Last Sunday, we all got the chance to stop for a moment and recognise the very special role mothers play in our lives.
Whether its our biological mother, grandmother, step-mother, carer, or even a single dad who is taking on the role of both parents, the part they play in our lives cannot be underestimated.
Particularly over the past couple of years, mothers have been incredibly busy as they juggled personal and professional commitments amidst long bouts of home schooling.
One silver lining to perhaps come out of the ordeal has been the rise in human-centric approaches to alleviating the working/parenting struggle that most have endured for a long time.
As work and life became more integrated than ever before, remote working proved that flexibility is not only possible – it might actually help to solve age-old challenges faced by all working parents, such as school drop offs and pickups, timely dinners, and managing kids who are sick at home.
The tools to make life easier are certainly more available, and could have further reaching impacts than we realise. For example, they could serve to empower women and increase workplace participation for those who want to work full time but have previously opted for part time agreements due to a lack of flexibility.
We know now that providing more flexibility does not equal less productivity. In fact, a study many years ago by Ernst and Young found that women who worked flexibly, usually mothers, wasted the least amount of time of all workers. Being a parent requires strong time management skills (to say the least!) so it’s no surprise this translates into high productivity in the workplace.
One needn’t look far to see mothers kicking goals in all industries from the frontline to the C-Suite – with many taking their organisations to impressive new heights. And though the journey could not have been easy, the opportunity to support more working mothers to reach their own career goals is definitely worth exploring.
These days it would seem that there is little need to force working parents to choose between school pick ups or reasonable dinner times and a successful career. Technology gives us the opportunity to come back whenever we need to – be it late in the afternoon or the evening to catch up when family responsibilities are settled.
The opportunities are endless, but the underlying principle is the same: recognising that everyone in the workforce is human and has important roles to play in their professional and personal lives.
At Geodetica, we trust all our working parents to do right by their clients while making time to support their families. This Mother’s Day, we say thank you to all our working mothers and celebrate them for the important contributions they make to our business and our lives.