What Moms want. A professional shares her work-life quest

Stay at home, Mompreneur, Relauncher, Part-timer or Working Professional – a lot of personal (and sometimes difficult) choices drive a woman’s career journey. Plenty of women are torn – dividing their time and energy between family and careers. And making it all work, especially if you stick with both. But the bigger question is – what does the future hold, professionally speaking?

A mom professional shares her story and thoughts. Do you agree? What has been your experience?

~Maroon Oak Editors

I’m a mom raising two boys. I loved my career in financial services but the hours weren’t always predictable. Even with a supportive spouse, the onus of juggling kids, home, chores…everything was – and is – largely mine. I’ve quit the demanding job to be there for the family. I’ve taken a break, worked with startups, taken on temporary assignments.

In other words, the quest for the ‘perfect job’ continues…

I love my #momlife, but I also really enjoy my work and the way it fulfills me.

I’m not complaining. The work adjustments are a choice we made as a family. But I find that like me, there are many friends and co-workers who sometimes feel wistful about the compromises we’ve made.

Some women walk the fine line between work and life needs, some quit because of reasons beyond their control- family, marriage, kids, relocation etc. Even when they choose to stay at home, there is a nagging thought – how do I stay connected with what I’ve done if I can’t get back to work? Working at home or outside, the mind keeps churning, wondering how best to utilise time so we don’t lose out all that we have achieved.

And if one is ready to go back to work, where to find work that allows you to start when the kids are away to school and stop work when they are are back?

These are simple ‘mom asks’ and yet not enough minds working on the answer.

The reality is, an ideal work life balance does not really exist – not when we are fitting into the job requirements rather than the other way round. There are still very few companies that are ready to employ women for 3-4 hours or let them work flexi hours per their convenience.

I’ve worked alongside so many women in the last 15 years, as a colleague and as a manager. I’ve witnessed and occasionally counseled numerous women – friends, neighbors, relatives, all at different points in life, all struggling with work-life dilemmas.

And I strongly feel that women, especially mothers should get opportunities  that respect their choices. Equal opportunity means respect – not looking down upon them because they quit work or because they want to work shorter hours. They will be better workers than most of the people who work for longer hours. A big reason is that most mothers acquire management skills by default. Try managing work, home, kids all the time, without being recognised for it, a full-time job that every mother keeps doing and which doesn’t get enough credit, and no monetary compensation.

The Managers and HR folks at all the companies I’ve worked with had one thing in common – they were  always looking for talented, honest and efficient people.

I say – you want efficiency and motivation? Hire a mom!

A mother who gets an opportunity to work after taking a break in her career while still taking care of family will come back with a greater passion to excel and will work more efficiently as she is getting an opportunity to do something she always wanted to do and that is – WORK!

But this is not just a rant.

Once I started looking for answers and ideas, I was lucky enough to find like-minded mothers who are eagerly seeking them too. I also read several good blogs that deal with some of my pain points.

What is required from both ends, is a simple shift in perspective.

While we look for jobs and work that meets our unique needs, the reality is that this will take time. And even then, total success might not be possible when there are people available and willing to do full day jobs. Even work late and weekends.

Plus, there are the resume gaps to deal with.

Mothers need to realize, own, enhance and showcase the different skills they acquire while raising families, whether on a resume or in their communications. They also need to carve out time for personal development and acquiring new skills especially while at home. I initially overlooked this part somewhat, but thanks to some great mentors, I was able to shift focus which helped me find challenging but fulfilling work in a startup. The best part – shorter and flex hours!

Also read: Moms, does your resume say enough?

Also read: How can you showcase communication, initiative and other skills in interviews.

At the same time, employers need to not only craft family friendly flexible policies, but also actively recognize, honor and encourage the skills possessed by mothers and help them build upon them.

So, in the end, here’s my two cents.

What we moms want are ways to build flexible careers, not just flexible jobs!

 Connect with Priyanka

An MBA and an Economics graduate, Priyanka has over 15 years of operational experience in the financial services sector. She has also been instrumental in setting up and leading sustainable and efficient processes at ICICI & HDFC Ltd. She has leveraged her experiences and skill sets, to be the driving force behind institutionalizing start-ups like ‘Favista Real Estate’, ‘EatWithIndia’ & ‘TalentGen’.
A mother of two boys she enjoys playing all sports with them. When she is not spending time with her family, she enjoys gyming and listening to music.