Work Life Balance for Moms

Work Life Balance for Moms


Mother's Day is just around the corner, and it is a fitting time to celebrate all of us who are mom's. If you are a mom, I hope that you will have a wonderful weekend!

I wanted to shine the spotlight on some excellent articles and research findings that have just come out regarding work-life balance for moms.

Workopolis has just released it's annual Mother's Day poll which had some interesting findings. Overall they state, "Too often, mothers are forced to choose between putting in the long hours to meet deadlines and watching their daughter's debut in the schoool play".

* 27% of working mothers surveyed feel that their number one challenge is time away from their family.
* One in ten respondents mentioned being taken seriously as a working mother is a challenge
*25% of reponsdents report that their employers don't offer any options to ease the transition beack to work for female employees after maternity leave.

A number of employers in Canada are offering several solutions for working moms:
* 48% of respondents mention that their employers provide flexible working hours
* Job Sharing (14%)
* Provision of portable technologies (Blackberry, laptops) - 13%
* Working from home - 9%
* On site daycare - 6%

Workopolis indicates that the following factors would make working life more managable from the perspective of working moms:
* Flexible working hours
* On-site daycare
* Ability to work from home on occasion

Tips to Make it Work include:
* Build a support structure (See my post on support structures for goals a few weeks ago)
* Leverage technology to work for you
* Work for a family-friendly workplace
* Don't be afraid to say "no" (See my post on boundaries in January)

Click here for more information about the Workopolis survey:
NewsWire

CareerBuilder.com in the US has released another survey and found the following results:
* 44% of the mothers surveyed would take a pay cut to spend more time with their children
*23% surveyed indiatd tht they had missed three or more significant events in their children's lives in the last year
* Half would quit their jobs if their spouse made enought money "for the family to live comfortably"
* Work follows moms home : 31% of American mothers reported that they take work home at least once a week, and 17% take work home at least three times per week.

For articles on the CareerBuilder.com study, visit the Wall Street Journal Online

For moms out there, I will be doing a one hour free call on Work-Life Balance Tips for Moms on Wednesday May 16th at 7pm (EST). If you'd like to join me please email me at info@potentialsrealized.com with Work Life Balance May 16th in the header . During this call I will be sharing some tips and tools for work life balance for moms. I hope that you can join me. Note: the bridgeline is located in the US - participants are responsible for their own long distance charges.

Have a balanced weekend,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, CPCC, CHRP, CPT
Potentials Realized
90 Day Your Balanced Life! program starts May 22nd -- click here for more information
Toll Free: 1-866-217-1960
Email: jennifer[at]potentialsrealized[dot]com