life ñ Screamer to Sweet Dreamerí (Hodder Education, 2006) who helped to design the online course, said: ìMany employers let working mums down. They pay only lip-service to supporting mums in the workplace. They provide as little support as they can legally get away with. But there are some great exceptions, particularly in the City ñ the finance and legal sectors are way ahead of others such as media and retail.

ìThe pioneering companies have established initiatives such as Parent Support Networks, often headed up by senior managers who feel passionately about what theyíre doingî

Such employers are reaping the benefits. The business case for supporting working mums includes retaining highly skilled staff that have often undergone expensive training. Combined with the ësofterí benefits (often overlooked by employers) of retaining mums within the workforce, a compelling case is made for employers to do more to help make the balancing act less stressful for mums.

Jane Bell of Amazing Education: ìWorking mums are often more well-rounded individuals after having children, and frequently better equipped to cope with challenges ñ if you can cope with a screaming baby you can cope with a screaming client! Their busy home lives can frequently improve their multi-tasking skills and make them more focussed in their role, whilst the need to support new dependents makes for a very motivated workforce.î

The course, called ëFeel Good not Guilty about being a working mumí is available to buy online at www.amazing-education.co.uk at a cost of 12.75.