Listen to Your Mothers

Managers, it’s National Breastfeeding Month and August 7th marks the end of World Breastfeeding Week. Chances are you might have someone on your team who is breastfeeding or planning to soon. Here are six ways you can support mothers who decide to pump at work: 1. Say no to back-to-back meetings (everyone will thank you) 2. Find coverage when necessary 3. Offer a comfortable pumping space 4. Use scheduling software to easily book a pumping room 5. Be flexible, allow for remote work 6. Ask your employees for feedback Don’t let your best employees walk away. Check out more tips in the comments. #pumpingatwork #workingmoms #listentoyourmothers

The Paris 2024 Summer Olympics 🏅 has had so many great wins... for moms! Here are a few of our favorite working mom moments at this year's Olympics. 1. On-site nursery. Thanks to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and decorated Olympian and mother of two, Allyson Felix, parents with young children have child care available and a space for breastfeeding right within the Olympic Village. 2. Nearby hotels: Breastfeeding moms and their families were offered hotel rooms close to the Olympic Village for additional privacy and comfort. 3. Moms showing up and showing out. Did you see Egyptian fencer, Nada Hafez, compete at seven months pregnant or South Korea’s sharpshooter, Kim Ye-ji, effortlessly win a silver medal while donning her daughter’s stuffed elephant in her pocket? So many queens to celebrate! It doesn’t take much to enable employees (or in the Olympic’s case, athletes) to perform their best and succeed. Are there any other “working mom” moments you’re loving from the Olympics thus far? What else can organizations like the IOC do to support working moms? #ListenToYourMothers #WorkingMothers

Moms, what do you think? More women with children are working than ever before, but are your workplace policies working for you? Tell us in the comments: how do you feel about return to office mandates? 👇 Fortune has the full story about how return to office requirements are affecting female talent: https://lnkd.in/e2gwe52D

The current state of childcare is a lose-lose for employers and families alike. On the one hand we have mothers saying: "It’s hard to manage expensive daycare payments with the pay I receive. I wish my job had a daycare center or help with childcare. I have to have my mom take my kids to daycare because I have to be at work before daycare even opens." (Listen to Your Mother's "Working Mothers Speak" 2023 report) And on the other, we have employers reporting significant challenges with retention, turnover, and staffing shortages. It is exciting to see the work of this task force engaging folks from all sectors, and recognizing the important role that employers can play in the solution. We can't wait to see the results! #earlychildhood #workforcedevelopment #childcare

To Take Leave or Not Take Leave? That is not the question. City of Boston Mayor Wu recently announced that she is expecting another child and is not planning to take maternity leave when the baby is born in January. In her announcement, Mayor Wu strongly advocates for parental leave for city employees but her personal decision is to return right back to work. Congratulations, Mayor Wu, on not only the exciting expansion of your family but also the message of personal choice you’re sending to mothers everywhere. This is exactly what we want to see. All working mothers should have a right to take leave or not. We shouldn’t question that, but instead focus on how to support. Here’s how managers can support employees if they decide not to take leave: 👉 Offer flexible schedules and paid parental leave to all parents 👉 Make sure they are aware of resources such as wellness benefits, caregiver options, and so on 👉 Ask them how you can best support them (everyone’s situation is different) 👉 Remind them that it’s ok for them to change their mind (and be prepared to plan accordingly) #ListenToYourMothers #WorkingMothers #WomenInLeadership

This!!

“If employers want to stay at the cutting edge of their industries and maintain a competitive advantage on recruiting top talent, it is critical that they invest in career growth and retention strategies, champion flexibility and benefits such as paid leave and child-care assistance, and cultivate an inclusive culture that embraces caregivers.” Check out our letter in the Globe today making the case that employers have the most to gain from investing in structures and systems to retain mothers in the workforce. https://lnkd.in/e2Vym9m9 Miriam Rubin, MBA, Andrea Lebron, Katrina M., Renée Ọmọladé (Omolade)

Tis the Season of Performance Evaluations. Here's a quick tip for managers: Set aside 10 minutes of the evaluation to discuss your team member's growth and development. - Where do they see themselves in 12 months? - How do they want to grow? - What support do they need with anything they have going on outside of work? - What feedback can they share about you or anything else? And then, commit to an action that you will take to help them get there. - Introduce them to one of your contacts. - Invite them to shadow you during an external meeting. - Bring them into your budgeting process. - Challenge them to lead a team meeting. - Set them up for success by measuring on outcomes, not hours. What other tips would you suggest as a manager or an employee going through a review? #performancereviews #workingparents #workingmoms #workingmothers #listentoyourmothers

Tis the Season of Performance Evaluations. Here's a quick tip for managers: Set aside 10 minutes of the evaluation to discuss your team member's growth and development. - Where do they see themselves in 12 months? - How do they want to grow? - What support do they need with anything they have going on outside of work? - What feedback can they share about you or anything else? And then, commit to an action that you will take to help them get there. - Introduce them to one of your contacts. - Invite them to shadow you during an external meeting. - Bring them into your budgeting process. - Challenge them to lead a team meeting. - Set them up for success by measuring on outcomes, not hours. What other tips would you suggest as a manager or an employee going through a review? #performancereviews #workingparents #workingmoms #workingmothers #listentoyourmothers

Anyone willing to help out Jessica Davies?