The WM Parenting Connection: Work and Family Life: The ...

By Jennifer Tomasino

There are too many companies where the unspoken preference is towards employees without children; or where employees have to put their families on the back burner in order to get ahead.

A former colleague of mine and her sister are the perfect example.? We?ll call them Jill and Sharon. Sharon was a very career focused woman, she was working as a Vice President for a Fortune 100 company when she had kids. She took a week of maternity leave. As soon as she got home from the hospital she was taking and making calls from home (this was before email). Then when her son was 2 weeks old she started carting him back and forth to the office with her. At one month she had gone back to work full time and consistently worked 60 hour weeks as both her kids grew up. She is still a senior level executive at her company.

?Jill on the other hand worked for a local non-profit, she took 3 months off when her daughter was born, went back to work part-time and took as much work home as possible. She job-shared with another employee until she went back to full- time when her second child was in preschool. She adjusted her work schedule as needed so that she was there for every practice, game, and choir performance as her kids grew up.

I mentioned last week that bosses shouldn?t view maternity leave as a break, because it is anything but. And the same thing goes for working from home. When I went back to my corporate job after maternity leave I had worked out a schedule so that I telecommuted two days a week. Several of my colleagues remarked on numerous occasions that it must be nice to have such long weekends. ?

Working at home is not all that it?s built up to be- in many ways it is more difficult than working in an office or being a stay-at-home mom. Work-at-home moms(WAHM) have to do both jobs simultaneously; caring for kids full time, plus trying to work full time. Most WAHM?s I know (myself included) cram their entire workday into naptime and after the kids go to sleep at night. ?It takes some serious motivation and efficiency to make a WAHM situation work, but for many parents it allows the necessary balance to make work life and home life possible.

Not every work situation is going to be as flexible as Jill?s, but every employer should encourage a balance between work and family life. Job sharing, telecommuting, and flexible schedules make going back to work so much easier on new moms. An employer?s willingness to be flexible goes a long ways towards making new parents feel supported in their work roles. A feeling of support means less turnover and happier employees.

Next week- Dad needs time with the new baby too.??

Work and Family Life: The Balancing Act

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