Transforming the World of Business, One Mom at a Time

It's been eight years since I became a mom, and it's been eight years since my professional career was transformed.

Like me, thousands of women have stopped their careers or quit their jobs when becoming a mother. In Mexico, 50 percent of women reject a job opportunity because of the high impact on their personal lives (Accenture). As a pandemic result, INEGI estimated that at least 1.7 million women resigned from their jobs during 2020. This situation significantly impacts personal rotation and increases the cost of talent attraction and training. 

What is needed to retain women in the workplace? How can we ensure their development within organizations?

That is how Momlancer's was launched: We provide a platform to help working moms develop valuable skills and help companies develop  a diverse workforce. We believe that when women are empowered to lead full and productive lives, they raise happy children and help society prosper. 

Our Momlancers have completed more than 60 projects for Unilever. With Kellogg’s, we created a mentorship program called Moms Coaching Moms, which has replaced  percent of women employees who didn’t come back after motherhood. We are currently working on a Returnship Program with Forvia Faurecia for women who have paused their careers.

After five years of working with women and companies, I have discovered "magic combinations" to attract, retain and develop women in organizations (after motherhood).

01: Flexibility + Limits

A woman who has become a mother values flexibility more than anything else. Being able to take care of her children's needs or attend a school meeting, for example. But flexibility does not mean working less. It means being able to work at different times and spaces. The pandemic has already shown that this is possible. And it is not only women who value it. Today, regardless of age or gender, you have to manage flexible schemes that allow more personal and professional integration.

However, if you provide flexibility, ensure your employees know how to handle it. The risk is the lack of limits. The magic combination comes with aligning expectations. Clarify which tasks should be done at the office and which ones from home, when you can contact people via WhatsApp and when you can’t. 

We need to be mindful and skillful at being present in each task we do: If we are with our children, be with them; if we are working, be productive.

02: Equal Pay + Equitable Tasks

One of the women who entered our coaching programs discovered that her husband, who held the same position in the same company at another plant, earned much more than she did. As a result, she quit. Companies need to review their salary scales, measure if there are gender differences and correct them. I invite you to commit to signing the Equal Pay Pact promoted by Norma Cerros of Womerang. 

Besides equal payment, we should also think about equity in tasks. So many non-remunerated duties are assigned to women just because they are women. And  I am not referring to just the non-remunerated activities at home. I am speaking about all the other unpaid tasks at the office, such as taking notes at meetings, planning birthday celebrations for co-workers, or sending gift cards or flowers to the ill. I suggest you take turns on the team; don't always ask the same person to do it.

03. Share Achievements + Put Them in the Spotlight

Most women suffer, to a much greater extent than men, from the famous “modesty bias.” We tend to minimize ourselves and to “feel less.” This is commonly related to Impostor Syndrome. During a work interview I had with the CEO of a company, he asked me if I would need a boss between him and me. And my answer (even when I knew it wasn’t true) was, “Yes, I need one.” Obviously I didn’t get the job. What was I missing? Having more security about what I was capable of doing. How do I get that? By registering my achievements and having them present. You can do this by keeping a little notebook with you or through a digital app ,such as Pep Talk Her.

Besides being good at registering our achievements, we need to work on sharing them with others. For that, there are wonderful initiatives, such as #IamRemakable from Google, a  workshop to learn how to eliminate modesty bias and to improve the way you talk and recognize your own victories.

From  a company perspective, use the power of the spotlight. If you recognize your women employees’ accomplishments, you will increase the possibilities of having more with you. This is good for them and for your company. Their achievements are yours.

One last tip on this point: recognize "transferable skills:" these are skills that you have developed as a mom that also serve you in the professional field: project management, crisis management, negotiation, resilience...

04. Share Success Stories + Dose of Reality

Women often tell me that they have few references of women who have really been able to "have it all." To inspire them, I initially introduced "success stories" of women CEOs,who run marathons and have everything under control. However, I found that this created too much anxiety and stress. Women already set the bar too high for themselves. They need help lowering the expectation. When I started to bring women to speak to them from a point of view of reality and not from perfection, everything changed. My advice: inspire them with real women. Make them their mentors. They don't have to be perfect to share their experience. With Accenture, we have a mentoring program at scale where each generation of mentee becomes a mentor to the next generation.

05.Encourage the Tribe + Supporting Net

When I started working with MARS on a coaching program for moms returning from maternity leave, we wondered whether to work one-on-one or in group sessions, so we decided to try both. In the end, we discovered that the group sessions were much more enriching. The reason: a support network is generated. Hearing how other women in similar circumstances have solved your same problems and in your company is transformative. 

There is a lot of power in women coming together. Initiatives like dialogue circles can help you build this community. Begin with Lean-In Circles.

Now, this tribe needs a platform to stay alive and can greatly benefit from the company's own tools. Put up a notice wall with tips: daycare, babysitting, breastfeeding. Create a section for them in the company newsletter, a group on Yammer, Slack or whatever communication tool you use.

To sum up, here is a concise list of the I‘ve5 keys to achieving this "magic combination" between the infrastructure within a company and the mentality of a mom, to ensure she stays engaged and grows in your company: 

1. Create flexible policies for all and with clear limits. 

2. Seek equity in salary and in tasks.

3. Encourage women to share their accomplishments and put them in the spotlight.

4. Provoke meetings of women who share real stories.

5. Generate a support network for the women's community in your organization.