As part of our ‘Mums in Tech’ series, we caught up with Allison Coucher, Head of Business Services at Sky.
The purpose of our 'MotherBoard’ interview series is to highlight incredible working mums within tech, as well as individuals and businesses that are supportive and progressive within their approach to creating more inclusive tech teams for women.
Firstly, can you please introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your current role?
I’m Allison Coucher and I have worked in tech for over 30 years. I have one amazing 16 year old daughter, who has grown up to be a bit of a nerd like her mum and dad (don’t tell her I said that 😊 ). I work in Service & Reliability (a division in Sky’s Tech organisation) , which means I look after reliability for all products that Sky Business (Sky’s B2B arm) provide. This involves a lot of data, analysis, telem and bringing it all together to measure the Product Experience we give to customers. I’ve also just started a Masters in AI – coinciding with my daughters GCSE year.
If you could sum up what it’s like being a working mum in tech in one sentence, what would it be?
Bonkers! 😊 But seriously, its hard work juggling things – especially if there is a service critical incident, or it’s a launch event. It can be so hard when you feel like you can’t step away to do something, however it does make you an absolute queen at multi-tasking, but can also lead to a lot of guilty thoughts.
“Its hard work juggling things – especially if there is a service critical incident, or it’s a launch event. It can be so hard when you feel like you can’t step away to do something, however it does make you an absolute queen at multi-tasking, but can also lead to a lot of guilty thoughts.”
How do you find the balance between your career and motherhood?
This is a tough one, but I am so lucky to have a husband who has always been a very hands-on dad, and he has done a lot of the childcare so that I can progress in my career. However, with a daughter sometimes, no matter how great he is, dad just won’t do. At Sky, I have been fortunate to have leaders who are 100% people and family first and will support you when you need to prioritise family. This means that I can pick up work “out of hours” to catch up. I’ve also had a great colleague and friend network and we support each other immensely. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’m cooking dinner whilst on calls, or dialling in from the car – that matters that you can do that and the advances in technology (smart phones, teams, car tech, public WiFi) means that you can be more accessible “on the move”. It wasn’t as easy in the early years when my daughter was a baby, and you really notice the difference now. I try to prioritise well, but also ask for help when I need it – I’m not as afraid as I was 10 years ago to ask for a meeting to be moved because I need to attend parents evening (which is always in the afternoon- just why?!). I think confidence in myself and my ability, and the change in perceptions for working mums has all contributed to this, along with a company that supports a hybrid working model.
What has been your greatest challenge as a working mother in tech?
Those early years for sure. I went back to work FAR too early because I felt the pressure to – that I would become irrelevant, or lose my standing (there weren’t many women in the areas I worked in back then). My biggest and worst memory is being in the office in London and my daughter being ill, and I mean not the usual colds etc – there was something really wrong. I just remember that absolute fear at being 1.5 hours away from her and by the time I got home we were off to hospital with suspected meningitis. Working from home was rare back then and being so far away from her to keep my career going just felt the worst. The guilt at times was absolutely dreadful. I felt selfish and alone, but I also needed to work – not just financially, but also for myself. Balancing those early years was so challenging.
What skills have you developed as a mother that have helped your work life?
Multi-tasking and plate spinning for sure! But also confidence. The confidence to say “No sorry that time doesn’t work for me” or “I’m going to need to move this/drop early” because I needed to do the school run or look after my daughter. I certainly did NOT have that in the early years. But also (and probably the hardest skill to develop) was that it is absolutely ok to ask for help. I (probably like many people) thought I would be seen as weak by my colleagues if I asked for help, but I will always pay it forward so making sure others know that I will support them has been just as important.
When you were returning to work, what one thing helped you / would have helped you the most?
Gosh – hybrid working would have been a god-send back then! I would have loved to have been able to work from home 2 days a week to have been closer to nursery for drop off and pick up. My husband did most of the childcare and I feel I missed out so much on the walk to nursery, or a little stroll to the park on the way home. A better maternity pay package as well would have helped me to be able to afford to stay home longer as well.
What do you feel should be the top priority for employers who want to support working mothers better?
Good maternity packages, but also I do feel that employers should lend their weight to lobbying the UK Government over maternity pay, leave and support. When you look at countries in the Nordics – they have excellent maternity packages and childcare costs, so that mothers don’t end up working purely to cover their childcare bill. So many mothers are not returning to work due to childcare costs and I would like to see employers speaking to the government about this. Hybrid working is also essential, but also to look at absence policies. I know that businesses need their employees to be present, but the amount of mothers who end up getting into trouble because their children are ill and they use up their holiday (meaning they can’t spend half terms off, or Christmas), sick pay and then unpaid leave and may still fall afoul of their companies absence policies is really unfair. We all know that especially in the early years, children pick up EVERYTHING. I mean who had heard of foot & mouth until they had kids??? Its not a situation mothers can control and the pressure of a sick child and an employer that might start formal disciplinary action is just too much. Great support and treatment in those early years will give you a more loyal workforce who will work hard for you, because they know when they need it their employer supports them.
Any final words of advice for other mothers in the Tech Industry?
It does indeed take a village and I would say don’t be afraid to speak up and ask for help – even if it is the most gut-wrenching fear, you may well be pleasantly surprised how many people have got your back. You will feel guilt, but don’t let that consume you! You can only control what you can control. Take 5 minutes to go outside, breathe, scream or just cry. Sometimes it is better mentally to just get it out, rather than bottle it up. And wine..lots of wine! You got this mama!
“It does indeed take a village and I would say don’t be afraid to speak up and ask for help – even if it is the most gut-wrenching fear, you may well be pleasantly surprised how many people have got your back.”
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