It’s never easy for a working mom to juggle work and home. There are scores of boxes to tick off right, from signing memos and morning drop-offs to client meetings being balanced with parent-teacher conferences. Most of the time working moms feel that they are either letting their home or their workplace down.
Not to forget women have to face a lot of workplace discrimination on the basis of their gender, their mom status adds another dimension to it. However, things can run smoothly if both the employers and the women employees can work in tandem to remove all the problems ailing them.
Also, working moms should let their employer know their grievances. This way employers can have a better idea to find ways to fix niggling issues at work.
Recognize Your Self Worth
When in doubt always remember that you have been hired by your company for your unique talents, qualifications, and experience. Every time you negotiate with your company about the ideal work-life balance, remember you are not on the back foot. You are important to the organization due to your unique skillset.
If they want you in their organization, they need to be a little more flexible in their approach towards you. Always know your worth and let your company know about your specific requirements.
State Out Your Needs
When you communicate your needs to your employer, let them know every specific detail. For instance, instead of saying that you want to pick up your kids from school, be more specific about the timings.
The more specific you are in your needs, the better it would be. If you want to leave the office by a specific time – state it. If you want to work for a specific duration from home – you have got to define it. Once you put out your request an employer will have an easier time evaluating your performance and how you are specifically catering to the needs of the office.
Set Some Boundaries about Answering Phone Calls/ Emails
It is always necessary to set a specific time and let your employer know about that time frame beyond which you won’t be available to answer calls and emails. While it is always easy to check everything on the mobile, it will impact your work-life balance and for that, you certainly need to demarcate your boundaries.
Answering your email at a time you are going off to sleep is certainly not the right thing to do unless of course there is a specific rule in your contract that needs you to be accessible round the clock. Otherwise, resist the urge to respond all the time, specifically after your working hours.
However, if you do have to check sometimes in case of emergencies, allot a specific time after your kids are in bed. In all cases, always stick to the schedule so that you have ample time to relax and unwind after a tiring and hectic day at the office.
Be More Specific at the Time of Your Hiring
It is imperative to put your requirements on the table before you get hired. As a mother, you have some priorities, and as an employee, you have some responsibilities too.
It is important to state out all your needs right at the time of your appointment so that you adhere to your principles and not change them as soon as you get employed. For instance, you tell your employer that you would be always accessible even after working hours, and then after getting hired you express your grievances is unprofessional.
Your employer would appreciate your transparency and clarity of your priorities right at the time of employment. In fact, it may be your honesty that may get you hired in the first place apart from, of course, the other factors such as your skills and experience.
Conclusion
While there may be greater flexibility in some workplaces and less so in others, as working mothers you need to play a certain part in changing the warp and weft of the organization. It is always important to speak up and be clear about your requirements so that there is no confusion at any time about your priorities and your performance.
A happy employee is a more productive employee so all employers must understand this. As long as your employee is doing their work properly and maintaining all code of conduct at the office, they are entitled to a little bit of flexibility. This way both the employer and the employee are happy. It is a win-win situation!