Confused.com CEO and mother-of-two who brought her 8-week-old to work insists she ‘loves’ having new mums in the office because they’re ‘organised and don’t take nonsense’
- Louise O’Shea said she had a mini-office set up around her while on labour ward
- Mother-of-two shared her belief that new mothers make formidable employees
- Mrs O’Shea told how she even interviewed an employee while she was in hospital
The CEO of price comparison website Confused.com has said she ‘loves’ working with new mothers because they are ‘organised’ and ‘don’t take any nonsense’.
Louise O’Shea, of Cardiff, is a mother to two daughters aged three and five and spoke to the BBC about how mothers are an asset to the workplace and reflected on her own experience.
She explained she continued working up until the hours before giving birth to her eldest daughter – even interviewing someone on the phone from her hospital bed.
‘I was in hospital in the labour ward and I had a little mini-office set up around me,’ recalled Mrs O’Shea, who was working at insurers Admiral Group at the time. ‘I actually interviewed an employee while I was in the ward waiting to give birth.’
The chief executive of price comparison site Confused.com (pictured with her daughters) has admitted she had a mini-office set up around her while on the labour ward during her first pregnancy, as she shares her belief that new mothers make formidable employees
Louise O’Shea (pictured when pregnant), of Cardiff, told the BBC how she even interviewed a staff member while she was in hospital waiting to welcome her baby into the world
With her second daughter she returned to work as Confused.com CEO after eight weeks and brought the baby into the office on her first day back because her husband wasn’t available for childcare.
‘I never want to let being a mum stop me from being a great CEO,’ she admitted, despite the heartache she sometimes feels after realising the ‘big sacrifices she’s made’.
Mrs O’Shea had previously worked as Confused.com’s finance director and won the role of CEO in 2017, when she was heavily pregnant with her youngest daughter.
She recalled a moment a year after returning to work following the birth when she broke down crying.
She had been packing away her youngest daughter’s baby clothes when she realised she couldn’t remember her wearing some of them, since she hadn’t been there – but could remember her eldest child wearing all her clothes.
The businesswoman (pictured) was heavily pregnant with her second daughter when winning the role of CEO at Confused.com in 2017 after working as the firm’s finance director
However, despite the emotional response, Mrs O’Shea admitted she’d ‘still probably do it again’ and make the sacrifices.
While many women fear their career progression slowing down after giving birth, Mrs O’Shea said it was a discussion with a male employer that left her feeling like she wouldn’t lose momentum.
‘He said: “I love it when women have babies. When they come back, they don’t take any nonsense because they don’t have time”.’
Now agreeing with her former boss, the CEO has discovered that mothers with young children are extremely organised, fearless, because you’ve since gone through childbirth, and won’t take any nonsense.
Mrs O’Shea (pictured with her children) admitted that her eagerness to start the job meant she only took eight weeks maternity leave, and on her very first day of work she brought along her newborn since her husband wasn’t available to look after the baby
She explained that this no-nonsense approach is because mothers are often thinking about how they can quickly wrap up the day and get back to their children.
When asked if all parents – men included – are organised, the businesswoman claimed mothers often deal with the details of managing family life more, hence gaining that particular skill.
Mrs O’Shea also shared her hopes that her legacy will be ensuring mothers-to-be are valued as a benefit rather than a disadvantage, and is offering flexible hours at Confused.com for parents during lockdown.
The mother (picture left, with one of her daughters), who has two daughters, aged three and five, recalled having to explain why a woman was screaming in the background during the call. Pictured right: One of her daughters, as a newborn, while being held by a staff member in the office