Mums in Tech ft. Lanie Bayliss
As part of our ‘Mums in Tech’ series, we caught up with Lanie Bayliss, Senior Digital Producer at The MTM Agency.
The purpose of our 'MotherBoard’ content series is to highlight incredible working mums within tech & data, as well as individuals and businesses that are supportive and progressive within their approach to creating more inclusive tech & data teams for women.
Firstly, can you please introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your current role?
My name is Lanie, I’m 35 and I live in the South of England in Devon with my husband and our 4 year old son.
I am a Senior Digital Producer at an agency headquartered in Southampton, England, where I’ve been for 7 years now.
As a Senior Digital Producer, I lead and support various creative and digital projects and retainers. I have experience working across a range of branding, SEO and digital web briefs from smaller tasks to complex web builds. I work with various CMS solutions/platforms such as EpiServer (now Optimizely), Bloomreach, WordPress, Umbraco, Kontent.ai, Sitecore and Craft.
Some of the clients I work with and manage projects with include; INEOS, Equity, INEOS Grenadiers, NHBC, Nautilus and England Hockey to name a few. As a Senior Digital Producer, I lead and support various creative and digital projects and retainers. I have experience working across a range of branding, SEO and digital web briefs from smaller tasks to complex web builds. I work with various CMS solutions/platforms such as EpiServer (now Optimizely), Bloomreach, WordPress, Umbraco, Kontent.ai, Sitecore and Craft.
Some of the clients I work with and manage projects with include; INEOS, Equity, INEOS Grenadiers, NHBC, Nautilus and England Hockey to name a few.
If you could sum up what it’s like being a working mum in tech in one sentence, what would it be?
A constant spinning of plates, hoping you don’t drop one.
“I had huge mum guilt over this decision - being torn between my career and motherhood.”
How do you find the balance between your career and motherhood?
My husband and I have had to really re-prioritise our lives since becoming parents, meaning that we each get 2 evenings each week for ourselves - whether that’s to go to the driving range to hit golf balls, or to go to the spa/for a swim, it’s really important that we get downtime so that we’re able to be the best parents as well as being able to give the best to our jobs.
We have a hard stop at the end of the work day, once our son is home from nursery, one of us is always there to spend quality time with him and engage with him so he isn’t in a house with two parents glued to their computers.
Our weekends are solely about pending time together as a family, and getting outside as much as we possibly can.
What has been your greatest challenge as a working mother in tech?
Taking time out of my career for maternity leave was tough, I ended up going back to work after 5 months because I felt the need to get back to work and engage my brain with the ever-evolving industry as it changes at such a fast pace
In turn, putting our son into nursery has meant that our out-goings rose considerably, as childcare in the UK is extortionate. He went to nursery before they rolled out a 15-free-hour scheme for children under 3. Our bill was around £1200 a month before the 30 free hours came in when he was 3, reducing our bill to £600 a month.
I had huge mum guilt over this decision - being torn between my career and motherhood.
“Having a child has also taught me to stop rushing, be more present and take things at a slower pace.”
What skills have you developed as a mother that have helped your work life?
Incredible patience. Having a child has also taught me to stop rushing, be more present and take things at a slower pace.
When you were returning to work, what one thing helped you / would have helped you the most?
I was hugely supported by my incredible boss and work colleagues, so my transition back to work was seamless.
I took to the stage at Brighton SEO in 2021 to discuss the ways in which employees can help themselves transition back to work as well as the things employers need to make sure they do to support them.
“It’s so easy to be so hard on yourself as a parent, worrying you’re spending too much time at work, and feeling guilty for prioritising your family … a work-life balance IS achievable”
What do you feel should be the top priority for employers who want to support working mothers better?
Flexible working and remote working contracts.
Any final words of advice for other mothers in the Tech Industry?
I think something that I remind myself regularly when I feel like everything is getting on top of me and I’m juggling too much, is that we’re not performing heart surgery. No one is going to die. Mistakes are there to be learned from and can help improve and elevate your career.
It’s so easy to be so hard on yourself as a parent, worrying you’re spending too much time at work, and feeling guilty for prioritising your family … a work-life balance IS achievable. But remote and flexible working really are the keys to making that possible for so many women looking to get back into the workforce after becoming mothers.
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