Return to Workplace Mandates on Moms
Many moms and parents landed in the same boat during the Spring of 2020, and that’s face-to-face with their new office space congruent to their spouses, children, pets, and a partridge in a pear tree. Four years later, numerous companies are calling for return-to-office mandates, leaving many parents with an uncertain transition as their children and careers have aged 4 years.
The work-from-home option, whether 100% of the time or in a hybrid capacity, provides moms with the type of workplace flexibility they need despite the departure of mothers early on during the pandemic when daycare, childcare, and on-site school became non-existent.
Now, everyone (and every mom) will have their own personal preference when it comes to the type of work environment they desire, but it appears that most women with children, especially those with younger kids, appreciate the option of working remotely. As of last year, 70% of women with kids under five were in the paid workforce. With such strong representation, why are so many companies pushing for a complete return-to-office mandate?
1. A Pre-Pandemic Workforce Isn’t Necessarily a Post-Pandemic Workforce
The game changed when Covid happened. Industries and organizations that didn’t support remote working had to find a way to adjust to the new norm. Once they did, workers seemed to thrive, finding more fulfilling tasks to replace the 72 minutes per day that the average worker spends commuting. So, why wouldn’t companies want to embrace this time and use it to benefit both the employer and employee?
2. Not All Workers are Made Equal
If only one work option is offered, you get only one kind of employee. Imagine if everyone excelled and lacked in the same areas. The one-size-fits-all workplace culture leads to stagnancy, and in a continually changing society, from algorithms to beliefs to technology, what benefit does that provide a company or industry?
3. Stats Don’t Lie
62% of women said they are most productive when they work fully remote
64% of women said overall job satisfaction is greatest when working fully remote
72% of women would consider other job options if the ability to work remotely in some capacity was taken away
81% of women strongly agreed to enjoying remote work
Let’s face it, if this was February 2020, this blog would have a very different tone and direction to it, but going backwards isn’t how this works. We’ve lived in a fully remote workplace and a hybrid workforce, in which parents were given the best opportunity to balance their work and life priorities, while bringing more to the table for each. So, what would that mean to moms facing a return-to-office mandate? There will be imbalance, there will be more time commuting (naturally leading to less time spent on work), and there will be lower job satisfaction. Employers, companies, organizations, and industries have to ask themselves if the reasons they are implementing R-T-O mandates are worth the downsides of what they (and employees) will experience without remote options.
As a mom, I hope every member of the workforce sees the benefits of a diverse workplace culture when considering remote options. The future of work and generational acceptance depends on it.