What’s One Way Working Moms Can Be Happier at Work?

Lisa / 13 Feb 2013 / Personal Finance

I recently came across an article about things not to say to a working mom, and I found myself nodding my head at each and every statement. I have to assume that these comments are made by either stay-at-home moms, or by people who don’t have children. It’s true that the grass is greener on the other side, but I am completely envious of all of my SAHM friends. Not that I don’t love my job, but I would much rather be spending my days with my child (especially before “D” was in preschool) than going to the office. Even though my son is my best friend and we have a great relationship, I still struggle with the guilt over working and missing out on those hours during the day. Maybe that’s why I am glued to his side from the second I get home until he falls into bed!

Since the article was about things NOT to say to a working mom, I started to think about the positive statements that are said to me, as a working Mom. One of the first things that popped into my head was, “You are so lucky to work for a company that lets you bring kids to work!”

Shout-out to Ubiquity because it’s true. Sure there are many reasons, but one of them is because we foster a culture that is accommodating to working parents, both in the flexibility to work off-site, but also to bring our children to work. It’s a win-win for both sides, really. During school vacations, I don’t have to worry about finding daycare, and they don’t have to worry about me missing work or having diminishing productivity. If my child is sick, I can stay home and take care of him and still get my work done. And now that I am losing my Friday daycare and I have a few months before “D” starts school full-time, I can alter my schedule between working at home and bringing him with me to the office.

Does having this flexibility make me extremely happy? You bet it does! And with happiness comes loyalty to the company, with loyalty comes pride in work, and so on and so forth until it’s a love-fest all around. Plus, my son is happier because he gets to spend more time with me, and he is also learning that a positive work environment makes for less-stressed parents.

So if you are an employer who is looking for a way to motivate and retain employees, I strongly encourage you to look at ways to make the life of a working parent easier. If your office can accommodate children, then bring them in once in a while. If you don’t have a work-at-home policy, think about creating one. If you are an employee who wants to change your company’s culture, propose some ideas to your HR department, they might agree to give one a try.

The original article can be found here.