In my last two blogs on Open Forum I talked about some of the challenges and support I received as I navigated the straights of a challenging career and motherhood.

In this last piece, I would like to talk briefly about the roles of mentors in managing work/life issues and flexibility, which we will come back to later. I have managed to combine work and family through the support of some key people, especially the mentors I have had along the way.

The week I returned to work after having my first child, I had a visit from Prue, a senior legal counsel in my client group, who took time to connect with me about being a working mum (she also promised to let me know if I came to work with puke on my shoulder). Prue was always talking about her kids and showed me that it was OK to bring "the whole person to work" and seek out support from those who had traveled the path before me.

I also got great advice from my friend Debra, a mother of 3 and senior executive with a major industrial company, told me early on:

"It is really hard making it all work. Each of us do it in different ways. You don't have to justify your way to anyone else. But when you work part-time you've got to be organised so you have to have Plan A, B and C to cover all eventualities with the kids". 

I see mentors such as these as hugely powerful enablers to successful flexible work. They help provide the emotional resilience. They show how to minimise the road blocks and are the sounding board on the realities of childcare, chicken pox, homework, cakes stalls and vacation care.

Unfortunately, there are also some women; "the queen bees" who still don't get the need to support other women around work/life issues. Flexibility is not just a women's issue, but the lack of support, in fact outright antagonism from some senior women does not help the cause for change and continues to be a great disappointment. Perhaps I am just an old fashioned feminist and expect more.

In closing my experience and reflections on flexibility in the workplace is largely limited to the female perspective. As an HR practitioner, I have real concerns about how we can enhance the support for flexibility in the workplace. The continuum is not infinite. At the end of the day, the structure of the work and the team must ultimately support our business model and objectives and meet the needs of our clients.

Having said this I also support the view, especially based on my own career and family experience that we need to mainstream flexibility so men feel they can take up the opportunities available to them. There is still much to do to "mainstream flexibility" in all of its permutations.

Kate Rimer joined Mallesons as Executive Director, People and Development in 2004, Prior to joining Mallesons, Kate worked at AMP for almost seven years and has previously worked at Allens Arthur Robinson and Westpac. Kate has a degree in education from the Australian Catholic University and a Master of Commerce (HR Management) from UNSW and two young children.

Ms Rimer presented these ideas at the 20th annual Women, Management and Employment Relations Conference, held in Sydney in July.