Office Meals & Flex Time: Make Life Easier in the Office for Working Moms
Posted by Sara on Friday, May 9th, 2014 with 2 Comments
With Mother’s Day just around the corner and visions of flowers and brunches dancing in our heads, it’s also important to remember the other role many mothers fill: a professional one. And despite all the discussions about leaning in and having it all, a lot of recent research shows that what working moms want the most is flexibility.
Working moms appreciate flexible policies that permit them to spend more time with younger children.
Image source: Flickr user U.S. Army
Flex time and telecommuting are growing trends for good reason. Employees who find a better work-life balance tend to be less stressed and more satisfied, which translates into higher levels of productivity and lower turnover for their employers. If your company wants to support working moms (and dads, of course) with more family-friendly policies, here are a few ways to start:
1) Partner with a local daycare that’s willing to offer reduced rates to employees. While lots of big companies score major points by providing on-site daycare for staff members, even smaller companies can afford to spend a little time searching for a daycare provider willing to provide a discount for a partner.
2) Offer the ability for part-time telecommuting. Whether you permit employees to designate certain days as work-from-home or simply have a flexible policy about telecommuting when children are sick, this is probably the best possible way to give families the flexibility they crave.
When a child is home sick, telecommuting can save the day.
Image source: Flickr user Nina Hale
3) If telecommuting doesn’t work for your company, you might consider allowing flexible hours. Many parents will appreciate the option for one to start work early in the morning and finish in time to pick the kids up from school, while the other begins a little later and works into the evening.
4) If you do allow telecommuting, be sure to include those employees in special office meals or celebrations. If you’re planning an employee appreciation lunch, don’t just post a notice in the break room: send a specific email invite to telecommuting employees so they don’t feel excluded. And for extra flexibility…
On occasion, bringing kids to the office can be a big advantage – for moms and dads.
Image source: Flickr user U.S. Army
5) …consider making those office meals family-friendly. Involving family members in celebrations, from company picnics to Friday pizza lunches, can go a long way toward promoting a healthy work-life balance. If a telecommuting employee knows her child is welcome at a special employee appreciation lunch, that message of appreciation will be considerably more meaningful!
6) Also, consider creating a child-friendly space in the office for telecommuting parents to use during the occasional in-person meeting. Without devoting valuable office space for occasional use, you could create a small kid-friendly kit with a few coloring books, crayons, juice boxes, and snacks that can be brought into an empty office or conference room for use during meetings.
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This is something that I think is going to become more common in the American workplace. People have to sacrifice so much for their children and they often spend more time at work than with their families. I love when my co-workers bring their kids to the office; it brings some life into the often dull and tired corporate setting.
Thanks for your thoughts! It’s true, there’s nothing like a youngster to liven up the office, and it’s a wonderful way to add balance to the work-life equation.