Mother In The Workplace
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Mothers in the Workplace
Today there are more mothers working in the workplace than in the past, and a growing need to balance work and family needs. I support working mothers and finding the best solution for balancing their work and home life. The husbands and children of working women often have difficulties in adjusting to the working hours. Working mothers are also faced with the problems of obtaining adequate day-care for their younger children. Many experts agrees that day-care is an important aspect in the life of the child. In order for a child to be both physically and emotionally healthy, its day-care facilities must provide a safe and positive environment. Researchers have noted that employees are less effective on the job if they are worried about their children. Ellen Galinsky of the Families and Work Institute has claimed that an employee may not be an effective worker if he or she is worried about child care (White D4). This shows that organizations can benefit by providing their employees with good child care facilities. If an organization cannot directly provide day-care, it should at least be able to refer employees to adequate facilities in the area.
Working mothers must also deal with the issue of pregnancy leave form their jobs. The Supreme Court has ruled that the jobs of pregnant women must be held until they have their babies (Will You Be Penalized 106). Nevertheless, a problem has developed for working mothers in recent years, which is know as the “mommy track”. The “mommy track” occurs whenever a working mother is forced to take less pay or is denied a promotion (Brown 24). Such actions are based on the logic that a working mother cannot possibly devote as much time to her career as she must devote to her family. Thus, the existence of a “mommy track” in a given organization suggests only women willing to set aside family consideration could be singled out for the fast lane to the executive suite (Castro 72). This is obviously an unfair treatment of working mothers. Many women are capable of working and raising a family at the same time.
There have been numerous case examples which prove that it is possible for a working mother to balance child rearing with a career. In fact, Sanger & Kelly have claimed that the balancing of family and career can be a positive experience for the mother as well as for the family unit. In this regard, the children of working mothers can actually benefit from the situation if emphasis is placed only on the positive strengths and competencies work can promote (Sanger& Kelly 56). Of course, the working mother may be limited by the policies of the organization itself. This is particularly true in companies, which have a “mommy track” for working mothers. In such cases, it is important that the women of the organization take steps toward dealing with the problem. The policies of an organization will never change unless the managers are confronted by the problems that they cause. As noted in one magazine article, the worst tactic is to decide nothing will change and withdraw (Will You Be Penalized 108). If management is unresponsive to the needs of its working women, outside help can be sought. There are several assistance groups, which are designed to help women in general, as well as working mothers specifically. In extreme cases, it may be necessary for the working mother to quit a “mommy track” job in order to seek a job with a more enlightened company (Will You Be Penalized 108).
The organization can play an important role in finding alternatives to the “mommy track”. Efficient organizations do not demote women who chose to have children. Rather, they seek to encourage and empower all employees, regardless of the status of their lives at home. An increasing number of companies in recent years have been realizing the errors of implementing “mommy track” policies. These companies are increasingly making an effort to keep women on track to top corporate positions at whatever speed the employees themselves choose (Nelson-Horcher 23). Many organizations have developed “work-family initiatives” for the benefit of their employees (White D1). Some of these initiatives provide medical leave for women during and after childbirth. Other policies are designed to ensure that adequate day-care is provided for working mothers. Such policies are important because working mothers usually make good employees. Because of this, companies can benefit by adapting to the unique needs of working mothers. Furthermore, it is more efficient and less costly to retain women with families than it is to hire and train new employees form scratch.
Working mothers often need to have flexible work schedules in order to balance their careers with their families. When the family includes pre-scholars, there is a need for a flexible schedule to accommodate the childrens need (Bodin & Mitelman 39). Thus, in order to maintain efficiency, an organization must implement plans, which allow working mothers to serve both the company and the family at the same time. For example, an organization can implement part-time scheduling for working mothers. (Dusky 132) has warned that part-time work is not a suitable solution to the problem if the work is boring or demeaning. However, successful results can be found among part-time employees who are regarded as contributing something valuable to the organization (Dusky 132). Organizations that support working mothers with flexible work schedules tend to have dedicated workers.
Another alternative to the “mommy track” system is job sharing. With job-sharing, two employees split the work, salary and benefits of a single job (Carter 312). This type of arrangement provides the working mother with more time tend to her family. Job-sharing carries important benefits for the organization as well. For example, it has been noted an organizational advantage of job-sharing can be found in the fact that the job strengths of the two employees can be blended to make the job deliver better results (Nelson-Horcher 23). Another possible alternative for working mothers is flextime, in which employees are given flexible work schedules. A recent innovation can