Mommy and Work

A few weeks ago the cover of US News & World Report featured a story about working mothers and the new ways in which we are finding work/life balance. The New Mommy Trackon a lot of points near and dear to my heart - when I started PerkettPR, I had several objectives in mind. Not only did I want to build a unique and successful business, I also wanted to create an optimal work environment that was not offered by competitive firms in the space. I started a virtual PR firm at a time – a decade ago – when very few people were accepting work-from-home as a “real job,” let alone featuring it on the cover of national magazines.

Many women featured in the article work part time. Others work from home or telecommute. The article states that “the old rules didn’t work, so more women are finding ways to change them,” and that “neither superwomen nor soccer moms, mothers are negotiating flexible schedules or finding entrepreneurial solutions to the career-family dilemma.”

At the same time, it states that “only 3% of companies let most employees work part of the week at home sometimes.” There have been many reports and media articles over the years questioning mothers in the workforce - are they dedicated, should they be there, do employers make it difficult for them on purpose, if they leave can they get back in, etc. With all of today’s technological advances and everyone – not just women – able to work from just about anywhere – why don’t’ more companies embrace flexible work arrangements?

I have found that not only does my virtual workforce find new happiness in work/life balance – hearing your child play outside or getting to have lunch with them, for example – but that the very structure allows us to be more competitive in our field. I have been able to build a multi-million dollar business from home because our company is comprised of all-senior level talent – something that, as a bootstrapped entrepreneur – I would not have been able to offer clients if I were also paying for expensive office space. The fact that I can hire all-senior executives helps provide us with a competitive edge – seasoned talent working from a home office delivers much more value than inexperienced junior staffers chatting away at the water cooler in a traditional office environment.

There are many ways that women are making the balance – working from home, working part time or insisting that fathers take on more of the child rearing responsibilities. That being said, I still find it an incredible challenge to do both and feel complete satisfaction. Everyone always wants something – whether it’s a demanding client or a demanding child – and the pressures to please all parties never dies. I still face women friends who can’t understand my choice to work – nor accept the fact that I can’t take more time off because I’m a) the boss and b) I’m working from home. Women continue to struggle to find the “best” balance – but the best balance is what works for you personally – and that differs from woman to woman; mother to mother; family to family.

Let’s celebrate choice: choice to balance family and career, choice to pave our own paths, and choice to work from just about anywhere. It’s a great day to see women working with their children on their laps as a feature in a national publication. Perhaps the world really is beginning to see that women’s brains don’t fall out the minute they have a child – and that we, too, enjoy many other things in life in addition to raising children.