Rolinda moved to New Zealand from South Africa five years ago. As a working mum, she needs a job where she can not only thrive in her professional life but also balance her family commitments. BDO Hawke’s Bay allows her to do just that.
We spoke to Rolinda about how BDO allows her to be flexible.
Tell us about your BDO journey.
“My family spent our first three Kiwi years in Taumarunui before moving to Napier, where I joined BDO. We didn’t expect this move to be such a big change for our kids. My oldest son transferred from kindergarten to primary school during that year, and it was a big culture shock for him to go from South Africa to Taumarunui to Napier, kindy to primary school, in such a short period.
To help him with this I’ve been able to reduce my work hours to 6.5 hours a day. Now, I pick him up from school and we then have one-on-one time where we work on things like maths and English together. It’s quite a full-on journey and BDO has been amazing assisting me with these challenges by allowing me to work flexibly.”
What does being flexible mean to you?
“It means I can start at 8am and finish at 3pm. If I need to be there for my kids, I can pack up my things and go do that.
It’s important to me to still have a career, and BDO allows this with my flexible schedule. I think this is a huge challenge for parents, particularly mothers. My work is important to me and so is my family, especially as I don’t have my extended family here for support. BDO allows you to be a mum and have a career.”
In what other ways does BDO allow you to be flexible?
“My youngest has had 11 surgeries since birth - he’s now four. In my first year at BDO he had another surgery, and BDO were so accommodating and understanding – they said to take the time and be with him. I can work from home if needed and I feel supported and understood. BDO knows that life still happens, and that we’re all people outside of our work.”
How does BDO’s approach to flexibility make you feel?
"It makes me feel content and like I’m in a safe place. It doesn’t add stress on me – I have true work-life balance. If you stress about how your employer will react when you have problems or commitments, that can add to your issues – I don’t have that.”
At BDO I am my best when… “I can just open my computer and I’m happy! I love my job.”
Interested in a career at BDO? View our current opportunities here or read our other BDO colleague stories.