I look forward to getting back in the game.

Being a mother and holding a leadership position professionally does not work without making some sacrifices. Yvonne van Luijt, who has been working at globegarden for three years, has experienced this herself. A good childcare offer, a flexible employer and the support of her partner enabled her to achieve her personal goals and have time for her son.

The trained teacher and bank clerk says she hit the jackpot with her job at the childcare network: “I find the industry very exciting. I started directly with a full-time workload and had a lot of fun with my tasks,” she remembers. She works closely with one of the three founders. “That totally motivated me. It was so cool to tackle and move things together with her. She is also a mom and was really something like a role model for me,” says Yvonne.

Nothing but congratulations

When she became a mother for the first time, Yvonne had not been with globegarden for long. Accordingly, she was initially a little worried about how the news would be received. Her worries proved unfounded. At the workplace, everyone received the news of her pregnancy very positively. “I only received congratulations. It was a great feeling. I was so happy to have a child and felt that all my colleagues shared my excitement,” she recalls. So Yvonne also determined that she wanted to return to work quickly after giving birth: “I wanted to continue in my leadership position and therefore thought: I’ll come back directly after three months with an 80 % workload.”

Openly discussing boundaries

After three months at home, Yvonne’s partner took over childcare for a total of two months. Afterward, her son could go to the baby group of a globegarden childcare. For Yvonne, this was a critical moment: “I love what I do, and I wanted to get back to it. But still, I initially had a strange feeling about taking our little one to childcare. Today I know that every mom feels this way. The first time being separated from your child is just a big step.” For Yvonne, things moved quickly at work. The everyday life with many appointments and tasks fully engaged her again. After some time, she realized that she had reached her personal limit. “I simply reached a limit. Today I am very grateful that the open corporate culture at globegarden allowed me to speak up honestly about it. I went to my boss and told her that I couldn’t manage it this way.” The reaction was pragmatic and innovative. “I was able to reduce my workload to 60 %. Even more fantastic was that they looked at where my skills could be best utilized and quickly offered me another role that better suited the reduced workload,” she shares.

“I am allowed to be a leader and a mom.”

This trust that was placed in her gave her a sense of security. Now she is expecting another child and did not let many of the thoughts she had during her last pregnancy arise at all. “Today I wonder why I ever felt uneasy about letting my child be cared for externally for four days. Our son loves childcare. He packs his bag in the morning and insists on being taken to childcare,” she laughs. She and her husband share the care and organization together. “My husband is from the Netherlands. There, it is a matter of course that men actively participate in care and upbringing. He took two months of paternity leave when I restarted my job. Even now, we have clearly divided up the days and share the responsibility and tasks. You have children together and it works very well for us this way.” Both are looking forward to the birth of their second child. “I have the confidence that I can do it. In my job, I am allowed to be a leader and a mom. That is the best thing that could have happened to me.”

“I love what I do, and I was eager to get back to it. But still, I initially had a nervous feeling about taking our little one to childcare. Today I know that every mom feels this way. The first time being separated from your child is just a big step.”