Retaining and Recruiting Working Moms

Being a mom is the best job title I’ll ever have, but I don’t want it to be my only title. As someone who has always loved my career and devoted a lot of time to my work, entering this new phase of my life was intimidating. Questions swirled through my mind about how I’d juggle my work responsibilities and be present at home. How would I maintain a regular work schedule so I could pick my daughter up on time? What would happen if my daughter got sick and I needed to take time off? The list goes on. While I don’t have the perfect answers to all of these questions, after a year into this motherhood journey, I can say working full-time and being a present mother at home is possible if you have a supportive employer.

The Kane Insights: State of Working Women in Wisconsin report found that Wisconsin mothers are almost three times more likely to report responsibilities at home to be impacting their ability to thrive at work than Wisconsin women without children (17% vs 6%). It’s impossible to turn your home-life responsibilities off when you get to work, but the type of employer you work for can make all the difference when it comes to managing the competing demands of your personal and professional life. 

Working mothers accounted for nearly one-third of working women in the United States in 2020. In today’s tight labor market, employers can’t afford to lose this demographic from the workforce; so, here are a few opportunities to make your organization an employer of choice for working mothers. 

Modernize Policies

Spending time with your newborn is precious time you’ll never get back. Your little human needs you and is trying to figure out how to survive in this new world. Employers should consider re-evaluating their parental leave policy to make it accessible to all employees and updating policies to be more gender-neutral. 

Offer Flexible Work Hours and Schedules

Whether your child woke up several times throughout the night, had a medical emergency on the playground at school, or caught a cold at daycare and needed to be picked up - your day almost never goes according to plan as a parent. Working for an employer that offers schedule flexibility to adjust to unexpected child care needs is a huge stress-reliever for working moms. Employers that trust you’ll get the work done and respect your responsibilities at home are more sought after by working women. Offering flexibility is one thing, but communicating about it is another. COVID-19 has shown that some people work better at home or prefer a hybrid schedule moving forward. Have these conversations with your employees and make sure that new policies are clearly communicated to employees. 

Foster an Inclusive Community

As Sarah Maio, Wisconsin Center District VP of Marketing and Communications, and mother of four often says, “it takes a village.” This phrase couldn’t be more true and the support is needed in all aspects of a working mom’s life. Creating a community, such as a parent-employee resource group, where working moms can come together to laugh about potty training horror stories and share pro tips with one another strengthens the sense of belonging for employees.

Focus on Childcare Support

Kane’s report found that 81% of working mothers in Wisconsin have jobs that offer no childcare support. Nationwide, lack of childcare is one of the top five challenges of working women. Wisconsin mothers face a difficult reality, lack of employer flexibility and support coupled with the cost of childcare forces women to make the challenging decision to leave the workforce. In speaking with a focus group of local working moms, they suggested employers could offer a stipend to employees on a sliding scale to make childcare more affordable. If that option isn’t feasible, consider developing a list of additional resources available in the community to help with childcare. 

Your organization has a chance to stand out and make an impact in the lives of working mothers. 54% of Wisconsin mothers expressed having some level of difficulty balancing work and home responsibilities, compared to just 36% of Wisconsin women without children. It’s time to update company policies, provide more flexibility, create more inclusive environments and offer childcare resources that make your organization stand out as an employer of choice. 

Learn how Kane can help you become an employer of choice for working women in Wisconsin in 2022. Schedule a consultation.