Mums in Tech ft. Tara Forde
As part of our ‘Mums in Tech’ series, we caught up with Tara Forde, Head of HR Business Partnering and Organisational Effectiveness at Experian.
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?
I currently head up the HRBP function for Experian UKI, partnering the exec team across all parts of the business on their people strategies. We are particularly focused on building our tech and engineering functions to be future proofed as we continue to invest in new technologies and Gen AI as well as ensuring we are positioned as a world class tech employer in the market.
“There are times when work needs more of me than is good for my family and there are times when my children need me in a way that can impede on your work”
How do you find the balance between your career and motherhood?
It is obviously difficult, and you have to make many choices every day on what you’ll need to miss or delay in order to give as much as you can to both career and parenthood. The juggle is made possible thanks to the ability to work flexibly with time in office and time working from home to enable me to work with the intensity and collaboration needed to do my job but also fewer commuting hours to be able to pick the kids up when I can. I also find that being very focused on whichever of those aspects I am engaged in is helpful; I try to avoid sending lots of emails and working around the children at bedtime and of course give my full attention to work when I am in work-mode. I am lucky enough to have a husband that truly co-parents and supports me whilst also working full time and family who help me in so many ways to ensure I can keep my head above water, plus I make sure I outsource what I can. It is also helpful to enjoy the chaos!
What has been your greatest challenge as a working mother in tech?
I love the work that I do; I love working in tech and I absolutely adore being a Mum and I find each of these individual components so enjoyable and life-affirming. The biggest challenge is therefore much more linked to the previous question on balance and the guilt often associated with the trade-offs. There are times when work needs more of me than is good for my family and there are times when my children need me in a way that can impede on your work. As a parent, ultimately your children come first, and it can be difficult when you are ambitious to maintain that boundary. I have lost count of the number of times I wished I could duplicate myself! There are also periphery challenges that can throw that balance; my husbands work commitments for example and the fact that everything is so delicately balanced, that all it takes is for a washing machine to break before all hell breaks loose! There’s not much capacity for life’s wildcards but I have become more comfortable with this over time and know that you always figure it out.
“I sadly think that many a bright career has been stalled and workplaces have missed serious talent due to employers and managers not seizing parents in this life moment.”
What skills have you developed as a mother that have helped your work life?
Becoming a parent was a gamechanger for me at work – in a good way! I don’t think we hear this enough; we often focus on what children take away from your career and how difficult it is to continue working after babies come along, but that isn’t always the case. Before children, a coach once told me that I cared ‘too much’ about work, which might seem like an odd thing to say but I’ll never forget his words. I gave too many hours to it all and would spin up too many new ideas that often couldn’t be implemented, I gave it my all emotionally and could get frustrated by lack of pace and the many typical work and cultural behaviours in the corporate world. Having children was the switch I needed to gain perspective and focus. I am still high energy in my work life, but I don’t sweat the small stuff anymore – this is something I think is an essential asset to senior professionals, as intensity taken too far can become panic, and this is bad for business. Importantly I am better able to have empathy for the wide variety of experiences on every team and how to bring people along. Since having children my career has continued to grow and the new skills of focus, enhanced empathy, navigation and perspective have helped immensely.
When you were returning to work, what one thing helped you / would have helped you the most?
I had a great manager, and the two biggest things she did was remind me of my ambition whilst also allowing flexibility. She leant into my career again when I returned – gently but confidently. She was straight back into my development and opportunities, and this got me excited again about work, just when I was having the same doubts that many new mothers have. She was also extremely relaxed about how I spent my time and understood that my output was more important than presenteeism which meant I worked flexibly whilst achieving and didn’t miss out on those early years with my daughters. It can be so painful to leave your baby to return to work, so the work needs to be rewarding, and it needs to be worth it otherwise it can become purely transactional. I don’t think I would be in the position I am today without those two things as I was on the edge of making different choices that would likely have stalled my career. I sadly think that many a bright career has been stalled and workplaces have missed serious talent due to employers and managers not seizing parents in this life moment.
“Find your supporters at home and at work, find your boundaries and do all you can to hold them and enjoy the ride!”
What do you feel should be the top priority for employers who want to support working mothers better?
The focus has to be on removing barriers and finding ways to maximise the talent. If we change our employer mindset towards maximising the skills and talent and simply removing barriers so that all talent can be successful, we can all win. If those obstacles are due to working hours, locations, expectations or behaviours then employers can work to remove them without needing to erode their cultures. Employers limit themselves by holding too firm to ways of working built for different times.
Any final words of advice for other mothers in the Tech Industry?
Find your supporters at home and at work, find your boundaries and do all you can to hold them and enjoy the ride!
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