Coworkers and clients: How to champion working moms
This content is categorized as:There鈥檚 a lot to balance these days. Many of us are juggling work and family simultaneously. Having children sometimes means putting a successful career on hold, or it can mean being a working parent trying to balance a professional and personal life.
Employers who actively address these challenges can be more likely to retain valuable employees and create an environment that motivates people to do their best work. One strategy for retaining top talent involves creating relationships where women, including working moms, feel their specific challenges are understood so they can balance work and life.
The same holds true for female clients. One key to building a more successful partnership with them is understanding their situation. Research from McKinsey & Company shows women will control a substantial portion of baby boomers鈥� $30 trillion in assets by 2030. Women鈥檚 wealth is growing, and so is their role in family financial decisions. Today, women don鈥檛 just play a role in financial decisions 鈥� they are the ones making the final decision. Tailoring your approach to align with their priorities can help women thrive and accelerate your business by serving their unique needs.
Build a more successful partnership with women
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- Unique financial challenges women face and how you can help them
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More ways to support women in your firm
From open communication policies to flexible schedules, there are more strategies you can implement to make changes in your workplace. Here are three helpful ideas to better support the women in your practice.
Retaining your top talent involves creating a culture where women and working mothers can have a successful work-life balance and grow professionally. To get started, there are many strategies 鈥� from open communication policies to flexible schedules 鈥� you can implement to make changes in your workplace.
3 ideas to help support working mothers
Here are three helpful ideas to better support the working moms at your firm.
1. Encourage open communication
It's important to keep an open line of communication between expecting and working women and their managers or Human Resources to discuss their changing work needs as they prepare for maternity leave and their return to work. Being able to talk freely about these important stages in life, as well as other challenges working moms face, may help women feel more confident about their job.
Expecting and working mothers who know they are supported and valued can help them better assess their workload and delegate tasks. They can help make sure client relationships are strong and mentor anyone who will be stepping into their shoes while they are away. All of this can help make their transition back to work smoother. Plus, when they return, they can continue their career progression without interruption.
2. Help set career paths
Being more transparent about what can lead to success, including metrics and the basic timeline, in years or months, can help even the playing field and potentially break down some of the walls between male and female employees. Continue to check in with your employees to ensure they are receiving the support and resources they need to excel in their role and work toward their goals. Also review pay practices between men and women to make sure salaries are equitable will help create a more balanced workplace and empower female professionals to build a successful career.
3. Support flexibility and work-life balance
In recent years, working remotely has become more of the norm, where with of remote-capable employees preferring some remote work flexibility, mostly a hybrid work arrangement. While there are many perks to having more flexibility, the separation between professional life and personal life can easily blur. Make sure your staff knows they do not need to respond to emails after work hours or on weekends and that their family time is respected. For working moms to thrive, company policies are important, but so is being surrounded by respectful leaders, managers and co-workers who support and encourage work-life balance.
While all employees can benefit from flexible schedules, offering them to mothers returning from maternity leave can help employees better balance their work and home lives while continuing to be productive assets to your business. Helping shape a workplace culture that champions working mothers can help boost your appeal as an employer by giving employees the tools they need to succeed. Your employees can benefit and your practice can thrive.
Two things you can do today
- Schedule regular touch base meeting with employees to discuss personal and professional goals. Ask for feedback about:
- a.) how you can better support them along their career path and
- b.) what may help them achieve work-life balance.
- Consider the criteria your firm uses to promote employees. Ask yourself if your policies and procedures provide optimal support to your female employees who choose to pursue motherhood?
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