This article is part of our ongoing PA Note series. It reflects the thoughts, experiences, and motivations of Prialto’s Productivity Assistants from the field. In this post, Maricel Cabotaje of our Philippines Service Center tells us about her recent experience as a mother reentering the workforce.
There’s a saying that goes something like this: “moving on (or moving forward) is the best way of putting the past behind you.”
However, when it comes to working at Prialto, this statement is often false. Especially when you left good memories and good friends behind...
In the Philippines, it’s common practice to leave a job and never look back. So, why do so many employees who leave Prialto choose to return?
For Maricel Cabotaje, a mother reentering the workforce, the decision to return to Prialto was easy.
Read her story below to learn how she found work-life balance as a virtual assistant.
When Maricel left Prialto over a year ago, she embarked on what she calls “the opportunity to do the hardest yet most challenging job in the world.”
The job? Being a fulltime mother.
At the time Maricel left Prialto, she had been a working mother of two wonderful sons for nearly a decade.
It was not easy for Maricel to leave her decade-long career and suddenly be "working" for her children, family, and home. For a year, she attended meetings in classrooms rather than conference rooms, and made sure everyone was always prepared and exactly where they needed to be.
The most important aspect of her fulltime job as a mother and homemaker was to make sure her family was as content and taken care of as possible. It was the most fulfilling and most challenging job she’s ever done, which is saying a lot. There were no regrets at all.
A Mother Reenters the Workforce
Yet, when the situation changed at home, Maricel realized that she could once again enter the workforce. Once she found someone trustworthy who could step in to take care of her sons, Maricel became a mother reentering the workforce, looking for that often elusive work-life balance.
Finding Work-Life Balance as a Virtual Executive Assistant
Transitioning back to work can be difficult after a long break.
At first, Maricel was hesitant to re-apply as a virtual executive assistant at Prialto. She felt like her decision-making process was a rollercoaster ride. When she spoke with an old friend and colleague who is still working at Prialto, she felt a complete sense of relief. Her friend’s heartwarming response let her know she would always be welcome back any time.
When she visited Prialto’s new office in Manila, Maricel received a warm welcome from old friends and new faces alike. Though she felt a little self-imposed pressure because of the expectations she thought she might get from everyone, she quickly remembered that Prialto is a friendly working environment.
“That's what Prialto is: a work-life balance.”
Since then, she’s been able to muster all the confidence necessary to face whatever challenges come her way, because she knows her team will lend her a hand and support her every step of the way.
In the last few months since Maricel has started working again at Prialto, she’s encountered plenty of changes and modifications to processes and systems. But one thing remained unchanged, and that is the feeling of returning to Prialto is like the feeling of going back to your second home.
Want to hire a virtual assistant like Maricel to help grow your business? Contact us to learn more.
