Recently I felt inspired to talk
about the difficulties of Mom’s and parents in general in the workforce. I
found myself reflecting on my experience in the corporate world and how unprepared
I felt for the constant juggling I was doing on a daily basis. The difficulties of juggling your career and
being the ultimate Momma are harder than ever.
Since the recession started back in
2008, there are more households with two working parents than there have been
in years. Mom’s that have stayed at home
for most of their children’s lives are now finding it necessary to return back
to work, and some simply for the comfort of having the second income as a backup
plan. According to the U.S. Department
of Labor on average, 55% of Mom’s are employed full time. It was also reported that 83% of Mom’s return
to work within 6 months of their child being born. And in fact, not only are more Mom’s
returning to the work force, but 55% are actually matching or bringing home
more income than their significant other.
I find it great to know that women
are feeling empowered to return to work and what a blessing that we are at the
point in our society where women have made their mark in the workforce. However, I can’t help but feel that it is
time employers step up to the plate to support working parents. Not just women, men as well. In no way shape or form, do I mean for this
to be a rant about how parents should receive special treatment. Allow me to support my argument: When I
returned to work after having my son it was my first time figuring out the ins
and outs of dropping off at childcare, trying to find a time to pump in the
middle of the day, not knowing whether or not I would be able to answer calls
from the babysitter, when to pick up, what to do if I couldn’t get out of work
on time to pick up, etc. This period of
time I believe is a learning experience for everyone. However, had my employer provided the proper
resources and support, I would have felt that my job performance wouldn’t have
been as influenced by outside factors. I
felt very strongly about wanting to breastfeed at least until my son was 6
months, and was not able to do so because I couldn’t find 15 quiet minutes at
work.
Most adults have children and many
different studies prove that roughly 3-4 out of 5 married couples have an
average of 2 children in their lifetime.
Of these couples, married or unmarried, most have at least 1 adult in
the household working. Given this, it
proves that there is a good number of adults at any given company that have
children. With these statistics I can’t
help but think again, why aren’t more employers supportive of working parents? Still, given these statements I don’t think
parents or Mom’s should be given special privileges or special treatment in
comparison to those without children.
However, many employers offer their workers a reimbursement for dry
cleaning, cell phone use, gas mileage, etc.
It seems to me that those with children should if nothing else, have
resources provided by their employers, to continue to succeed in their
positions, while also juggling home life, especially Mom’s. There are many societies aside from our own
where Mom’s even bring their children to work with them and it is no secret
that American’s work more in terms of hours and length in days than others. How can this not have an effect on the
children as well as the family dynamic as a whole?
In a position I held in corporate I
had made it very clear from the start that I needed to be able to have somewhat
of a flexible schedule due to the childcare arrangements my husband and I had
made for our son. Nothing too out of the
ordinary, I just needed to be able to pick up my son by a certain time in order
to be respectful to our provider and her childcare hours. Simply put, I needed to leave at a certain
time every day, no later than 5:30pm. It
ended up that this was in fact not something the employer was willing to work
with and in turn I was let go due to my “scheduling conflicts”. It was getting to the point that I felt the
interaction with my son was limited on a daily basis to 15 minutes in the
morning of frantically getting ready to leave on time, get dressed, grab
something quick to eat, etc. and then picking him up and spending 10 minutes
with him before putting him to bed.
Clearly this is something that was affecting more than just me. It baffles my mind, that as an employee you
can sacrifice everyday moments, events, soccer games, first words, etc. to be
at work and sometimes to simply be a warm body filling a chair, but when it
comes time for a little understanding on the other end, it’s “see ya later don’t
let the door hit you on the way out”!
So what CAN employers do to provide
a more supportive work place for employees with children? First, employers should have the
understanding that by employing their staff members with those that do have
children, there are going to be soccer games, family vacations, daycare pick up
times, etc. and they have the opportunity to honor and respect these events and
responsibilities outside of work by allowing a slightly flexible schedule. Just because Bob down the hall doesn’t have a
family and works 12 hours a day doesn’t mean the average employee wants or
needs to be there for literally half of the hours in a day. Secondly, wouldn’t it be nice if your
benefits package included information and resources on childcare? What if your employer helped with the cost of
agency fees and background checks to make sure you were provided with the best
childcare possible so you can focus on your work 100% when you’re in the
office!? Especially in instances where you are being asked to relocate! Would this simple touch influence your
decision to accept a position and continue to work in an environment where you
felt not only is your work appreciated, but that your quality of life is also
important and recognized.
I certainly believe that this is
something that could change the workforce for parents into a far more positive
experience for their family lives. I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to
operate a business that can potentially make this happen. By reaching out to businesses and being able
to offer our services as a part of their benefits package could be not just an
added bonus, but something that could change the workplace for working
parents. Help them feel confident about
returning to work and that their employer cares enough to provide them with the
resources needed to continue the balance of working parents and a health family
life. I am excited about this movement
in our agency and this amazing opportunity to provide something to other
parents that I know would have helped me as a working mother, continue to be
able to provide for my family while making my mark in the workforce!
-Rachel Gorton, Owner and Operator, A Nanny for You, LLC
