In today’s society, women are expected to run their homes while keeping a nine to five job. As a result, many women are taking a hard look at different ways to create balance. In this peculiar time, employers should be looking for ways to support women to achieve maximum workplace productivity. Companies can achieve this through well-defined policies. When it comes to policy, the only thing women can look to is the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). This Act simply states that a woman gets paid while taking a few weeks to recover from her child’s birth. This policy is barely adequate. It behooves employers to come up with a more structured approach. Here are some tips for employers:
- Increase the antiquated maternal leave policy to a much longer time.
- Allow women enough time to drop off their children at daycare.
- Have mothers work from home one to two days per week depending on the type of job.
- Offer childcare facilities on-site that also accommodate breastfeeding.
When companies provide adequate solutions to parental issues, everyone can benefit.
Technology is also excellent tool employers can use to help women balance career and personal life. Even with the most advanced technology, it is difficult for women to clean the house, do laundry, take care of the children, and head out to work. As a result, millennial women are taking a different approach to motherhood. These women are tech-savvy, and they are using their knowledge to work from home. For example,
- working from home on specific days and going into the office on others,
- taking online positions that do not require leaving home, and
- forming an online business and becoming their boss.
The millennial woman can now mark out her schedule to be more effective as a mother while contributing financially to the family.
Companies have to create a work environment that is both flexible and functional. Times have changed, and technology is one of the keys to the future. There is no perfect solution; only communication between employers and the women who work for them can help create the balance needed for a successful lot for everyone involved.